Currently in Disney - May 11th to May 22nd, 2014

[Sector7G]

My family (wife, 8 yr old daughter, 5 yr old daughter) and myself just got here last night after a 2-day road trip from Canada and today was our first day at the parks.

We are staying offsite and will be at the parks for 10 days in addition to 2 days at the water parks. An important note is that we tend to pack our lunches/snacks and eat them while enjoying a show or waiting in line to try and maximize ride/character interaction time while we are in the parks. Also our girls can't ride the 48" rides (so no R 'n RC).

Today (May 11th) was DHS. Here is how it went:

08:30 - Arrived at bag check;
08:40 - Met Daisy outside the front gates (my daughters are big into character graphs...as you'll see)
08:50 - Gates opened, we were probably the 20th family through the turnstiles in our line
09:05 - Toy Story Midway Mania
09:30 - Met Phineas and Ferb (no lineup whatsoever)
09:35 - Met Lightning McQueen and Mater (no lineup...since the characters can't sign, we decided to rub the photocards on the tires for their autograph)
09:45 - Star Tours
10:10 - Met Sorcerer Mickey
10:35 - Met Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope (can't sign, hand out a card)
10:45 - Met Jake
11:05 - Met Sofia the First
11:30 - Beauty and the Beast stage show (the show started at 11:45) - ate part of lunch here
12:30 - Met Mr. Incredible and Frozone
13:00 - Lights, Motor, Action! Stunt Show (the show started at 13:20) - finished lunch here
14:00 - Met a Green Army Man
14:05 - Toy Story Midway Mania (FP+)
14:45 - Tower of Terror (FP+, the kids let us know that they didn't want to do that ride again...we had watched it on youtube prior to coming and they said they wanted to try it, but once was enough for them...I guess we'll have to change our FP+ for our second DHS day)
15:30 - Muppet Vision 3D
16:00 - Star Tours (FP+, didn't really need it as the standby wait would have only been 10-15 minutes)
16:30 - Characterpalooza (my daughters met and got autographs from Gepetto, Max, the Queen of Hearts and Captain Hook...other characters which appeared but that we didn't visit with because we will see them in the other parks or because they had met them earlier were Belle, Pocahontas, Green Army Man, Minnie Mouse, and Mulan)
17:00 - Left the park and headed back to our resort for some time at the pool, supper, and a good night's rest.

Since the girls got to see all the characters they wanted to see at the first Characterpalooza set, we decided not to stay for the second set which was "scheduled" for 17:30. We also didn't want to make this a super long day and stay for Fantasmic, which we'll do on our second DHS day.

I didn't put in our many restroom breaks, or our store browsing (which was quite a bit). The girls have their spending money for the trip, but we made a rule that they don't buy anything the first 4 days (until we've been at all the parks once) and then they can make their purchases so as to minimize buyer's remorse. That being said, we got them books, puzzles and a few play items which they will have waiting for them in their room at the end of the day).

A great first day and the only things we didn't accomplish on our original schedule was meeting Mike and Sulley, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and playing on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set adventure... which we'll easily be able to accomplish on our second DHS day since we have all that free time were Tower of Terror used to be rotfl2.

Tomorrow we hit EPCOT...

 

[tristyp]

Sounds like a good 1st day!! Where in Canada are you from and how long did it take to drive?

 

[Sector7G]

We're from the Montreal region in Quebec. It took us 25 hours total. 14 hours the first day to just past Richmond, Virginia...normally this is a 11 to 12 hour drive, but we got stuck in some nasty traffic near Washington, D.C. and then 11 hours the second day from Richmond, Virginia to Disney World.

 

[disneyshea]

Sounds like an amazing first day. Question: What is characterpalooza?

 

[Sector7G]

Back from EPCOT and day 2 is in the books.

We arrived at the gates at 08:20 and were the 5th family in our turnstile line. I read that they let people in at 08:47, but today was slightly later at 08:52 (according to my watch).

