CindyH
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2005
- Messages
- 433
Thanks again to everyone for their advice and info. I wasn't disciplined or organized enough to keep daily trip reports, but here are some of my thoughts/reflections:
- We got into the BWPPI around 8:45pm. I sent DH, the kids, and my mom & MIL to watch the fireworks from the front of the motel while I unpacked. Worked great, and the kids got a little Disney magic before we even went into the parks.
- Speaking of the BWPPI, the motel was great. We got 2 connecting rooms on the 3rd floor (at my request) - numbers 347 and 348, I think. Rooms were clean, and cleaned promptly every day. Since we were on the "other" side of the building (the narrower parking lot) it seemed quieter to me. Also, parking was easier, since most people tend to park in the lot as soon as they drive in (instead of driving around the back of the building). Pool was small but great for our purpose; almost every single day, we went back after lunch to swim then nap. I wound up doing laundry twice during our stay - $1.00 per wash and 75 cents per 45 minutes of drying. I brought my own laundry soap, but you can purchase there also.
- The Disney Visa perks were wonderful. I didn't think we'd use the free stroller rental (my younger son hasn't ridden a stroller in about 1 1/2 years) but he complained on the 2nd day that his legs were hurting and was quite pleased to be pushed around instead. All I had to do was show my Disney visa and we got the stroller with no problem. Also used the Visa to get two free pictures (one for my card and DH's card) in Ariel's Grotto with Chip and Dale. When I went to redeem my coupons for the pics, I noticed that the price was $12.95 for the first pic and I think $6.95 for subsequent photos, so it was a gift of $20! (Nice present for both grandmas, by the way.)
- Speaking of the Disney Visa, the Disney dollars you earn are great! I was able to use our Disney dollars (along with our AAA discount) to pay for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen, lunch AND dinner at Ariel's Grotto, and lunch at the Blue Bayou - all for 4 adults and 2 kids - without having to spend a dime of my own money.
- I really like the character meals. We did Goofy's Kitchen for dinner once and Ariel's Grotto twice (one lunch, one dinner). I liked the food selection better at GK, but the characters were better (IMO) at AG - GK had Goofy (of course!), Pluto, Chip, Dale, Mulan and Minnie. AG had Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale...and on our last meal of our last day, there was Donald Duck! I was so pleased to see him - we hadn't seen him at all in our 5 days, except on the Parade of Dreams float. It was nice to sit down and have the characters come to your table, instead of standing in line in the hot sun (we wound up doing this only for Buzz and Winnie/Tigger/Eeyore).
- Speaking of the Parade of Dreams, I was a little disappointed in the length of the parade. It seemed rather short to me, vs. the Electrical Parade, which was long enough to enjoy.
- On the other hand, the fireworks were great and plenty long enough. My only complaint was with people who don't seem to get the concept of sharing with others, and insisted on standing. We tried sitting, but when the people in front of us got up (because the people in front of them got up) then we had to get up also.
- Lunch at the Blue Bayou was great, and both my kids even ate the fried calamari (I told them it was kind of like onion rings). We had an 11:30 PS and got a waterfront table with no problem; while I was waiting for the table, there were numerous people who walked up without a PS only to be told that there were no openings at all, either for lunch or dinner. Granted, it was a Saturday, but still - VERY busy!
- Speaking of PS, I discovered something that I didn't know if anyone else knew - I wanted to change a PS so I resigned myself to spending 50 cents to call the PS number. When I went to a phone booth in DCA (I'm sure it's the same in DL) I noticed a button that said "Disney Dining". When I pressed it (before putting any money in) I got connected with no problem, and was able to change my PS! Okay, so it was only 50 cents, but still nice and convenient...
- Get there early! After the first day, we tried to get to the gates right when they opened, and that was good enough for us.
- Plan your rides! Luckily, my sons like some of the less popular rides, but it was still a challenge to plan our visit - we didn't want to do Buzz then go across the park to Winnie the Pooh then back to Tomorrowland to do the Monorail.
