Im not going to try and do this as a day by day report but rather as a bit about each park, the DDP, etc and throw in some random thoughts along the way.
Background
Cast of characters are me, DW, DS (13) and DS (9). Wed been planning the trip since Nov 06, and it was a surprise to the kids as an Xmas gift.
Talk about good luck
we originally had planned to leave Wed, Feb 14 and return Mon Feb 19. This would have had the kids miss 2 days of school, Wed & Thurs, as they were off Fri and Mon. Had the reservations and airline tickets all booked. Then in Dec, the airline we booked pulled out of our airport! They would have switched us to another airline, but we wouldnt have had a choice on flight time (likely would have been 6am flight) and we would have had a connection instead of a non-stop. So we looked into Jet Blue (which we wanted to fly on originally, but it was a lot more $ when we first compared them than the one we booked), and the prices had changed and were more reasonable, as long as we left on Tues instead of Wed. So we decided to take the kids out early on Tues and add another night to our WDW reservations at Pop Century. As it turned out, the 1st major snowstorm of the year in our area was ready to hit starting Tues night/Wed morning! We got out of here with about ½ day to spare! If we had stayed with our original plan, we would have been snowed in and who knows if we would have made it to WDW at all! And, I kept putting off buying trip insurance and never did get around to it. Who knows how much money I would have lost! Plus, with the storm at home, schools were closed Wed & Thurs so the kids only missed ½ a day! And, although Jet Blue had a lot of problems for the week following the storm, we had no trouble with our return flight either.
Weather
not what we hoped for, but with a snowstorm going on in our hometown while we were gone, we had no complaints. Tues night and Wed were real nice. Wore shorts and t-shirts on Wed. Thurs started getting cooler, though the kids did manage a swim in the Hippy Dippy pool. The water was toasty warm, but they sure did feel the chill when they got out! Fri, Sat, and Sun were downright cold in the morning and evenings. Mid days werent too bad. We had to start out with sweatshirts/jackets on, take off layers as the day progressed, then put them back on at night. It would have been nice to have warmer weather, but at least there was no rain (or snow!) so it didnt bother us too much.
Crowds
it was pretty much what I expected. Tues, Wed, & Thurs werent too bad at all. Then Fri it really picked up. Sat, Sun, & Mon were mobbed. We are not big morning people but tried to get going as early as we could as it was much better in the mornings. Fast Passes for things like Soarin and Test Track were gone for the day by early afternoon. Wait time at Soaring was like 110mins by mid day. Its a great ride, but I cant see waiting that long for ANY ride! We either got FPs or would wait for rides 20mins or under, otherwise we skipped them.
Rides/Attractions
Soarin was one of the best for all of us, and my favorite. And I almost chickened out on it! I get motion sickness pretty easily. I dont like any rides that spin or go upside down. And I HATE 360 deg/IMAX type of movies. I always end up closing my eyes or staring at the floor to avoid getting nauseous. So I was pretty worried about how Soarin would be. I took a Bonine ahead of time as a preventative measure but wasnt confident it would help. The only reason I even thought Id try the ride was because I read a few people on the board say the get motion sickness but it didnt bother them. Anyhow, I LOVED it! It really was a blast and I didnt get that sick feeling at all. I think I know why on the regular 360 deg movies Ive done, you sit or stand in front of the screen, and the movie plays like youre flying, on a train or car, etc. So my body is sitting still but my eyes/mind think Im moving, which is the classic cause for motion sickness. On Soarin it FEELS like you are moving too, by the slight movements of the seats, the wind blowing at you, etc. So my mind and body both felt like I was moving so all was well. Im sure there are some people that wouldnt like it, especially if you have a big fear of heights. But if anyone is on the fence about whether they would do the ride for fear of motion sickness, I would recommend trying it. I was quite surprised how much I liked it. We did it twice and would have gone again if they hadnt run out of FPs.