Here's the run down for the rest of the day (the first time is the time we got in line and the second time is the time we were off the ride)

08:55 - 09:20 Test Track
09:20 - 10:02 Test Track (we decided to ride it again since the standby line said 20 minutes and the girls really loved it)
10:15 - 10:25 Met Chip n' Dale
11:00 - 11:06 Met Belle
11:08 - 11:30 Watched Impressions of France
11:55 - 12:10 Met Mulan
12:12 - 12:23 Met Senor Donald
12:25 - 12:40 Grand Fiesta Tour
12:51 - 13:10 Maelstrom
13:33 - 13:55 Met Snow White
14:20 - 14:45 Met Aurora
15:17 - 15:47 Soarin (FP+)
15:52 - 16:05 Met Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie
16:11 - 16:16 Met Pluto

After meeting Pluto we left the park to go have some pool time at the resort and have supper, and we came back for 19:00

19:00 - 19:12 The Seas with Nemo and Friends
19:12 - 19:45 We walked around the Aquarium
19:45 - 20:05 Turtle Talk with Crush (we had a FP+, but decided not to use it as it was walk-on)
20:15 - 20:45 Hung out at the Canadian Pavillion
20:45 - 21:20 Staked out our place and watched Illuminations

The girls also got a half dozen stamps in their passports as we traveled through World Showcase.

Had a bunch of other rides/activities planned, but we spent a lot of time just enjoying the surroundings of World Showcase.

Another fun-packed day... tomorrow it`s off to Animal Kingdom.

 

[Sector7G]

Re: Disneyshea

Characterpalooza is a not-so-secret scheduled surprise meet where a bunch of characters come out and mingle with the crowds. It`s a great chance to meet characters and get autographs from characters that don`t have regularly scheduled meets in the parks as well as some who do in a short amount of time. You can get all the info you need about it from kennythepirate.com. His website rocks when it comes to info about information on character meets at Disney.

 

[Sector7G]

So Today was our first day at Animal Kingdom. Here's the rundown...

Arrived at the park gates at 08:40 and rope drop was at 08:50 or so. As noted in the previous post, the first time is the time we got in line and the second is when we were done with the meet or outside the ride.

08:57 - 09:40 Kilimanjaro Safaris (We always like riding this first as we feel the animals are at their liveliest prior to when it really heats up...we had a white rhino a few feet from our truck)
09:55 - 10:15 Met Pocahontas
10:23 - 10:39 Met Dug and Russel
10:52 - 11:10 Met Safari Mickey and Minnie (FP+)
11:20 - 11:32 Triceratop Spin
11:32 - 11:40 Dinoland Dance Party (My youngest dauther enjoyed dancing with Gipsy Moth, Brer Bear, Brer Fox and Terk)
11:45 - 12:40 Finding Nemo Show (the show started at 12:00)
12:45 - 13:02 Dinosaur
13:15 - 13:27 Met Daisy and Donald (As previously reported by Kenny the Pirate and others, Daisy and Donald have replaced Winnie the Pooh and Tigger). Daisy and Donald met in their regular outfits...I wonder if they will be in their safari outfits soon?
13:36 - 13:46 Expedition Everest (FP+)
14:00 - 14:18 Met Baloo and King Louie (only Baloo signs autographs)
14:30 - 15:20 Met Rafiki at Planet watch
15:45 - 16:15 Staked out a place in Asia and saw Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade
16:25 - 16:45 Kali River Rapids (FP+)

And that's how we ended this beautiful day at one of our favorite parks. We would've liked to see Flights of Wonder at 15:00, but we decided to go to Planet watch instead...this show will be one of our must-do's on our second day at AK.

 

[disneyshea]

Re: Disneyshea

Characterpalooza is a not-so-secret scheduled surprise meet where a bunch of characters come out and mingle with the crowds. It`s a great chance to meet characters and get autographs from characters that don`t have regularly scheduled meets in the parks as well as some who do in a short amount of time. You can get all the info you need about it from kennythepirate.com. His website rocks when it comes to info about information on character meets at Disney.

Thank you. I learn something new here everyday. I will check out Kennythepirate.com for more info. I think that someone else sent me there for info on the Tiana character meet. Thx!

