Returned Friday from 4 nights in WDW with my DH. This was a semi-last minute vacation when I convinced DH that we needed some vacation time alone. We will be going to San Diego in October for a family wedding and spending a week with ten other family members at a beach house on Mission Beach. We have been to WDW many times, so seeing everything was not necessary. This was our second couples only visit. Here is our report:
Monday, May 6:
After a short delay at Pittsburgh airport, we were on our way and arrived in Olando at 10:00 am. John from Tiffany Towncar delivered us to the Yacht Club resort by 11:00 and by 11:15 we were in our room (see Resort Board for YC review). Quickly found our fanny pouches and headed to Epcot for our 12:00 PS at Chefs de France. Had a window table and good lunch and will definately eat here again! After lunch, we spent the afternoon going around World Showcase and checking out the exhibits of the Flower and Garden Festival. Rode the boat in Norway (bypassing the movie) and watched the child acrobats in China. The crowds in WS were virtually non-existant! No lines or waits! Great for leisurely touring. Early evening we headed over to Future World and rode my favorite, Spaceship Earth then did Ellen's Energy Adventure, Body Tours and exhibits in that pavillion, Honey I Shrunk the Audience and finally the Living Seas - all were walk-ons. Went to the Land Pavillion for 7:10 PS at the Garden Grill - this is DH favorite place to eat. Good down home food - he was raised on a farm. After dinner, we were getting tired, so we returned to France for a couple of bottles of wine and returned to the YC. After a refreshing shower, we sat on our balcony and shared foot massages and the wine while watching the fireworks from Illuminations.
Tuesday, May 7:
Up early and walked over to Boardwalk Bakery. Ate our pastries and fruit at a table around the lake and fed the birds and ducks. Took the bus from Boardwalk Inn to Magic Kingdom (5 min wait) and arrived about 9:30 am. Walked onto the train and rode to Frontier Land. The posted wait for Splash Mt. was 10 minutes so convinced DH we needed to do this (he hates to get wet!). Walk right on and got choice of where we wanted to sit. CM said we would get less wet in the rear of a boat so chose this. Had a great ride, but got backed up at the end of the ride and were parked near the waterfall for several minutes and DH got soaked! He was a good sport about it, though and we walked on Big Thunder Mt. to dry off! Next went to DH's favorite - Haunted House. Walked right in and enjoyed ride, but still did not find the mystery ring! Guess we'll have to return and look again!
Park seemed crowded, but couldn't believe we were walking on everything! Passed through Fantasy land on our way to Space Mountain and there were long lines here! After a wait of 8 minutes for Space Mountain we rode TTA and then left the park as it was nearing 11:00. On our way out, the throngs were entering. The longest line we saw was the one for strollers when entering the park. We joked that those entering as we were leaving, were in line for strollers when we entered! This may have been true! Took the express monorail to TTC and transferred to Epcot monorail. Entered the main entrance at Epcot and was really disappointed. Many years ago for the Flower & Garden Festival, there were lovely displays here with large cartoon flowers. Now with the "Leave a Legacy" displays, there was only one large floral (greenery) display. It was nice, but not so wonderful as I remember. We were only planning on passing through Epcot on our way to lunch at Beaches & Cream, but DH decided he wanted to have lunch at Le Cellier. What a great choice! I have been to B&C before, but not Le Cellier, and since I had picked most of the rest. for this trip, I felt I owed him a choice, especially since he was such a good sport about Splash Mt. Our lunch was delicious! Our waitress was a delight and was from Toronto. My husband does business there and they discussed the area and how she came to be at WDW. I don't normally like cheese or cream soups, but tried the chedder cheese soup and pretzel bread and really enjoyed it! The raspberry sorbet for dessert was also yummy! After lunch we returned to YC and to Storm-a-long Bay for the afternoon. It was not as crowded as I expected and we were able to find chairs and move around the pool easily. We returned to the room for a nap then dressed for an evening at Downtown Disney. We have been to Cirque, so decided to see a movie and have dinner. Watched the Scorpion King (so-so) and had a lovely dinner at Portobello Yacht Club. I enjoy their sangria. After checking out Pleasure Island, we returned to YC and foot massages on the balcony again. I found sample foot massage cream at Bath & Body Works before the trip that was great!!!