Our other favorites were Test Track. It has the fun of a roller coaster (fast) without the big drop that some of us dont like. And Big Thunder Mountain for mostly the same reason (no big drop). We did that once at night in the dark, that was really cool. Dinosaur was better than I thought it would be. A little loud and jerky, but not too bad. Buzz Lightyear ride was fun but we were able to walk right on it twice in the mornings, I wouldnt wait a long time to go on it. And Stitch wasnt bad either, even though Ive read a lot of people on the board dont care much for it. Everyone but me did the Star Tours and liked that a lot. As for shows, the Backlot Tour at MGM was pretty good. And the Indiana Jones was a hit with all of us. The Stunt show at MGM was cool, but we had to leave early to make our ADR and missed the big ending, so we went back the last day and the show filled up just as we got there . Kids were pretty disappointed about that.
DDP
it was well worth it for us. We were 3 adults and 1 child so it was about $120 a day. Some of our TS meals were more than that alone! It was more than enough food, and we had 6 snacks a 1 CS left when we were getting ready to leave. So we stocked up on cookies from the gift shop at the resort and got an individual pizza to take with us and ate at the airport before our flight. I couldnt bring myself to not use all my credits! We did have 1 minor glitch. Somehow, Wolfgang Pucks at DTD screwed up on our first night at took off 4 adult TS credits instead of 3 adults/1 child. It wasnt obvious right away because they did have me sign 2 receipts, 1 for adult meals and 1 for the child. We didnt notice it until after our next TS meal. When I went back and looked at the 2 receipts from Wolfgangs, the one for the child meal even listed a different resort, not Pop, so I dont know what they did wrong. But the CM at the front desk at Pop fixed it for us without any problem.
TS meals Wolfgang pucks was good, I had the nut crusted chick which was fantastic. Overall, the place was just OK, much much too loud.
Le Cellier for lunch. We couldnt get a dinner ADR so settled for lunch. Everything was very good except for being a bit salty (soup, potatoes, sauce on steak, etc). Not enough to ruin anything, but I thought it was noticeable. The cheese soup, as everyone always reports, was very good. And of course, the chocolate moose was really cute.
Chef Mickeys for dinner. I thought it was very good for a buffet. Had a lot fun with the characters.
Coral Reef for dinner. Got seats right next to the aquarium windows so that was really cool. It was neat to see the divers going by, but having to keep waving at them got a little old . Overall, food was very good. I got prime rib which was tender, but a little dry.
Hollywood & Vine for dinner. I thought the buffet here was so-so. Nothing too special, but it was probably worth it to get the guaranteed seating for Fantasmic.
50s Prime Time for dinner. The atmosphere was great. Loved how theyd call out Smith kids, Mom wants you for dinner and stuff like that. The food was good, fried cheese appetizer was very good, I thought. Waiter did the airplane thing with younger son when he didnt finish his potatoes and told my wife to take her elbows off the table. It was fun. The only complaint was I felt quite rushed. Dinner was out before we had barely gotten started on our appetizers.
Counter service - meals were pretty good overall. The one that stands out was Tusker House at AK. I had a great crusted salmon that would have satisfied me for a dinner. We had breakfast once at Pop, but it was mobbed and had to spend 10 mins just wandering around looking for a table.
Pop Century Resort
We were happy with the resort. All the oversized gaudy decorations were cool (or groovy, depending on the decade
). If we had nicer weather we would have enjoyed the pools more. The room was adequate, nothing special, but no complaints either. I know some people have complained about the beds, but I thought they were comfortable. No towel animals for us . Id stay there again if the price was right.
Transportation
we were torn between renting a car or sticking with the Disney transportation. We decided to skip the car and Im glad we did. We had to wait 15mins or so for a bus a few times, but other times we walked right on. And I dont know how much time a car would have saved when you have to take (and maybe wait a bit for) a tram to the parking lot, then walk to the car. Then find a parking spot and your next location, wait for a tram again, etc. If youre leaving the site then obviously you need a car, but if youre just staying inside WDW, I dont think it makes sense for most people to rent a car. The Magic Express worked well for us too. Though I was a little worried because on the way home, the driver didnt take our vouchers. I didnt hear him ask and we just walked on the bus. My wife said he asked, but it looked like he though we were with another big group that he was talking to when we got up there. I just blew it off but then started getting worried that maybe if they dont have the voucher they dont load your luggage on! (we had checked our luggage in earlier in the day). But when we got to our home airport, the luggage was all there and I could breath a big sigh!