- Fast passes were great. I wound up only getting them for Buzz and Soaring (the only 2 FP rides my kids like) so I spent a bit of time criss-crossing between parks. I even managed to spread a little pixie dust - I was sitting in front of Buzz waiting for DH and my older son, when a dad and his son sat down next to me. He told his son "See, this pass says we have to wait till 10:40am to ride" which was about 40 minutes away. I offered to trade FPs with him (I had some that were from 8:50-9:50am) and he gladly accepted. When he was done with the ride and came back around to thank me, I even offered a couple of extra FPs for him to use (since the grandmas and my younger son don't like the Buzz ride, I usually have a few extra) but he declined. Made me feel kinda good, though.
- Speaking of waiting, I borrowed my nephew's Game Boy Advance (we have one of our own) and used both GBAs to keep my sons busy while waiting for parades and fireworks. Worked great, and I caught several envious glances from other kids who were waiting.
- We also did the Nestle Junior Chefs - what a lot of fun! The boys were in a group of about 10 kids, and each kid contributed to the mixing and stirring. At the end, they did a song and dance, then poof! nicely shaped cookies were baked. I tasted a bite - mmmm! MY cookies never come out so good!
- The Aladdin show in DCA was hilarious; the actor playing the Genie was SO funny! We sat in the mezzanine, which worked out well for us. We saw the flying carpet, but sat back enough so that the scary scenes (with the big sand tiger/lion) didn't seem as frightening. We did lose sight of the elephant and other dancers, but I think it was a good tradeoff. One note: if you do the mezzanine level, be prepared to hike it! It's 55 steps up, then anywhere from 1-20 steps down (depending on what row you choose to sit). Also, NO flash photography allowed, or even cell phones, pagers, etc. - they don't want to distract the actors while they're doing stunts. Another note: It's a fairly long show (I think about 40 minutes) and there are NO bathrooms inside the theatre.
- Turtle Talk with Crush: I didn't see this (I was waiting in line at Aladdin) but DH and the kids did, and DH said it was a lot of fun. For one thing, it's in an air-conditioned room (ALWAYS a plus for us). For another, the animation behind Crush is really something. He interacts (ask questions and gives answers) with the kids, and DH also said that the special effects are good and very 3-D; earlier in the show, Crush goes in front of some rocks, then later in the show, he goes behind the same rocks. Pretty neat! Also, we saw Mulan and another character in the animation lobby - nice not to have to stand in the hot sun to get a picture/autograph.
- We wound up not doing Mickey's Toontown Madness. We went into Toontown on Friday morning (not an EE day) and were able to visit Minnie and Mickey's houses pretty much to ourselves. My older son, Mikey, went on the Gadget Coasters twice, and it's a great ride for kids who want the roller coaster experience but aren't quite ready to handle Space Mountain or the Matterhorn (which Mikey also rode, but preferred the Gadget Coasters). We all did the Roger Rabbit ride, and neither my younger son, Timmy, nor I liked the ride, but Mikey and DH did. Timmy did enjoy Goofy's Bounce House, but kept wondering where Goofy was (I told him he was busy cooking in his Kitchen).
- We also wound up not going to the ESPN Zone for dinner, even though I had $60 worth of credit vouchers. It just seemed too long a walk for kids, especially since we wanted to get back to DCA to see the ELP. We also didn't do the Rainforest Cafe, since Timmy got scared on the Jungle Cruise ride - I figured more animals and loud noises wouldn't be good.
- DH was impressed at how clean DL was, particularly the garbage cans. So impressed, to the point that he engaged a CM into a conversation about it (evidently, they empty the garbage cans at least once an hour, if not more often, and they scrub the cans each night).
- My boys like the less popular rides, including the horse-carriage and cars leading to/from the hub. They got to "drive" the horse carriage and hold the reins, all the while hollering "KEER DA TWACKS!!!" (Clear the tracks!) all with the encouragement of the CM driver.