 

[Sector7G]

Today was Magic Kingdom. We arrived around 8:30 and the gates opened around 08:52

09:02 - 09:26 Met Merida
09:29 - 09:43 Peter Pan's Flight
09:45 - 10:10 Met Anna & Elsa (FP+)
10:32 - 10:58 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
11:00 - 11:20 Met Woody and Jessie
11:25 - 11:44 Splash Mountain (FP+)
11:56 - 12:08 Magic Carpets of Aladdin
12:16 - 12:39 Jungle Cruise (FP+)
12:55 - 13:40 Met Vidia and Tinkerbell (the back-and-forth between these two characters was great...they were hilarious... I should've videotaped them with my kids...kind of sad that when Tink moves to Town Square Theater it is reported that she will no longer be meeting with any of her fairy friends)
13:47 - 14:16 Enchanted Tiki Room
14:32 - 15:13 Haunted Mansion
15:15 - 15:31 Festival of Fantasy Parade (Two points here...First, that fire-breathing dragon truly is impressive and Second, quite a few people do not know the character Ulf who is in the parade... from the movie Tangled - who doesn't remember that classic line "Ulf is into mime" from the "I've got a dream" song)
15:35 - 16:00 Pirates of the Caribbean (FP+...number 4)
16:13 - 16:38 Mickey's Philharmagic
16:49 - 17:11 It's a Small World (FP+...number 5)
17:21 - 17:37 Met Cinderella and Rapunzel (surprised the standby wait was so short at this time)
17:41 - 17:45 The Mad Tea Party
17:48 - 17:56 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (FP+...numer 6)

Then we left for our resort and supper... and so I could watch the Habs/Bruins game 7... (3-1 win by the Habs by the way)...Go Habs Go in the Conference finals against the Rangers.

The FP system worked out really well for us later in the day. It was easy to schedule additional rides with minimal wait thus avoiding standby waits of 15 to 40 minutes. Some headliners were not available or were only available late in the evening, but it allowed us to schedule the easier and mid-level rides and reduce wait times which was great.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a half day at Hollywood Studios...originally we were going to do a water park, but with the rain/thunderstorm forecast, we decided to switch up our schedule a bit.

 

[Sector7G]

Today was our half day at Disney Hollywood Studios. Here is how it went:

08:20 - Arrived at the gates
08:24 - 08:27 Met Donald outside the gates (Daisy was also there)
08:50 - Rope Drop
08:57 - 0915 Toy Story Midway Mania (we wanted to re-ride, but the standby line was already at 60 minutes when we got out so we decided to move on)
09:17 - 09:48 Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area
09:52 - 10:05 Met Mike and Sulley (they don't sign autographs)
10:15 - 10:35 Star Tours (FP+)
10:45 - 11:48 Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (FP+) the girls really loved this show
13:02 - 13:18 Toy Story Midway Mania (FP+)

Then we left the park and went to Downtown Disney to shop and eat at Wolfgang Puck's.

Tomorrow it's back to Magic Kingdom.

 

[Sector7G]

Here is how our day at Magic Kingdom went today.

Arrived at 08:45. Gates opened at 08:53. As soon as we entered the park we had a footwear issue that had to be solved so that slowed us down a little.

09:12 - 09:22 Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
09:54 - 10:02 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (FP+, after Under the Sea we were waiting to see the Fairy Godmother only to find out about 25 minutes later that she had been unexpectedly called away for the day
10:07 - 10:16 Mad Tea Party
10:16 - 10:28 Met Alice and the White Rabbit
10:31 - 10:40 Met Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella (they were hilarious)
10:51 - 11:15 Dumbo the Flying Elephant
11:17 - 11:36 Barnstormer (this has to be one of the shortest rides in MK)
11:38 - 11:43 Casey Jr Splash 'n Soak Station
12:00 - 12:43 Met Peter Pan
12:53 - 13:21 Enchanted Tales with Belle (FP+)
13:32 - 13:47 Space Mountain (FP+)
14:09 - 14:43 Monster's Inc Laugh Floor
14:46 - 14:56 Met Buzz Lightyear
15:00 - 15:16 TTA Peoplemover
15:27 - 16:08 Met Ariel
16:14 - 16:29 Prince Charming`s Carrousel
16:40 - 17:30 Met Tiana and Naveen

We had FP+ for Splash Mountain coming up but the family was ready to hit the pool after meeting Tiana and Naveen so we decided to call it a day. Saw Move It, Shake It on the way out of the park.

If your kids are into characters, make sure to check their schedules so that you don`t miss any because they meet separately sometimes. For example Alice and the White Rabbit only meet together for a few sets and Tiana only meets with Naveen later in the day.

