- Joined
- Jan 12, 2003
- Messages
- 1,272
It's kind of funny but I feel like this is my homework assignment when I return 
because of all the help I receive from the people on this board.
We were in WDW from January 2nd to the 9th. The four of us were all together for the first time at WDW in 4 years (we have been on other vacations together but not WDW). Our time together is less than ever with both girls in college out of state. The WDW magic was still there and I think it was good for me to take a two year break. I was getting Disneyed out after 5 years in a row.
Rather than a trip report thought I would just list highlights and a few low lights.
Loved
The weather – 70’s and 80’s with rain only one day! It was 100 degrees different than home in Minnesota where it reached 20 below. Even went to the pool a few times. We may be vacationing at this time of year more often.
Our 4th floor Boardwalk view in a 2 bedroom for 5 nights – (we were almost last in that long hallway – Next time I will ask to be close to elevators.) Room was clean and in good condition. There’s nothing like getting up in the morning and looking out at the lake and the Epcot ball and having a 2 bedroom room for the 4 of us! I remembered this was why we loved DVC!
The Christmas decorations at the resorts and parks. Some were already down but we did get to see them at many resorts and the parks. It was amazing how they would be up one day and the next day everything was gone!
Osborne Lights – Wow! My daughter said it was worth the price of admission just to see this.
Magical Express – So nice just to board a bus and not worry about luggage.
Promotional 8 X 10 Print for the new DVC at the Contemporary – We received a contemporary Mickey print in our room at WL which we all loved. I asked and was able to get 2 extra so each daughter will have one at their college homes and we will have one at ours. We did not receive one in our BWV room.
Wilderness Lodge – we stayed here for the 1st two nights in a woods view room and liked the transportation to MK and would stay again. The main lodge and grounds are beautiful. BWV still is our favorite though.
Escape from Reality – Rarely turned on the TV and did not read the newspaper. So nice to be away from the everyday stress of the real world!
New Rides/Shows we tried and liked:
Toy Story Mania (we made a trip back to MGM just to use our fast passes and it was worth it)
Soarin’ (although 2 of us had been on it the other 2 had not and loved it)
Block Party at MGM – This was a riot and we were taken by surprise as we thought it was a parade.
Spaceship Earth – I will miss the old one but thought they did a nice job of rehabbing it. I don’t like the advertising after Illuminations on the Ball.
Everest – I got talked into going on and survived – it was not as bad as I thought it would be.
Mission Space – we tried the tame version and no problems. Next time we’ll probably step it up!
Would not do again or change next time
Chef Mickey’s –Dinner our first night. We felt it was very overpriced for a mediocre buffet and we had a rude waiter. We had a Tables in Wonderland card so he received the automatic 18% tip and we would never have left that for the service and attitude. The best part of this experience was seeing the Contemporary hotel, the napkin twirling and the pictures we were able to get with the characters. However, we will never return based on the food, service and cost.
Park Hopped too much – Because of the crowds (MK was packed on 1/3) and only a few showings of the Osbourne lights and Fantasmic during our trip we park hopped too much. Poor planning on my part.
Fantasmic without a dinner package. We ended up in the standing room only section arriving 45 minutes early and the crowds were huge. It was our last night so it was disappointing. Next time I will do the dinner package as I truly underestimated the crowds.
Garden Grocer – Although I have used them prior to this trip we will probably not use a grocery service again. We felt they overcharged for many items. The bagels were marked $1.99 package but we were charged over $4.00. Milk, fruit, etc. were not priced much higher or were the same at the Boardwalk store. After a $12.00 delivery fee and tip we felt it was not worth the cost.
Renting a car – We rented a car for a couple of days from the Dolphin. We thought we would go to the beach but turns out we did not want to leave Disney! We really didn’t need it but used it to go to Ohana’s, AK and Boma’s and took a drive to Celebration to see what the town was about. We found out it was easy to rent a car from the Dolphin and I will always have a standing reservation just in case but Disney transportation was just fine and will probably save the money next time.
Rides/Shows we will not do again:
Nemo The Musical – This was cute but we liked Tarzan much more. I think you should come out of a musical with a memorable song and I can’t remember one.
Stitch – The Great Escape – None of us liked this.
Cars, Lights, Motors – I’m sure many love this show but we are not motor heads. I wanted to be driving the car and not watching someone else drive it!
What happened to?