Mouse-hole award
- goes to the family of about 7 that squeezed by us after wed been in the Soarin FP line for about 15mins already, which means there was quite a long line behind us that they pushed their way through. Seems they had to meet up with another 7 or so that were a few groups ahead of us, so they could all go on together. I really dont know how some people have the gall to be that way. I really wanted to say something but bit my tongue as I knew it would do no good and just get my blood pressure rising.
Thankfully, I noticed a lot more people that were the opposite of the family mentioned above. Many people apologizing for bumping you (which was impossible not to do sometimes), offering their seats on the bus for someone holding a sleeping kid, etc. Things like that make it much easier to deal with huge crowds and long waits.
Heart-sink
for the woman who became separated from her 4yo that was screaming for him just outside the Soarin entrance. I felt so bad for her. There looked like there were a few CMs helping her and Im sure she must have found him eventually (at least I would have expected to hear about it on the news otherwise). The place was so packed I could see how easily it would be for a kid to get lost.
Overall
- a great time! I would have liked it a little less crowded (who wouldnt?), but this was the best time for us to go without the kids missing too much school. I cant image how people deal with going in the summer when its just as crowded and you add the heat and humidity!
I want to thank everyone who contributes on the Dis Board, as it helped our planning immensely!
If anyone has any questions, Id be happy to answer them.
Background
Cast of characters are me, DW, DS (13) and DS (9). Wed been planning the trip since Nov 06, and it was a surprise to the kids as an Xmas gift.Talk about good luck
we originally had planned to leave Wed, Feb 14 and return Mon Feb 19. This would have had the kids miss 2 days of school, Wed & Thurs, as they were off Fri and Mon. Had the reservations and airline tickets all booked. Then in Dec, the airline we booked pulled out of our airport! They would have switched us to another airline, but we wouldnt have had a choice on flight time (likely would have been 6am flight) and we would have had a connection instead of a non-stop. So we looked into Jet Blue (which we wanted to fly on originally, but it was a lot more $ when we first compared them than the one we booked), and the prices had changed and were more reasonable, as long as we left on Tues instead of Wed. So we decided to take the kids out early on Tues and add another night to our WDW reservations at Pop Century. As it turned out, the 1st major snowstorm of the year in our area was ready to hit starting Tues night/Wed morning! We got out of here with about ½ day to spare! If we had stayed with our original plan, we would have been snowed in and who knows if we would have made it to WDW at all! And, I kept putting off buying trip insurance and never did get around to it. Who knows how much money I would have lost! Plus, with the storm at home, schools were closed Wed & Thurs so the kids only missed ½ a day! And, although Jet Blue had a lot of problems for the week following the storm, we had no trouble with our return flight either.Weather
not what we hoped for, but with a snowstorm going on in our hometown while we were gone, we had no complaints. Tues night and Wed were real nice. Wore shorts and t-shirts on Wed. Thurs started getting cooler, though the kids did manage a swim in the Hippy Dippy pool. The water was toasty warm, but they sure did feel the chill when they got out! Fri, Sat, and Sun were downright cold in the morning and evenings. Mid days werent too bad. We had to start out with sweatshirts/jackets on, take off layers as the day progressed, then put them back on at night. It would have been nice to have warmer weather, but at least there was no rain (or snow!) so it didnt bother us too much.Crowds
it was pretty much what I expected. Tues, Wed, & Thurs werent too bad at all. Then Fri it really picked up. Sat, Sun, & Mon were mobbed. We are not big morning people but tried to get going as early as we could as it was much better in the mornings. Fast Passes for things like Soarin and Test Track were gone for the day by early afternoon. Wait time at Soaring was like 110mins by mid day. Its a great ride, but I cant see waiting that long for ANY ride! We either got FPs or would wait for rides 20mins or under, otherwise we skipped them.Rides/Attractions