 

[ribollita]

Thank you so much for posting! Was there a Photopass photographer with Mike and Sulley?

 

[dvc at last !]

You have a very busy schedule - sounds great !

Enjoy the vaca !

 

[Sector7G]

Thank you so much for posting! Was there a Photopass photographer with Mike and Sulley?

There was a photopass photographer, but I would make sure to have my own camera as well because on a few occasions they informed us that the photopass camera was not working.

 

[Sector7G]

Yesterday was a relaxing re-energizing day for us. Morning was spent by the pool followed by a little shopping and in the afternoon we went to Blizzard Beach water park...love the Steamboat Springs family raft ride there.

Today we're back to Animal Kingdom.

 

[vettegirl]

Yesterday was a relaxing re-energizing day for us. Morning was spent by the pool followed by a little shopping and in the afternoon we went to Blizzard Beach water park...love the Steamboat Springs family raft ride there. Today we're back to Animal Kingdom.

Have a great time today

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Melissy]

Glad to hear that you had a day at the "Beach" after those busy first few days.

 

[Sector7G]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and the happy thoughts.

Yesterday we hit Animal Kingdom again.

Arrived at the gates around 08:30 and the rope dropped at 08:52 or so.

08:52 - 09:35 Wilderness Explorer Challenges (this is a really cool activity for the kids and they learn so much about the world, the environment, and the animal world by completing the challenges)...if you don't head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris or near Expedition Everest and walk the path between Africa and Asia it is completely deserted which allows you to get some great photos.
09:35 - 10:05 Kilimanjaro Safaris (FP+...we found out that a group of hippos is a bloat, a group of giraffes is a tower, and that a group of flamingos is a flamboyance)
10:05 - 11:15 Pangani Forest Trails and more Wilderness Explorer Challenges
11:15 - 12:00 Flights of Wonder show (if you can, sit on the left side when facing the stage, most of the birds fly over top of you on that side...which is pretty awesome)
12:00 - 12:20 More Wilderness Explorer Challenges
12:20 - 12:40 Kali River Rapids (FP+...our family got soaked again which was actually quite refreshing)
12:40 - 13:00 It's Tough To Be A Bug
13:00 - 13:30 Last few Wilderness Explorer Challenges for the day (my girls were able to do 14 in half the day)

After that we headed to Typhoon Lagoon for the rest of the afternoon where we cooled off in the water and had a chance to meet Stitch and Lilo (they meet separately and for those that are interested there was no photopass photographer with them).

Today we're off to EPCOT. Cheers, everyone...

 

[sayheyrenee]

I've been following. Thanks for the detailed report.

 

[Sector7G]

Here's the breakdown of our day at EPCOT today. Arrived around 08:30 and the gates opened 08:52.

08:58 - 09:30 Test Track
09:37 - 10:05 Soarin' (FP+...if you can, sit in row 1. I believe it makes the experience better as you do not see any dangling feet in front of you. Also if you can be on the middle of the three "gliders" you are centered on the screen and I believe that this too enhances the experience...that being said sitting anywhere is still pretty amazing and this is my wife's and my favorite ride in EPCOT)
10:16 - 10:38 Spaceship Earth (FP+)
10:56 - 11:35 Turtle Talk with Crush
11:38 - 11:48 The Seas with Nemo and Friends (FP+)...didn't need these last two FP+ as wait times were minimal for both Spaceship Earth and Nemo, but we wanted to burn them so that we could schedule another FP+ for a tier one attraction (In our case it was so we could ride Test Track at the end of our day without a 45-60 minute standby wait.
11:50 - 17:30 We toured World Showcase leisurely, visiting every pavilion (my daughters wanted to complete their passports), shopping, as well as completing a few meet and greets with the characters
12:00 - 12:25 Met Mary Poppins at the UK pavilion
12:55 - 13:05 Met Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at the UK pavilion
13:25 - 13:45 Saw Oh Canada
14:39 - 14:54 Gran Fiesta Tour
16:20 - 16:45 Met Jasmine at the Morocco pavilion (Aladdin wasn't there as he was off on a boys day with Abu and Genie)
17:38 - 17:57 Test Track (FP+...our fourth of the day)

After that we left for supper and pool time at the resort.

Tomorrow it's back to Magic Kingdom.

Cheers, everyone...