Illuminations – The dancing water during segments of the show was missing (we know this show by heart) and there seemed to be less fireworks at the end.
Soarin’ – The queue used to have questions about the land while you were waiting. Now it’s just solid screens with a picture of the ride (1 screen not working). Also, the lines in the film during the ride are distracting and take away from the experience.
Boardwalk Bakery – The breakfast wraps – we loved these
and they are gone 
. My husband and I used to split one almost every morning.
Animal Kingdom – Simba Ice Cream Bars.
Lion King Show – a couple of songs seem to be missing from the show ?
Friendly Cast Members – We wanted to upgrade a pass to an AP and purchase a Tables in Wonderland card. To make a long story short I decided not to upgrade the ticket and just outright buy the AP pass and the Cast Member was very rude and unaccommodating. It was straightened out but it certainly wasn't magical or Disney like. This started the trip on a bad note and Chef Mickey's just made it worse
We only encountered one friendly server. Cast Members were nice but just seemed to be doing their jobs and not going out of their way as in the past. They did not seem as upbeat.
World Showcase - We don’t want to purchase something in Germany, Morocco, etc. and find out when I take off the price tag it is made in China. We saw this in a few countries and were disappointed.
Things we will try to do another time:
A show or tour – We did not go to LaNouba, do a tour or a dinner show and next time we will spend the money on a special event. It’s always a highlight and worth it.
More time in Epcot – we vowed we will spend more time here on our next trip. We could walk into the park from the BWV but only spent one full day here and we would give it at least two!
Jelly Rolls – We were too exhausted every night to go and now I regret it after hearing some people talk at the pool on our last day. We love this place. Next time!
(Forgot to add - my daughter developed hives again on this trip but we did have allergy medicine which kept them from getting worse. Last trip we ended up in Celebration Hospital for a steroid shot. Not sure why she develops hives in Florida and hoping to find the source before our next trip.)
Sorry this got so long. We have returned to reality with forecasted temps below zero this week and more bad news of the economy but our memories of this trip will help us get through until the next time! We are thankful we were able to go – it is such a great place for a family to spend time together and we can’t wait to return. Next time I will plan things out better like I used to. Going during the holiday season is a little tougher since my focus was on Christmas until right before the trip. I felt I was off my game but we had a GREAT time – we were in WDW!
because of all the help I receive from the people on this board. We were in WDW from January 2nd to the 9th. The four of us were all together for the first time at WDW in 4 years (we have been on other vacations together but not WDW). Our time together is less than ever with both girls in college out of state. The WDW magic was still there and I think it was good for me to take a two year break. I was getting Disneyed out after 5 years in a row.
Rather than a trip report thought I would just list highlights and a few low lights.
Loved
The weather – 70’s and 80’s with rain only one day! It was 100 degrees different than home in Minnesota where it reached 20 below. Even went to the pool a few times. We may be vacationing at this time of year more often.
Our 4th floor Boardwalk view in a 2 bedroom for 5 nights – (we were almost last in that long hallway – Next time I will ask to be close to elevators.) Room was clean and in good condition. There’s nothing like getting up in the morning and looking out at the lake and the Epcot ball and having a 2 bedroom room for the 4 of us! I remembered this was why we loved DVC!
The Christmas decorations at the resorts and parks. Some were already down but we did get to see them at many resorts and the parks. It was amazing how they would be up one day and the next day everything was gone!
Osborne Lights – Wow! My daughter said it was worth the price of admission just to see this.
Magical Express – So nice just to board a bus and not worry about luggage.
Promotional 8 X 10 Print for the new DVC at the Contemporary – We received a contemporary Mickey print in our room at WL which we all loved. I asked and was able to get 2 extra so each daughter will have one at their college homes and we will have one at ours. We did not receive one in our BWV room.
Wilderness Lodge – we stayed here for the 1st two nights in a woods view room and liked the transportation to MK and would stay again. The main lodge and grounds are beautiful. BWV still is our favorite though.
Escape from Reality – Rarely turned on the TV and did not read the newspaper. So nice to be away from the everyday stress of the real world!
New Rides/Shows we tried and liked:
Toy Story Mania (we made a trip back to MGM just to use our fast passes and it was worth it)
Soarin’ (although 2 of us had been on it the other 2 had not and loved it)
Block Party at MGM – This was a riot and we were taken by surprise as we thought it was a parade.
Spaceship Earth – I will miss the old one but thought they did a nice job of rehabbing it. I don’t like the advertising after Illuminations on the Ball.