Soarin was one of the best for all of us, and my favorite. And I almost chickened out on it! I get motion sickness pretty easily. I dont like any rides that spin or go upside down. And I HATE 360 deg/IMAX type of movies. I always end up closing my eyes or staring at the floor to avoid getting nauseous. So I was pretty worried about how Soarin would be. I took a Bonine ahead of time as a preventative measure but wasnt confident it would help. The only reason I even thought Id try the ride was because I read a few people on the board say the get motion sickness but it didnt bother them. Anyhow, I LOVED it! It really was a blast and I didnt get that sick feeling at all. I think I know why on the regular 360 deg movies Ive done, you sit or stand in front of the screen, and the movie plays like youre flying, on a train or car, etc. So my body is sitting still but my eyes/mind think Im moving, which is the classic cause for motion sickness. On Soarin it FEELS like you are moving too, by the slight movements of the seats, the wind blowing at you, etc. So my mind and body both felt like I was moving so all was well. Im sure there are some people that wouldnt like it, especially if you have a big fear of heights. But if anyone is on the fence about whether they would do the ride for fear of motion sickness, I would recommend trying it. I was quite surprised how much I liked it. We did it twice and would have gone again if they hadnt run out of FPs.Our other favorites were Test Track. It has the fun of a roller coaster (fast) without the big drop that some of us dont like. And Big Thunder Mountain for mostly the same reason (no big drop). We did that once at night in the dark, that was really cool. Dinosaur was better than I thought it would be. A little loud and jerky, but not too bad. Buzz Lightyear ride was fun but we were able to walk right on it twice in the mornings, I wouldnt wait a long time to go on it. And Stitch wasnt bad either, even though Ive read a lot of people on the board dont care much for it. Everyone but me did the Star Tours and liked that a lot. As for shows, the Backlot Tour at MGM was pretty good. And the Indiana Jones was a hit with all of us. The Stunt show at MGM was cool, but we had to leave early to make our ADR and missed the big ending, so we went back the last day and the show filled up just as we got there . Kids were pretty disappointed about that.
DDP
it was well worth it for us. We were 3 adults and 1 child so it was about $120 a day. Some of our TS meals were more than that alone! It was more than enough food, and we had 6 snacks a 1 CS left when we were getting ready to leave. So we stocked up on cookies from the gift shop at the resort and got an individual pizza to take with us and ate at the airport before our flight. I couldnt bring myself to not use all my credits! We did have 1 minor glitch. Somehow, Wolfgang Pucks at DTD screwed up on our first night at took off 4 adult TS credits instead of 3 adults/1 child. It wasnt obvious right away because they did have me sign 2 receipts, 1 for adult meals and 1 for the child. We didnt notice it until after our next TS meal. When I went back and looked at the 2 receipts from Wolfgangs, the one for the child meal even listed a different resort, not Pop, so I dont know what they did wrong. But the CM at the front desk at Pop fixed it for us without any problem.TS meals Wolfgang pucks was good, I had the nut crusted chick which was fantastic. Overall, the place was just OK, much much too loud.
Le Cellier for lunch. We couldnt get a dinner ADR so settled for lunch. Everything was very good except for being a bit salty (soup, potatoes, sauce on steak, etc). Not enough to ruin anything, but I thought it was noticeable. The cheese soup, as everyone always reports, was very good. And of course, the chocolate moose was really cute.
Chef Mickeys for dinner. I thought it was very good for a buffet. Had a lot fun with the characters.
Coral Reef for dinner. Got seats right next to the aquarium windows so that was really cool. It was neat to see the divers going by, but having to keep waving at them got a little old . Overall, food was very good. I got prime rib which was tender, but a little dry.
Hollywood & Vine for dinner. I thought the buffet here was so-so. Nothing too special, but it was probably worth it to get the guaranteed seating for Fantasmic.