Wednesday, May 8:
Had planned on going to Disney Quest, but decided the sun & pool were calling us, so dressed in suits and headed to Beaches & Cream for a quick breakfast, then chairs near the jasmine bushes around Storm-a-long Bay. The breezes through the bushes surrounded us with the aroma of jasmine and I could have spent the rest of the vacation here! AHHHHH! Returned to the room about 11:00 and dressed for Animal Kingdom. This is DH (aka Jungle Tim) favorite park. Arrived at noon and rode Dinosauer, Primeval Whirl and Safari ride. Then we walked all the trails and had to identify every single bird on the trails. We then took the train to Conservation Station (a first for us) and wandered around for a little ahile. We finished with Its Tough to be a Bug. Waits for rides were less than 10 minutes (usually 5 or less). Just before the 4:00 parade we left and took the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. DH fell in love with this resort and said we will stay here next time and just relax around resort. It was nice and cool, but a little dark for my tastes, but I would certainly stay here. We checked out the pool and viewing areas and one of the CM's said they had an impala give birth that day, so they didn't have all of the animals out yet. We had a 5:00 PS for Boma and this is now our new favorite!! What great food and the Mt. Kilamarita was absolutely YUMMY! It is made with tangerine liquor and lots of salt! After exploring the resort some more, we returned to the bus depot and waited about 15-20 minutes for a bus to MGM Studios. This was our longest wait of the week and we heard several people complaining about the waits and lack of other transportation. We will rent a car if we stay here. We arrived at MGM and went to RNR, but it was broken down, so we went to the Great Movie Ride and returned to RNR which was now working. Walked right in to the preshow, but after getting in line for the limos, it broke down again. We did get to ride after a short wait (DH's first ride & he loved it), but were late getting in line for Fantasmic and had to sit at the far left of the theater. It was standing room only by the time the show started. The show was as good as always. The only problem was the breeze was blowing in our faces and every time they put up the water screens, we got sprayed. Someone even got debris from the fireworks in their eye - ouch! We were sitting almost at the top - not even near the water! We waited till the theater cleared, then took the walking path and stopped to play miniature golf at Fantasia Gardens. We played the tough course and finished up about 11:30 pm. Walked back to YC and fell into bed.
Thursday, May 9:
Slept till 8:30 then skipped breakfast and took the boat to MGM. Rode TOT and RNR with no waits. Did Sounds Dangerous then watched the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular - the theater was packed! The park seemed very crowded - alot of school groups, but waits were not bad. Had PS at 11:30 for Sci-fi Dine-in Theater and really enjoyed this! Very funny car hop - but no roller skates. Had wonderful onion rings, great cookies and cream milk shake and good salad. DH really enjoyed the sci-fi trailers - he had seen each movie! I chose this place for him and he thought it was great! After lunch, we checked out the kiosks under the hat then took the boat back to YC. Spent the afternoon at the quiet pool chatting with two very nice couples from Michigan and Massachusetts. There were very few people here and it was very relaxing. My only complaint would be the noise from the delivery trucks going into the Dolphin hotel which was on the other side of the woods. Return to room and watched a vow renewal taking place in the Wedding Pavillion. Bride and Groom had a coulple of young children and were joined by Mickey, Minnie, Timone, and a gorilla and orangatang. My DH thoutht this was hilarious! After showers we dressed for dinner at the YC Steak House. I did not enjoy my dinner here, but it was my choice of dinner. I ordered a vegetarian meal which I did not like. I sampled DH's prime rib and it was delicious. The shrimp cocktail was good also. I would eat here again, but choose a different meal. After dinner we spent some time on a swing on the BC beach and then walked to Epcot for the 8:10 Tapestry of Dreams parade and Illuminations. We sat on a bench while the park cleared then slowly walked to the exit. This is my favorite way to spend my final night at Disney. Stopped at "our" swing again and relaxed for a long time before returning to YC balcony and final foot massages.