That's all I can think of for right now. Thanks for reading!
- We got into the BWPPI around 8:45pm. I sent DH, the kids, and my mom & MIL to watch the fireworks from the front of the motel while I unpacked. Worked great, and the kids got a little Disney magic before we even went into the parks.
- Speaking of the BWPPI, the motel was great. We got 2 connecting rooms on the 3rd floor (at my request) - numbers 347 and 348, I think. Rooms were clean, and cleaned promptly every day. Since we were on the "other" side of the building (the narrower parking lot) it seemed quieter to me. Also, parking was easier, since most people tend to park in the lot as soon as they drive in (instead of driving around the back of the building). Pool was small but great for our purpose; almost every single day, we went back after lunch to swim then nap. I wound up doing laundry twice during our stay - $1.00 per wash and 75 cents per 45 minutes of drying. I brought my own laundry soap, but you can purchase there also.
- The Disney Visa perks were wonderful. I didn't think we'd use the free stroller rental (my younger son hasn't ridden a stroller in about 1 1/2 years) but he complained on the 2nd day that his legs were hurting and was quite pleased to be pushed around instead. All I had to do was show my Disney visa and we got the stroller with no problem. Also used the Visa to get two free pictures (one for my card and DH's card) in Ariel's Grotto with Chip and Dale. When I went to redeem my coupons for the pics, I noticed that the price was $12.95 for the first pic and I think $6.95 for subsequent photos, so it was a gift of $20! (Nice present for both grandmas, by the way.)
- Speaking of the Disney Visa, the Disney dollars you earn are great! I was able to use our Disney dollars (along with our AAA discount) to pay for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen, lunch AND dinner at Ariel's Grotto, and lunch at the Blue Bayou - all for 4 adults and 2 kids - without having to spend a dime of my own money.
- I really like the character meals. We did Goofy's Kitchen for dinner once and Ariel's Grotto twice (one lunch, one dinner). I liked the food selection better at GK, but the characters were better (IMO) at AG - GK had Goofy (of course!), Pluto, Chip, Dale, Mulan and Minnie. AG had Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale...and on our last meal of our last day, there was Donald Duck! I was so pleased to see him - we hadn't seen him at all in our 5 days, except on the Parade of Dreams float. It was nice to sit down and have the characters come to your table, instead of standing in line in the hot sun (we wound up doing this only for Buzz and Winnie/Tigger/Eeyore).
- Speaking of the Parade of Dreams, I was a little disappointed in the length of the parade. It seemed rather short to me, vs. the Electrical Parade, which was long enough to enjoy.
- On the other hand, the fireworks were great and plenty long enough. My only complaint was with people who don't seem to get the concept of sharing with others, and insisted on standing. We tried sitting, but when the people in front of us got up (because the people in front of them got up) then we had to get up also.
- Lunch at the Blue Bayou was great, and both my kids even ate the fried calamari (I told them it was kind of like onion rings). We had an 11:30 PS and got a waterfront table with no problem; while I was waiting for the table, there were numerous people who walked up without a PS only to be told that there were no openings at all, either for lunch or dinner. Granted, it was a Saturday, but still - VERY busy!
- Speaking of PS, I discovered something that I didn't know if anyone else knew - I wanted to change a PS so I resigned myself to spending 50 cents to call the PS number. When I went to a phone booth in DCA (I'm sure it's the same in DL) I noticed a button that said "Disney Dining". When I pressed it (before putting any money in) I got connected with no problem, and was able to change my PS! Okay, so it was only 50 cents, but still nice and convenient...
- Get there early! After the first day, we tried to get to the gates right when they opened, and that was good enough for us.
- Plan your rides! Luckily, my sons like some of the less popular rides, but it was still a challenge to plan our visit - we didn't want to do Buzz then go across the park to Winnie the Pooh then back to Tomorrowland to do the Monorail.