50s Prime Time for dinner. The atmosphere was great. Loved how theyd call out Smith kids, Mom wants you for dinner and stuff like that. The food was good, fried cheese appetizer was very good, I thought. Waiter did the airplane thing with younger son when he didnt finish his potatoes and told my wife to take her elbows off the table. It was fun. The only complaint was I felt quite rushed. Dinner was out before we had barely gotten started on our appetizers.
Counter service - meals were pretty good overall. The one that stands out was Tusker House at AK. I had a great crusted salmon that would have satisfied me for a dinner. We had breakfast once at Pop, but it was mobbed and had to spend 10 mins just wandering around looking for a table.
Pop Century Resort
We were happy with the resort. All the oversized gaudy decorations were cool (or groovy, depending on the decade ). If we had nicer weather we would have enjoyed the pools more. The room was adequate, nothing special, but no complaints either. I know some people have complained about the beds, but I thought they were comfortable. No towel animals for us . Id stay there again if the price was right.Transportation
we were torn between renting a car or sticking with the Disney transportation. We decided to skip the car and Im glad we did. We had to wait 15mins or so for a bus a few times, but other times we walked right on. And I dont know how much time a car would have saved when you have to take (and maybe wait a bit for) a tram to the parking lot, then walk to the car. Then find a parking spot and your next location, wait for a tram again, etc. If youre leaving the site then obviously you need a car, but if youre just staying inside WDW, I dont think it makes sense for most people to rent a car. The Magic Express worked well for us too. Though I was a little worried because on the way home, the driver didnt take our vouchers. I didnt hear him ask and we just walked on the bus. My wife said he asked, but it looked like he though we were with another big group that he was talking to when we got up there. I just blew it off but then started getting worried that maybe if they dont have the voucher they dont load your luggage on! (we had checked our luggage in earlier in the day). But when we got to our home airport, the luggage was all there and I could breath a big sigh!Mouse-hole award
- goes to the family of about 7 that squeezed by us after wed been in the Soarin FP line for about 15mins already, which means there was quite a long line behind us that they pushed their way through. Seems they had to meet up with another 7 or so that were a few groups ahead of us, so they could all go on together. I really dont know how some people have the gall to be that way. I really wanted to say something but bit my tongue as I knew it would do no good and just get my blood pressure rising.Thankfully, I noticed a lot more people that were the opposite of the family mentioned above. Many people apologizing for bumping you (which was impossible not to do sometimes), offering their seats on the bus for someone holding a sleeping kid, etc. Things like that make it much easier to deal with huge crowds and long waits.
Heart-sink
for the woman who became separated from her 4yo that was screaming for him just outside the Soarin entrance. I felt so bad for her. There looked like there were a few CMs helping her and Im sure she must have found him eventually (at least I would have expected to hear about it on the news otherwise). The place was so packed I could see how easily it would be for a kid to get lost.Overall
- a great time! I would have liked it a little less crowded (who wouldnt?), but this was the best time for us to go without the kids missing too much school. I cant image how people deal with going in the summer when its just as crowded and you add the heat and humidity! I want to thank everyone who contributes on the Dis Board, as it helped our planning immensely!
If anyone has any questions, Id be happy to answer them.
- Jeff, on the way back to Pop from (I think) MGM one night. He sang the theme from the MM Club (and did good Goofy and Mickey impersonations) and told corny jokes ala "Jungle Ride". He was really funny. Afterward I said "there's someone who really likes his job", and my older son replied "or has had it way too long!" 
- we used one of those computers at Epcot where it took our picture, then we added all sorts of goofy graphics to it (big lips, funny hats, etc) and emailed it to ourselves and 3 others, and it never showed up 
- I can't believe MK was open until 3am Sun night! We only made it until 10:30pm bacuse the kids were tired and wanted to head back to the room, but I would have loved to hang around real late. I would imagine the crowds must really thin out by 1 or 2am.
By the time I was fed up and was ready to go ream someone out, they stopped.