Friday, May 10
Slept till 9:00 then got up & packed. Sent luggage to Baggage Services then did some shopping in the gift shop. Had to get a YC pin - I only collect pins from the resorts I have stayed in. DH fed the ducks from the light house dock, walked aroung to smell the jasmine and magnolia trees again, then walked over to Boardwalk Bakery for breakfast. Returned to YC for 11:00 pick up by John, again from TTC. At airport, waited in USAir Club Member lounge and DH got us a first class upgrade for our uneventful flight home.
Final thoughts:
Wonderful relaxing trip with DH. He even wants to return - YESSS! My goal this trip was to prove to him that he could enjoy WDW as an adult.
Weather: Great! Very warm! No rain! Wonderful 70 degree evenings.
Crowds: Parks seemed crowded (except Epcot WS), but waits were minimal.
Security: This is the biggest change I noticed! Security everywhere! I know they were there before, but now they are very visible. Even in resorts!
E-nights: Did not miss this. With minimal wait times, we did not need this, but we did not do too much in parks, so someone who is trying to ride everything may have a different opinion.
Early entry: I have always used this before, but did not miss it, although as the weather gets warmer, I would certainly want it (especially MK) to avoid the heat of the day!
Flower and Garden Festival: Biggest dissappointment! The flowers were not as pretty as in the past and looked wilted, but this is probably due to the extreme heat Florida has been having. Also missed the large orchid display that was there in the past. The peacock at Canada was lovely and I loved the pandas at China (i'm a panda freak).
CM's: Average age seemed older, but summer help probably hasn't arrived. Mostly friendly, but a few more sulky ones than before.
Would have loved to see all the parades, but knew DH would not enjoy it, so tried to do things he would like.
Now planning a trip for next spring with my sister who had a very bad WDW experience several years ago and can't understand my love of it. I will make it my duty to show her the Disney I love! We will also take our daughters (will be 16 & 17 then).
Thanks to all for tips and advise as I saved over $800 planning this trip!
Monday, May 6:
After a short delay at Pittsburgh airport, we were on our way and arrived in Olando at 10:00 am. John from Tiffany Towncar delivered us to the Yacht Club resort by 11:00 and by 11:15 we were in our room (see Resort Board for YC review). Quickly found our fanny pouches and headed to Epcot for our 12:00 PS at Chefs de France. Had a window table and good lunch and will definately eat here again! After lunch, we spent the afternoon going around World Showcase and checking out the exhibits of the Flower and Garden Festival. Rode the boat in Norway (bypassing the movie) and watched the child acrobats in China. The crowds in WS were virtually non-existant! No lines or waits! Great for leisurely touring. Early evening we headed over to Future World and rode my favorite, Spaceship Earth then did Ellen's Energy Adventure, Body Tours and exhibits in that pavillion, Honey I Shrunk the Audience and finally the Living Seas - all were walk-ons. Went to the Land Pavillion for 7:10 PS at the Garden Grill - this is DH favorite place to eat. Good down home food - he was raised on a farm. After dinner, we were getting tired, so we returned to France for a couple of bottles of wine and returned to the YC. After a refreshing shower, we sat on our balcony and shared foot massages and the wine while watching the fireworks from Illuminations.
Tuesday, May 7:
Up early and walked over to Boardwalk Bakery. Ate our pastries and fruit at a table around the lake and fed the birds and ducks. Took the bus from Boardwalk Inn to Magic Kingdom (5 min wait) and arrived about 9:30 am. Walked onto the train and rode to Frontier Land. The posted wait for Splash Mt. was 10 minutes so convinced DH we needed to do this (he hates to get wet!). Walk right on and got choice of where we wanted to sit. CM said we would get less wet in the rear of a boat so chose this. Had a great ride, but got backed up at the end of the ride and were parked near the waterfall for several minutes and DH got soaked! He was a good sport about it, though and we walked on Big Thunder Mt. to dry off! Next went to DH's favorite - Haunted House. Walked right in and enjoyed ride, but still did not find the mystery ring! Guess we'll have to return and look again!
