Best Trip Ever!- all in one thread

[mckymama]

I want to start by saying THANK YOU to everyone on these boards. This was our 7th trip to WDW, and by far, the best. It's because of all the tips I got from the DISers. We were there 10/25-10/30.

Cast: Me - 43 y.o.
DH - turned 44 while we were there
DS15
DS13

We flew into MCO at 10 p.m. on Tuesday night. The airport was pretty empty, and we found the ME people immediately. They directed us to the bus, and we were ready to go within 10 min. Unfortunately, the bus was empty, so we couldn't leave. We sat there for at least 20-30 min. waiting for the bus to fill up. DH was grumbling that we could have grabbed the luggage ourselves and loaded it on the bus with us. Oh well. Once we hit the road, we got to BWV very quickly. When we checked in, I was worried about not being able to get a non-smoking room. I had read that if you check in late in the day (and it was 11 p.m. by then), it's nearly impossible to get a non-smoking room. However, we got one. Not only that, but we were on the main floor, just around the corner from the registration desk. I had read alot about the long walks to the elevators, but this was not an issue. Now, if we could only have our luggage. I didn't realize that it can take the ME folks 3 hours to get all the luggage distributed. The CM at the desk told us that we could go ahead and go to bed, and when we woke up in the morning, they'd deliver the luggage. Uh-oh. None of us had our p.j.'s or toothbrushes. A wonderful CM named Jennifer went above and beyond to track down our luggage, and we had it by midnight! So, if you are flying in late at night, be sure to pack jammies in your carry-on. During the hour that we were waiting for the luggage, DS13 and I went out to the Boardwalk. We've never been there before, and WOW, were we excited. It is beautiful at night. It really was a great way to start the vacation.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Wow! I didn't realize it took DME that long to get the luggage sorted out. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[mckymama]

I always wake up before the rest of the family, so I went out for a walk around the lagoon. I got to see everything, and could hardly wait to get going to MGM. At 8:15, I finally had to wake them. DS13 and DS15 were motivated because they wanted to get to ToT. We managed to get there by 9:30. It was cool (the day after Wilma passed through), so we just wore sweatshirts with our shorts. We were amazed when we got there - we walked right on ToT. I don't like this ride, but had made a deal with DS13. I'd go on it and keep my eyes open the whole time if he would go on RnRC. Okay, so I did it once. Onto RnR. We walked right on to that also -- twice in a row. We basically got to go on any rides as much as we wanted. We had ADR's at Prime Time 50's Cafe for 12:55. We showed up at 12:50 and were seated within 10 min. Today wasn't my DH's official birthday, but we had gotten him a birthday button anyway. I wanted him to wear it to lunch. I figured they'd make a big deal out of it. We had Uncle Patrick for a waiter. He was okay, but not nearly as much fun as some of the other servers. He did, however, get the guests next to us to sign a birthday card for their "cousin." And he brought DH a cupcake with a candle in it. The food was very good. DH and I both had the pot roast and couldn't eat it all. Uncle Patrick let the boys order off the kids menu, even though they're too old. I did appreciate that. Over all, it was a fun lunch, but not as much craziness as I had expected.

After lunch, we went to the Millionaire show. We thought for sure that DH would make it into the hot seat because he is a trivia buff. However, we didn't realize how quickly you have to press those buttons, so he was nowhere near. They had to cut the game short after only two contestants because something went wrong with the computer. It was really weird. The MC tried to make small talk with the audience until it was repaired. Then, all of a sudden, he just said he was sorry, but it was over.

 

[mckymama]

Later in the afternoon, we went back to BWV to rest. MK was having EMH that night, so we knew we'd be up late. We went to the bakery and saw that they had refillable mugs. We went ahead and bought two of them for the boys. They told us that they could be refilled at the bakery, Spoodles and the pool bar. We had pizza from the walk-up window at Spoodles, and it was pretty good. There was a strange thing with the mugs. Apparently, the CM's aren't allowed to handle them, so any time we'd ask for refills, they'd just fill up a cup and hand it to us. We'd then pour the drinks into the mugs. I guess that since they don't have a food court at BWV, the whole process is different. It wasn't a problem, but sure seems like a waste of money to use all those cups. Why not just sell us a wristband?

We headed over to MK after dark. Oh my gosh -- walking down Main Street does it for me every time. You never really feel like you're at Disney World until you hit MK. We happened to come in during the Spectro Magic parade. I wanted to watch it, but the boys were ready to hit the rides. It was very hard to get around the parade route, but we managed to get to POTC. I figured the crowds would be bad that night because of EMH, but once again, we walked onto everything. We came out of the HM and Wishes had begun. We were not in the ideal spot for viewing, but it was still incredible. I knew that we had to make sure to get out to Main Street the next night when we were there for MNSSHP. We were all very worn out and headed back to our "home" after the fireworks.

