Just wanted to give you folks a report on our recent awesome trip to WDW.
This was the first time we visited in December (we usually go in June/July), and more importantly, the first time as DVC members (we bought sight-unseen).
After reading various posts, I was nervous on a number of issues:-
1) The condition of the BCV rooms, unfriendly CM's etc.
2) The crowds - this time was supposed to be the quietest, but a number of postings suggested it would be mobbed.
3) The weather.
Well, I have to report that none were an issue. Here is a day by day breakdown:-
Day 1 (Saturday 4th).
Arrived at MCO about 10am, picked up the van at Alamo and planned to head to the grocery store. Well, we ended up at the WDW main gate before we found the store, so decided to head over to BCV and get groceries later. Arrived at BCV, got a Welcome Home from the guard and headed over to check in. No lines, very friendly CM's, more Welcome Homes, room not ready but 2 of 3 requests granted (Non-smoking and top floor, but not Epcot view).
Had lunch at B&C - great burgers but no room for the kitchen sink! Then over to MGM to pick up our APs - did ToT, GMR, Muppetvision, Star Tours & Sounds Dangerous. While the park seemed busy, the waits for the rides were low (none more than 15 mins - most were walk on). Then dinner at Hollywood & Vine - long wait even with PS's, but a great buffet. Then Fantasmic (had the dinner package seating). Walked the Osborne Lights - all I can say is WOW!, I wouldn't want that electric bill! Awesome end to day 1.
Back to BCV, got the room number and headed up. We had a 2BR lock-off (547 & 549). First impression of the room - WOW - very clean - light wear and tear - with a partial view of Epcot (France, Morocco etc). Water pressure was fine - really nothing to complain about.
Day 2 (Sunday)
Character breakfast at Cape May - the food was great and plenty of time with the characters. I plan at least one of these breakfasts every future WDW trip.
Then on to Animal Kingdom. The park entrance was mobbed - took quiet a while to get past security and the turnstiles. Once inside it seemed quieter. Picked up FP's for Kilamanjario and headed over to see Lion King - first time in multiple trips - what a great show! Then did the safari, followed by the train to Conservation Station. The push to get on the train was probably the low spot of the week - we were in line early but when all the pushing was over - we had to sit in 2 cars, as all the seats were taken - very un-Disney loading. Skipped lunch - remember the big breakfast? - then Kali (with ponchos), Primevil Whirl, Dinosaur & Tarzan Rocks (rather disapointing after Lion King).
Then over to AKL for dinner at Boma - food was good and a change from the usual buffet choices.
Quick trip to the Publix for some supplies.
Day 3 (Monday)
Breakfast in the room. Today it's Epcot - start by getting FPs for TT, then do MS, Ellens Energy, ride TT, walk thru Innoventions, lunch at Electric Umbrella, ride SE, visit Living Seas, then over to WS to the Candlelight Processional with Jim Caviezel - very moving (some think JC stumbled on the words - to me it seemed like he was getting emotional).
Also met some fellow DISers in the line for CP (those lime green Mickey ears from Home Depot really work!) - Towncrier, WebmasterAlex and KathyTX - and the number one topic of conversation was the missing DISboard search (which I now see is fixed - thanks Alex).
Then CdF for dinner - wonderful food, though the CP package was a little expensive. Back to the room to rest.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
Breakfast in the room, then a bus ride to MK (no problem with the busses). Headed to Adventureland, did Swiss Family Treehouse, got FP's for Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpets, Tiki room, then tried PotC - but it was temporarily down, so rode Jungle Cruise, then back to PotC - it was now open, over to Frontierland for Splash & BTMR. Lunch at Columbia Harbour House (we always get lunch there as it never seems too busy), rode HM, then on to get FP's for Pooh, rode Snow White, Dumbo, Carrousel, got FP's for Peter Pan, rode Pooh, rode Peter Pan, then onto the Barnstormer and some meet & greets. Dinner at LTT and picked up wrist bands for MVMCP. Shopped for some pins and then watched the parade, Wishes, rode SM, Buzz, TTA & more SM.
Day 5 (Wednesday)
Breakfast in the room, then a boat ride to MGM (love the Friendship boats!), to get what we missed the first day. Rode ToT again, RnRC, watched Indiana Jones, lunch at Pizza Planet, then HISTK playground, Backlot Tour, RnRC twice more, watched Beauty & the Beast, then Magic of Disney Animation, One Mans Dreams and dinner at Sci-Fi dine-in. Back to the room for more rest.
Picked up the DIS xmas tree for the last few days. What a nice touch that was.
Day 6 (Thursday)
Back to MK, busses more of an issue. When the bus arrived it took forever to load the ECV's (it was a bus with a lift, not the kneeling type), so long in fact a second MK bus arrived and was waiting to pull in. In the end the second bus pulled into the DD bay and loaded the remaining ECV passengers and then the rest of us. At MK, got breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and then on to Tomorrowland - rode SM, Buzz, Stitch, CoP. Then onto the monorail to Epcot.
At Epcot did the WS countries, El Rio, Maelstrom, American Adventure then over to Garden Grill for dinner and rode Living with the Land. Finished up the remaining WS countries and then watched Illuminations. That extra xmas ending was something. Over at the BCV we felt it shake the floor each night, but being in the park for it was unbelievable, it actually shook the ground you stood on.
Day 7 (Friday)
Packed up, returned the XMAS tree and checked out. One last look around SAB and then headed over to Downtown Disney, then off to the airport and home.
Anyway, this was a great vacation, couldn't of asked for better weather, BCV was a hit, the lines for rides were short or managable with FP and everyone was really friendly (CM's and most guests I met).