- Fast passes were great. I wound up only getting them for Buzz and Soaring (the only 2 FP rides my kids like) so I spent a bit of time criss-crossing between parks. I even managed to spread a little pixie dust - I was sitting in front of Buzz waiting for DH and my older son, when a dad and his son sat down next to me. He told his son "See, this pass says we have to wait till 10:40am to ride" which was about 40 minutes away. I offered to trade FPs with him (I had some that were from 8:50-9:50am) and he gladly accepted. When he was done with the ride and came back around to thank me, I even offered a couple of extra FPs for him to use (since the grandmas and my younger son don't like the Buzz ride, I usually have a few extra) but he declined. Made me feel kinda good, though.
- Speaking of waiting, I borrowed my nephew's Game Boy Advance (we have one of our own) and used both GBAs to keep my sons busy while waiting for parades and fireworks. Worked great, and I caught several envious glances from other kids who were waiting.
- We also did the Nestle Junior Chefs - what a lot of fun! The boys were in a group of about 10 kids, and each kid contributed to the mixing and stirring. At the end, they did a song and dance, then poof! nicely shaped cookies were baked. I tasted a bite - mmmm! MY cookies never come out so good!
- The Aladdin show in DCA was hilarious; the actor playing the Genie was SO funny! We sat in the mezzanine, which worked out well for us. We saw the flying carpet, but sat back enough so that the scary scenes (with the big sand tiger/lion) didn't seem as frightening. We did lose sight of the elephant and other dancers, but I think it was a good tradeoff. One note: if you do the mezzanine level, be prepared to hike it! It's 55 steps up, then anywhere from 1-20 steps down (depending on what row you choose to sit). Also, NO flash photography allowed, or even cell phones, pagers, etc. - they don't want to distract the actors while they're doing stunts. Another note: It's a fairly long show (I think about 40 minutes) and there are NO bathrooms inside the theatre.
- Turtle Talk with Crush: I didn't see this (I was waiting in line at Aladdin) but DH and the kids did, and DH said it was a lot of fun. For one thing, it's in an air-conditioned room (ALWAYS a plus for us). For another, the animation behind Crush is really something. He interacts (ask questions and gives answers) with the kids, and DH also said that the special effects are good and very 3-D; earlier in the show, Crush goes in front of some rocks, then later in the show, he goes behind the same rocks. Pretty neat! Also, we saw Mulan and another character in the animation lobby - nice not to have to stand in the hot sun to get a picture/autograph.
- We wound up not doing Mickey's Toontown Madness. We went into Toontown on Friday morning (not an EE day) and were able to visit Minnie and Mickey's houses pretty much to ourselves. My older son, Mikey, went on the Gadget Coasters twice, and it's a great ride for kids who want the roller coaster experience but aren't quite ready to handle Space Mountain or the Matterhorn (which Mikey also rode, but preferred the Gadget Coasters). We all did the Roger Rabbit ride, and neither my younger son, Timmy, nor I liked the ride, but Mikey and DH did. Timmy did enjoy Goofy's Bounce House, but kept wondering where Goofy was (I told him he was busy cooking in his Kitchen).
- We also wound up not going to the ESPN Zone for dinner, even though I had $60 worth of credit vouchers. It just seemed too long a walk for kids, especially since we wanted to get back to DCA to see the ELP. We also didn't do the Rainforest Cafe, since Timmy got scared on the Jungle Cruise ride - I figured more animals and loud noises wouldn't be good.
- DH was impressed at how clean DL was, particularly the garbage cans. So impressed, to the point that he engaged a CM into a conversation about it (evidently, they empty the garbage cans at least once an hour, if not more often, and they scrub the cans each night).
- My boys like the less popular rides, including the horse-carriage and cars leading to/from the hub. They got to "drive" the horse carriage and hold the reins, all the while hollering "KEER DA TWACKS!!!" (Clear the tracks!) all with the encouragement of the CM driver.
That's all I can think of for right now. Thanks for reading!