 

[mckymama]

Today was a great day! Since we were going to MNSSHP, we decided to wait until night to go to the park. Everyone slept in, and then the boys went to the pool. It was pretty cool out, but when you're from Indiana, you take advantage of every swim opportunity you can get! DH went out for a run, and what a great place to run! We had ADR's at Whispering Canyon Cafe, but not until 2:40. I wanted to have a late lunch and then head over to MNSSHP afterwards. So we put on our matching shirts and headed to WL. Before we left home, I had made t-shirts using the computer and transfer paper. They were all orange, of course. The boys and I had on shirts that said, "Be sure to wish Jerry a Happy Birthday." There was a picture of Mickey Mouse holding a Happy Birthday banner. DH's shirt said, "I'm Jerry and today is my birthday." The picture on his shirt was hilarious. I had searched Google for "random guy waving," and that's exactly what I found. There was a goofy looking guy, from the 50's, sitting on a high dive and waving. Today was still not his official birthday, but I wanted to wear the shirts to Whispering Canyon and MNSSHP. I was told that it would take an hour to get to WL. So we waited for the bus to take us to MK. Once there, we had to wait for a boat to go to WL. That was a very long wait. Of course, everyone who was in line with us was wishing Jerry a happy birthday. DH is a man who does not like attention, so it was pretty funny to see so many people saying, "Happy birthday Jerry!" The kids and I laughed every time. Once we got on the boat, I knew we'd be cutting it close to get there on time. Uh-oh. We had to go to Ft. Wilderness first. We dropped off some people, and then waited for more people to get on. By the time we got to WL, we were already 5 min. late. I was worried because 2:40 is the last ADR they take for lunch. I got off the boat and ran up to WCC. Everything was fine, and we got seated immediately. I had read about this place, so I couldn't wait to see DH get abused. Will he sing by himself? I can't wait to ask for the ketchup. I can't wait to see how crazy our waiter is. Well, we got "Can Be Crazy Chad." We decided immediately that his name should have been "Can Be Crazy (or not) Chad." The guy was friendly, but that was it. Since we were in there at such an odd time, there were only 3 other families there. No shenanigans at all! The servers were all busy cleaning up and getting ready for the dinner crowd. Chad brought the ketchup to our table when the food came out. I told him that I had wanted to ask for it. He said that at lunch, they just bring it to you. Huh? DH ordered the skillet, which was delicious. DS15 and I had the chicken sandwich, which was also delicious. DS13 had mac 'n' cheese and bottomless milkshake. Yummy! There was so much food that we were miserable by the time we were done. Chad did bring DH one of the wooden horses, and had him stand up. He announced that it was Jerry's birthday, and made him ride around the room singing "Happy Birthday to me." The other three tables barely looked up. It was uncomfortably embarrassing. I was so proud of DH for doing it. After lunch, we looked around at WL and decided that we would stay there next time. That place is gorgeous. So, even though our waiter was boring, we still had a wonderful lunch, and we were so glad that we got to see WL.

It is after midnight, so I will continue this report tomorrow. Goodnight.

 

[Third times a charm]

I am enjoying hearing about your trip, looking forward to the next installment. Tell Jerry Happy Birthday!!!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoying reading your reports ~ Can't wait for more

 

[mckymama]

After we stuffed ourselves at Whispering Canyon, we went over to the MK for the big party. We arrived at 4:15, and promptly got our wristbands. The park was decorated so cute. We went to Splash Mtn. and got in line. It really wasn't long at all. We waited maybe 15 min. All throughout the line, everyone kept wishing Jerry a happy birthday. One couple, in particular, said it to him numerous times because we kept passing each other as the lines snaked around. They were definitely having fun with it. The weather was pretty cool again, so we were worried about getting wet. We were lucky enough to get in the back seat, so we were barely splashed. They didn't have the one "squirter" turned on at the end of the ride, which was a relief. I wonder if they turned it off because of the temps. As we were in line for Splash, I was looking for wristbands. I figured that the crowd would only get bigger. However, I saw very few wristbands. At 6:00, sure enough, the CM's starting waving bye-bye to all the guest w/o bands. I felt so privileged. We wandered around and rode the rides that were open. There was no wait for anything. The first trick or treat station opened around 6:15, so that was fun. This party was just wonderful. It was everything I'd read about, and so exciting to actually be there. We skipped the first parade so we could go on rides. We had so much time on our hands that we decided to just ride everything -- even Stitch! I'd read how horrible it was, but there was no wait so we thought we'd give it a try. Yuck. What a waste of time. Nobody liked it. They have really missed the mark on this one. The little ones who like Stitch and Lilo get too scared because of the darkness. The older ones who enjoy that kind of thing don't like the whole skit. It is really strange. Oh well. We tried. We were lucky enough to peek into a window and see The Incredibles in there. So we went in for pictures. We got our free MNSSHP pictures taken, and there was no wait for that either. Am I really in Disney World? The HallowWishes fireworks show is absolutely indescribable. I've never seen anything like it. It's not that it's better than regular Wishes, but they do the coolest things with the castle. They projected images of skeletons, pumpkins, villains on the castle. It changed colors, from orange to green to purple to completely black and completely white. We were in awe. We went to Main Street, just in front of the Walt and Mickey statue and had the perfect view. (Jerry got plenty of birthday wishes again. Tee hee). After the fireworks, we went on a few more rides, and then got a spot for the late m. parade. Oh my gosh. It was so cool. My favorite was the Haunted Mansion float, the ghosts dancing in the street and the gravediggers with their shovels. When the parade was over, I wanted to look around some more, but DS13 was exhausted. He was trying so hard to be a trooper, but his feet just couldn't take anymore. So we went back to bed.