Everest – I got talked into going on and survived – it was not as bad as I thought it would be.
Mission Space – we tried the tame version and no problems. Next time we’ll probably step it up!
Would not do again or change next time
Chef Mickey’s –Dinner our first night. We felt it was very overpriced for a mediocre buffet and we had a rude waiter. We had a Tables in Wonderland card so he received the automatic 18% tip and we would never have left that for the service and attitude. The best part of this experience was seeing the Contemporary hotel, the napkin twirling and the pictures we were able to get with the characters. However, we will never return based on the food, service and cost.
Park Hopped too much – Because of the crowds (MK was packed on 1/3) and only a few showings of the Osbourne lights and Fantasmic during our trip we park hopped too much. Poor planning on my part.
Fantasmic without a dinner package. We ended up in the standing room only section arriving 45 minutes early and the crowds were huge. It was our last night so it was disappointing. Next time I will do the dinner package as I truly underestimated the crowds.
Garden Grocer – Although I have used them prior to this trip we will probably not use a grocery service again. We felt they overcharged for many items. The bagels were marked $1.99 package but we were charged over $4.00. Milk, fruit, etc. were not priced much higher or were the same at the Boardwalk store. After a $12.00 delivery fee and tip we felt it was not worth the cost.
Renting a car – We rented a car for a couple of days from the Dolphin. We thought we would go to the beach but turns out we did not want to leave Disney! We really didn’t need it but used it to go to Ohana’s, AK and Boma’s and took a drive to Celebration to see what the town was about. We found out it was easy to rent a car from the Dolphin and I will always have a standing reservation just in case but Disney transportation was just fine and will probably save the money next time.
Rides/Shows we will not do again:
Nemo The Musical – This was cute but we liked Tarzan much more. I think you should come out of a musical with a memorable song and I can’t remember one.
Stitch – The Great Escape – None of us liked this.
Cars, Lights, Motors – I’m sure many love this show but we are not motor heads. I wanted to be driving the car and not watching someone else drive it!
What happened to?
Illuminations – The dancing water during segments of the show was missing (we know this show by heart) and there seemed to be less fireworks at the end.
Soarin’ – The queue used to have questions about the land while you were waiting. Now it’s just solid screens with a picture of the ride (1 screen not working). Also, the lines in the film during the ride are distracting and take away from the experience.
Boardwalk Bakery – The breakfast wraps – we loved these
and they are gone . My husband and I used to split one almost every morning.Animal Kingdom – Simba Ice Cream Bars.
Lion King Show – a couple of songs seem to be missing from the show ?
Friendly Cast Members – We wanted to upgrade a pass to an AP and purchase a Tables in Wonderland card. To make a long story short I decided not to upgrade the ticket and just outright buy the AP pass and the Cast Member was very rude and unaccommodating. It was straightened out but it certainly wasn't magical or Disney like. This started the trip on a bad note and Chef Mickey's just made it worse
We only encountered one friendly server. Cast Members were nice but just seemed to be doing their jobs and not going out of their way as in the past. They did not seem as upbeat.
World Showcase - We don’t want to purchase something in Germany, Morocco, etc. and find out when I take off the price tag it is made in China. We saw this in a few countries and were disappointed.
Things we will try to do another time:
A show or tour – We did not go to LaNouba, do a tour or a dinner show and next time we will spend the money on a special event. It’s always a highlight and worth it.
More time in Epcot – we vowed we will spend more time here on our next trip. We could walk into the park from the BWV but only spent one full day here and we would give it at least two!
Jelly Rolls – We were too exhausted every night to go and now I regret it after hearing some people talk at the pool on our last day. We love this place. Next time!
(Forgot to add - my daughter developed hives again on this trip but we did have allergy medicine which kept them from getting worse. Last trip we ended up in Celebration Hospital for a steroid shot. Not sure why she develops hives in Florida and hoping to find the source before our next trip.)
Sorry this got so long. We have returned to reality with forecasted temps below zero this week and more bad news of the economy but our memories of this trip will help us get through until the next time! We are thankful we were able to go – it is such a great place for a family to spend time together and we can’t wait to return. Next time I will plan things out better like I used to. Going during the holiday season is a little tougher since my focus was on Christmas until right before the trip. I felt I was off my game but we had a GREAT time – we were in WDW!
this morning is making me wish for another plane ticket to Orlando.