Sorry for the long post, and let me know if you have any questions I can answer.
This was the first time we visited in December (we usually go in June/July), and more importantly, the first time as DVC members (we bought sight-unseen).
After reading various posts, I was nervous on a number of issues:-
1) The condition of the BCV rooms, unfriendly CM's etc.
2) The crowds - this time was supposed to be the quietest, but a number of postings suggested it would be mobbed.
3) The weather.
Well, I have to report that none were an issue. Here is a day by day breakdown:-
Day 1 (Saturday 4th).
Arrived at MCO about 10am, picked up the van at Alamo and planned to head to the grocery store. Well, we ended up at the WDW main gate before we found the store, so decided to head over to BCV and get groceries later. Arrived at BCV, got a Welcome Home from the guard and headed over to check in. No lines, very friendly CM's, more Welcome Homes, room not ready but 2 of 3 requests granted (Non-smoking and top floor, but not Epcot view).
Had lunch at B&C - great burgers but no room for the kitchen sink! Then over to MGM to pick up our APs - did ToT, GMR, Muppetvision, Star Tours & Sounds Dangerous. While the park seemed busy, the waits for the rides were low (none more than 15 mins - most were walk on). Then dinner at Hollywood & Vine - long wait even with PS's, but a great buffet. Then Fantasmic (had the dinner package seating). Walked the Osborne Lights - all I can say is WOW!, I wouldn't want that electric bill! Awesome end to day 1.
Back to BCV, got the room number and headed up. We had a 2BR lock-off (547 & 549). First impression of the room - WOW - very clean - light wear and tear - with a partial view of Epcot (France, Morocco etc). Water pressure was fine - really nothing to complain about.
Day 2 (Sunday)
Character breakfast at Cape May - the food was great and plenty of time with the characters. I plan at least one of these breakfasts every future WDW trip.
Then on to Animal Kingdom. The park entrance was mobbed - took quiet a while to get past security and the turnstiles. Once inside it seemed quieter. Picked up FP's for Kilamanjario and headed over to see Lion King - first time in multiple trips - what a great show! Then did the safari, followed by the train to Conservation Station. The push to get on the train was probably the low spot of the week - we were in line early but when all the pushing was over - we had to sit in 2 cars, as all the seats were taken - very un-Disney loading. Skipped lunch - remember the big breakfast? - then Kali (with ponchos), Primevil Whirl, Dinosaur & Tarzan Rocks (rather disapointing after Lion King).
Then over to AKL for dinner at Boma - food was good and a change from the usual buffet choices.
Quick trip to the Publix for some supplies.
Day 3 (Monday)
Breakfast in the room. Today it's Epcot - start by getting FPs for TT, then do MS, Ellens Energy, ride TT, walk thru Innoventions, lunch at Electric Umbrella, ride SE, visit Living Seas, then over to WS to the Candlelight Processional with Jim Caviezel - very moving (some think JC stumbled on the words - to me it seemed like he was getting emotional).
Also met some fellow DISers in the line for CP (those lime green Mickey ears from Home Depot really work!) - Towncrier, WebmasterAlex and KathyTX - and the number one topic of conversation was the missing DISboard search (which I now see is fixed - thanks Alex).
Then CdF for dinner - wonderful food, though the CP package was a little expensive. Back to the room to rest.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
Breakfast in the room, then a bus ride to MK (no problem with the busses). Headed to Adventureland, did Swiss Family Treehouse, got FP's for Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpets, Tiki room, then tried PotC - but it was temporarily down, so rode Jungle Cruise, then back to PotC - it was now open, over to Frontierland for Splash & BTMR. Lunch at Columbia Harbour House (we always get lunch there as it never seems too busy), rode HM, then on to get FP's for Pooh, rode Snow White, Dumbo, Carrousel, got FP's for Peter Pan, rode Pooh, rode Peter Pan, then onto the Barnstormer and some meet & greets. Dinner at LTT and picked up wrist bands for MVMCP. Shopped for some pins and then watched the parade, Wishes, rode SM, Buzz, TTA & more SM.
Day 5 (Wednesday)
Breakfast in the room, then a boat ride to MGM (love the Friendship boats!), to get what we missed the first day. Rode ToT again, RnRC, watched Indiana Jones, lunch at Pizza Planet, then HISTK playground, Backlot Tour, RnRC twice more, watched Beauty & the Beast, then Magic of Disney Animation, One Mans Dreams and dinner at Sci-Fi dine-in. Back to the room for more rest.
Picked up the DIS xmas tree for the last few days. What a nice touch that was.
Day 6 (Thursday)
Back to MK, busses more of an issue. When the bus arrived it took forever to load the ECV's (it was a bus with a lift, not the kneeling type), so long in fact a second MK bus arrived and was waiting to pull in. In the end the second bus pulled into the DD bay and loaded the remaining ECV passengers and then the rest of us. At MK, got breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and then on to Tomorrowland - rode SM, Buzz, Stitch, CoP. Then onto the monorail to Epcot.
At Epcot did the WS countries, El Rio, Maelstrom, American Adventure then over to Garden Grill for dinner and rode Living with the Land. Finished up the remaining WS countries and then watched Illuminations. That extra xmas ending was something. Over at the BCV we felt it shake the floor each night, but being in the park for it was unbelievable, it actually shook the ground you stood on.
Day 7 (Friday)
Packed up, returned the XMAS tree and checked out. One last look around SAB and then headed over to Downtown Disney, then off to the airport and home.
Anyway, this was a great vacation, couldn't of asked for better weather, BCV was a hit, the lines for rides were short or managable with FP and everyone was really friendly (CM's and most guests I met).
Sorry for the long post, and let me know if you have any questions I can answer.