 

[jakenjess]

Great trip so far! Looking forward to more!

 

[Breakfast@Tiffany's]

Sounds like you had the best trip ever! Can't wait to read more!

 

[Angelrose]

Enjoying your report. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Nevergrowinup]

Happy Birthday Jerry!!!!!!!!!!!! WoooHooo!

 

[VanniGirl]

Can't wait for the next installment

 

[mckymama]

I forgot to mention about our experience on the morning of day two. I had rented someone's points for BWV, and there weren't any rooms available for five nights straight. Therefore, we had to switch rooms after our first two nights. When I first made the ressies, I thought it would be no problem. We just check out at 11, check into our new room and hang out at the pool. Oops! I didn't realize that we wouldn't be able to check into our second room until 4 p.m. Yuck. This meant that we had to pack and put our luggage in the storage room. Then we went to the pool. After swimming, we had to go into the luggage storage area, pull out our toiletries and head to the showers in the workout center. Then we had to go back into the luggage storage and put our wet suits into our bags. It all worked out okay, but was a bit of a pain. Next time, I'll plan differently. If we had just checked our bags and gone to a park, it wouldn't have mattered that we couldn't get into our room until 4:00.

 

[mckymama]

I see alot of threads on these boards, with people asking if it is worth the time and money to go to DQ. Ask my boys and they'll say "YES!!!" We always spend a day here. It's so much more than just video games.

Since DQ doesn't open until 11 a.m., we got to sleep in. It was much needed. I went into DQ with the boys and DH, and I usually have alot of fun. We did the life-sized pinball game, and then I headed straight to the regular pinball machines. I love playing those. The funny thing was that everyone playing pinball was all my age or older. One lady said, "Welcome to the geriatric ward."

Next we headed to the Comix Adventure. Unfortunately, it wasn't operating that day. Too bad. That one is always fun. So we went downstairs to the POTC. That is a blast! I get so wound up shooting the cannons. DQ was pretty empty up until noon. Then a big school group showed up. There were lots of teenagers with their group, and suddenly the lines for the virtual reality stuff were long.

We decided to get lunch outside of DQ. As we were walking, DS13 just had to have a smoothie. It was really good. As we approached Planet Hollywood, we decided we'd eat there. I really wanted a good burger that day.However, they wouldn't let us in with DS13's smoothie. No outside drinks are allowed in there. He still had alot left, so we just headed toward the Marketplace. When he finished his smoothie, we were at McDonald's, so we just ate there. Yuck.

After lunch, I decided that I really wanted to be outside, enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. The boys and DH were headed back to DQ. It's just so dark in there. I decided to let them go while I did some shopping. I ended up having the perfect afternoon. Living with all guys, I never get to go shopping when we're on vacation. I actually had the time to browse, window shop and just stroll along the lake. I ended up buying some gifts in the Christmas shop and some stickers for my scrapbook. I also took time to get some chocolate at the Ghirardelli shop. Yummy. After they spent 3 more hours there, we headed back to BWV.

Dinner was nothing spectacular. We got stuff from the hot dog cart on the Boardwalk. I just love that boardwalk. We spent the whole evening out there, and had such a nice time. We watched several different entertainers. One was a comedic magician and he was amazing. He did this trick with a straight-jacket that was hilarious. I embarrassed my sons by laughing so loud. We also watched a juggler, who was equally impressive. We got to see a sword swallower too. The amazing thing about all these entertainers is that you get to see them up close. I still couldn't figure out how they did their tricks.

We saw the fireworks from Illuminations, and I got some nice pictures of those. DH and I went in to check out Jelly Rolls. We really wanted to spend some time in there, but didn't feel like it would be right to leave the boys.