Park seemed crowded, but couldn't believe we were walking on everything! Passed through Fantasy land on our way to Space Mountain and there were long lines here! After a wait of 8 minutes for Space Mountain we rode TTA and then left the park as it was nearing 11:00. On our way out, the throngs were entering. The longest line we saw was the one for strollers when entering the park. We joked that those entering as we were leaving, were in line for strollers when we entered! This may have been true! Took the express monorail to TTC and transferred to Epcot monorail. Entered the main entrance at Epcot and was really disappointed. Many years ago for the Flower & Garden Festival, there were lovely displays here with large cartoon flowers. Now with the "Leave a Legacy" displays, there was only one large floral (greenery) display. It was nice, but not so wonderful as I remember. We were only planning on passing through Epcot on our way to lunch at Beaches & Cream, but DH decided he wanted to have lunch at Le Cellier. What a great choice! I have been to B&C before, but not Le Cellier, and since I had picked most of the rest. for this trip, I felt I owed him a choice, especially since he was such a good sport about Splash Mt. Our lunch was delicious! Our waitress was a delight and was from Toronto. My husband does business there and they discussed the area and how she came to be at WDW. I don't normally like cheese or cream soups, but tried the chedder cheese soup and pretzel bread and really enjoyed it! The raspberry sorbet for dessert was also yummy! After lunch we returned to YC and to Storm-a-long Bay for the afternoon. It was not as crowded as I expected and we were able to find chairs and move around the pool easily. We returned to the room for a nap then dressed for an evening at Downtown Disney. We have been to Cirque, so decided to see a movie and have dinner. Watched the Scorpion King (so-so) and had a lovely dinner at Portobello Yacht Club. I enjoy their sangria. After checking out Pleasure Island, we returned to YC and foot massages on the balcony again. I found sample foot massage cream at Bath & Body Works before the trip that was great!!!Wednesday, May 8:
Had planned on going to Disney Quest, but decided the sun & pool were calling us, so dressed in suits and headed to Beaches & Cream for a quick breakfast, then chairs near the jasmine bushes around Storm-a-long Bay. The breezes through the bushes surrounded us with the aroma of jasmine and I could have spent the rest of the vacation here! AHHHHH! Returned to the room about 11:00 and dressed for Animal Kingdom. This is DH (aka Jungle Tim) favorite park. Arrived at noon and rode Dinosauer, Primeval Whirl and Safari ride. Then we walked all the trails and had to identify every single bird on the trails. We then took the train to Conservation Station (a first for us) and wandered around for a little ahile. We finished with Its Tough to be a Bug. Waits for rides were less than 10 minutes (usually 5 or less). Just before the 4:00 parade we left and took the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. DH fell in love with this resort and said we will stay here next time and just relax around resort. It was nice and cool, but a little dark for my tastes, but I would certainly stay here. We checked out the pool and viewing areas and one of the CM's said they had an impala give birth that day, so they didn't have all of the animals out yet. We had a 5:00 PS for Boma and this is now our new favorite!! What great food and the Mt. Kilamarita was absolutely YUMMY! It is made with tangerine liquor and lots of salt! After exploring the resort some more, we returned to the bus depot and waited about 15-20 minutes for a bus to MGM Studios. This was our longest wait of the week and we heard several people complaining about the waits and lack of other transportation. We will rent a car if we stay here. We arrived at MGM and went to RNR, but it was broken down, so we went to the Great Movie Ride and returned to RNR which was now working. Walked right in to the preshow, but after getting in line for the limos, it broke down again. We did get to ride after a short wait (DH's first ride & he loved it), but were late getting in line for Fantasmic and had to sit at the far left of the theater. It was standing room only by the time the show started. The show was as good as always. The only problem was the breeze was blowing in our faces and every time they put up the water screens, we got sprayed. Someone even got debris from the fireworks in their eye - ouch! We were sitting almost at the top - not even near the water! We waited till the theater cleared, then took the walking path and stopped to play miniature golf at Fantasia Gardens. We played the tough course and finished up about 11:30 pm. Walked back to YC and fell into bed.