This is the first time that we have ever visited WDW and not gone commando in the parks. It was so nice to have a day like this where we took our time and everyone did what they wanted to do.

 

[mckymama]

Today we decided to do Animal Kingdom and part of Epcot. We hit AK first thing in the morning, and went to the Dinosaur ride. What is it about AK that it always feels crowded? I think it must be the layout, and narrow roads that you have to walk on. There wasn't a line for the dinosaur ride, but we had an interesting experience while in there. Our car kept stopping, and leaving us sitting there in the dark. While we were okay with it, there were several younger kids who were pretty scared. The constant stopping and starting kind of took away from the fun of the ride. When we came out, there was an area where family members were waiting for their people to come out of the ride. Well, guess who I saw in there? Kathy Ireland!! For those who don't recognize the name, she was a big-time supermodel for Sports Illustrated. She was with her little girls, apparently waiting for DH to get off the ride. She looked very normal, but beautiful, of course. She had on a regular pair of jeans, a green T-shirt, tennies, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. At first, I couldn't recall her name, so I dragged Jerry over there. He knew instantly who it was. Since this was Jerry's actual birthday, this was quite a nice present for him. He was a big fan of hers! We didn't want to look like geeks, so we didn't say anything to her.

After dinoland, we headed over to Kali River Rapids. The ride was not operating. Hmmm, seems to be the same theme for us this week. So we went to the Bug's Life show. That's always fun. DS13 went on Primeval Whirl. He had to go by himself because none of us can handle the spinning. We eventually went to the bar-b-cue place for lunch. (My mind has conveniently forgotten the name of it -- is it Flametree?) Three of us got the pulled pork sandwiches and drinks, and it was $30. Yikes! I would've been okay with that if the food hadn't been so disgusting. None of us liked it and we won't eat there again.

We checked on Kali again, but still no go. DS13 got a $4 pretzel and cheese, which was really delicious. Too bad we didn't just all get those for lunch. We spent some time wandering around and wondering why we always waste our time going to AK. It just doesn't do it for us. We checked on Kali one more time, which was around 2:30. It still wasn't running. The park was feeling really crowded, so we left.

Back to the Boardwalk for some pool-hopping. Bad idea :-( DH took the boys over to Yacht and Beach Club to swim in their pool. I thought I had read somewhere that it was okay. As soon as they got there, the "towel boy" asked them if they were guests there. They said no, and he told them to leave. The pool was totally empty because it was chilly out, but I guess that didn't matter. While they were gone, I went to the Boardwalk bakery, and picked up a birthday cake for Jerry. It was cute, but pretty tiny for $12.50. It ended up being just the right size for the four of us, and was delicious.

After some time at BWV, we decided to hit Epcot for the evening. The boys wanted to do RnRC and ToT again. Since MGM is walking distance from BWV, we decided to let them go over alone, while we headed to Epcot. We both had cell phones, and maintained contact. What a strange time in our lives. DH and I, alone at Epcot! It was nice. We took our time just looking at things. Then we came across the Beatles band at the UK, and sat and listened to them for awhile. They were very good. I really wanted to find Off Kilter, as I'd read about them on these boards. We inquired at Canada, and he said that they'd be back on Sunday, around 2:30. Unfortunately for us, we're leaving the hotel at 2:00 on Sunday. Oh well, I'll have to come back another time

Epcot was absolutely packed! This was a Sat. night during F&W, so it wasn't too surprising. But I've never seen it so packed, even in the summer. The attractions were pretty empty, as most of the people were just eating and drinking. DH and I ate at the CS in China, and it was delicious. I had the orange chicken and rice. The boys rode the bus from MGM to Epcot and found us at the WS. We had staked out a great spot for IllumiNations, and we were all content to just sit there for an hour. Sometimes you get such quality family time when you all have to stay in one place. The show was good, but I really miss the old IllumiNations. This one is neat to look at, but you don't get that "feeling" when you hear the different nations' songs. I always loved it when they lit up America and played "Rhapsody in Blue."

After IllumiNations, we went back to BWV and enjoyed some more entertainers on the boardwalk. When we returned to the room, there was a very cute birthday card and balloons on the bed for Jerry. I had told the front desk that it was his birthday.

Time to pack. So sad. We packed most of our stuff, so we could get up and go to Epcot in the morning. Nighty-night.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

Question - Is Disney Quest included with your park passes, or is it extra? It sounds fun. Is it at downtown disney?

I don't think there was a Disney Quest when I was there in 1991.

 

[alabamagirl]

You can add it onto your regular theme park passes as part of the magic plus pack that allows you "credits" so you can enter DQ, the water parks, Wide World of Sports, etc. You can also just by a ticket at the ticket window outside of DQ the day you decide to go. Do it, it is worth it!

BTW, I am enjoying your trip report mcymama!