Thursday, May 9:
Slept till 8:30 then skipped breakfast and took the boat to MGM. Rode TOT and RNR with no waits. Did Sounds Dangerous then watched the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular - the theater was packed! The park seemed very crowded - alot of school groups, but waits were not bad. Had PS at 11:30 for Sci-fi Dine-in Theater and really enjoyed this! Very funny car hop - but no roller skates. Had wonderful onion rings, great cookies and cream milk shake and good salad. DH really enjoyed the sci-fi trailers - he had seen each movie! I chose this place for him and he thought it was great! After lunch, we checked out the kiosks under the hat then took the boat back to YC. Spent the afternoon at the quiet pool chatting with two very nice couples from Michigan and Massachusetts. There were very few people here and it was very relaxing. My only complaint would be the noise from the delivery trucks going into the Dolphin hotel which was on the other side of the woods. Return to room and watched a vow renewal taking place in the Wedding Pavillion. Bride and Groom had a coulple of young children and were joined by Mickey, Minnie, Timone, and a gorilla and orangatang. My DH thoutht this was hilarious! After showers we dressed for dinner at the YC Steak House. I did not enjoy my dinner here, but it was my choice of dinner. I ordered a vegetarian meal which I did not like. I sampled DH's prime rib and it was delicious. The shrimp cocktail was good also. I would eat here again, but choose a different meal. After dinner we spent some time on a swing on the BC beach and then walked to Epcot for the 8:10 Tapestry of Dreams parade and Illuminations. We sat on a bench while the park cleared then slowly walked to the exit. This is my favorite way to spend my final night at Disney. Stopped at "our" swing again and relaxed for a long time before returning to YC balcony and final foot massages.
Friday, May 10
Slept till 9:00 then got up & packed. Sent luggage to Baggage Services then did some shopping in the gift shop. Had to get a YC pin - I only collect pins from the resorts I have stayed in. DH fed the ducks from the light house dock, walked aroung to smell the jasmine and magnolia trees again, then walked over to Boardwalk Bakery for breakfast. Returned to YC for 11:00 pick up by John, again from TTC. At airport, waited in USAir Club Member lounge and DH got us a first class upgrade for our uneventful flight home.
Final thoughts:
Wonderful relaxing trip with DH. He even wants to return - YESSS! My goal this trip was to prove to him that he could enjoy WDW as an adult.
Weather: Great! Very warm! No rain! Wonderful 70 degree evenings.
Crowds: Parks seemed crowded (except Epcot WS), but waits were minimal.
Security: This is the biggest change I noticed! Security everywhere! I know they were there before, but now they are very visible. Even in resorts!
E-nights: Did not miss this. With minimal wait times, we did not need this, but we did not do too much in parks, so someone who is trying to ride everything may have a different opinion.
Early entry: I have always used this before, but did not miss it, although as the weather gets warmer, I would certainly want it (especially MK) to avoid the heat of the day!
Flower and Garden Festival: Biggest dissappointment! The flowers were not as pretty as in the past and looked wilted, but this is probably due to the extreme heat Florida has been having. Also missed the large orchid display that was there in the past. The peacock at Canada was lovely and I loved the pandas at China (i'm a panda freak).
CM's: Average age seemed older, but summer help probably hasn't arrived. Mostly friendly, but a few more sulky ones than before.
Would have loved to see all the parades, but knew DH would not enjoy it, so tried to do things he would like.
Now planning a trip for next spring with my sister who had a very bad WDW experience several years ago and can't understand my love of it. I will make it my duty to show her the Disney I love! We will also take our daughters (will be 16 & 17 then).
Thanks to all for tips and advise as I saved over $800 planning this trip!
