Dave Dizney
<font color=blue>Super-Duper organized Ultimate Di
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2004
- Messages
- 460
Hi DIS'ers! We're back after our week-long trip to DW that took place August 14-22. Below are the particulars. For those who I have not met yet, I'm that over-planning father of the family with teens on the Travel Channel's "Fans Guide to Walt Disney World."
Trip date: Aug. 14-22 (just under the gun of Charlie's wrath -- more below)
Transportation: Fly from Minneapolis to MCO -- car rental through Hertz
Accommodations: Orbit One (timeshare) -- only second time off-site (bummer)
Ticket Media: 5-day Hopper Plus & 1 Single Day Universal
Attendee's: Dad, Mom, 2 teen boys, 1 pre-teen girl
Parks Plan: Sat: World of Disney -- Dinner: House of Blues
Sun: Epcot -- Dinner: Alfredo's
Mon: MK -- Dinner: Whispering Canyons @ WL
Tues: AK/Typhoon Lagoon -- Dinner: Boma @ AKL
Wed: Universal -- Dinner: City Walk or Lake Buena Vista
Thurs: DisMGM -- Dinner: Prime Time Cafe
Fri: MK -- Dinner: Ohana's @ Poly
Sat: Drive to Coco Beach & fly home
First things first -- we usually would never go to DW in August. The weather is a most formidable foe during this time. I would MUCH rather go during the pre-Christmas weeks or during the early spring or mid-fall, but there was reason for our madness. Our oldest son has graduated from high school and next week will be moving away to college. We mark time with our Disney trips and this one was especially meaningful.
We also don't stay off site, but for a graduation gift my son's uncle gave him his week in a time-share. Against our better practice, we accepted and used our Hertz gold points to get an inexpensive rental car.
Then there was Hurricane Charlie -- we arrived the day after his wrath. I think we were one of the first flights in after they reopened a portion of the Orlando airport. Flying in we saw roofs ripped off and trees all over the fences of the airport. Once in the beautiful Orlando airport, glass, ceiling tiles, and water was everywhere. It was like entering into a war zone.
Driving around was crazy. Signs down, streetlights out, and many hotels with broken windows and siding torn off. Trees were down everywhere. When we found our resort, we were stopped at the gate -- no power, no lights, no AC. We were redirected to a sister resort and were one of the last to get a suite. Here is where a different mindset began to set in -- there was plenty to complain about, but we couldn't. The people behind the counters had gone through both personal and business hell -- and how could you complain about a pool being closed? We made a point everywhere we went to first ask how the workers were doing at home. Many had put in extra hours because home was hot and dark. These folks showed true courage and determination despite the setbacks.
Yes -- we still do touring plans after 30 years of Disney vacations. The plans were extra flexible this year because of the wild weather, and really helped to remind us to take breaks and hydrate in the muggy weather. If we have to go in August, we usually plan on going after most school systems start in Florida, but after a few days in we found the crowds larger than usual. We then realized that schools had been canceled because of the hurricane and many AP holders were escaping the heat by going to the parks.
As far as progress being made on new rides:
AK: Everest continues to rise with the lower part of the mountain skin taking shape at the bottom. Lots of track inside -- one more step in making this a day-long park. Many trees were down around discovery river from the high winds, but the Tree of Life looked untouched.
MGM: The car stunt show area continues to amaze me. They were putting in a big globe at the entrance while we were there. I also noticed that the old theater that Hunchback used to be in (boy, I miss that show) is still there. I thought for sure it would be taken down with the new venue. The city streets are almost finished and the San Francisco section looks great as we watched the crews adding more paint. The animation tour was so disappointing as it is still between refurbisments. The backstage tram tour is so short now that they're mentioning the Earful Tower twice in the script. Anyone know what happened to Walt's plane? I also still miss Superstar Television (and try to forget that "Doug" was ever there) and sigh whenever I pass by the vacant building. Also, while we were there a huge crane went up backstage between TT and RR -- anyone know anything about that?
Epcot: We saw more trees down outside of the park, but surprisingly no broken glass in any of the buildings (a testimony to planners when you consider the glass in the Land or Imagination pavilions). I wish every park had a "Ice Station Cool" in the summer! As far as construction, the only thing active was the "Soarin' " building that is soarin' up as a Canadian backdrop.
MK: I was able to get a look at a few areas under construction here. The lagoon is being filled in. The ground in front of the entrance to Stitch is still torn up, but the sound effects behind the wall is cute. There's a lot of brick work being done around the old skyway building in Fantasyland (stroller parking for Small World?). And the saddest thing I saw all week was a little 4-year-old running in front of her mom and upon reaching Small World and finding it closed, burst into tears -- big, huge, disappointed tears. We gave her "cuts" in front of us for Peter Pan.
Universal: Everytime I go here, I wonder why I spent a day away from Disney? I do like many of the new rides opening at both Universal parks, but then the rest of the day I spend wishing I was back at Disney. We went to ride The Mummy -- and were pumped about it, but during our first ride the fire alarm went off and all the interior lights went on taking out all the dark elements. We were SO disappointed. We rode it three more times in the dark but it had lost some of it's magic. There were also many malfunctioning elements in the ride each time, I started to get ticked. We also had lunch at Rictors, and I'm sorry, but that plain hamburger lunch out-priced every lunch we had at Disney. And the street music -- are they even trying for atmosphere? The final blow was when the "Mystery Machine" drove down the street and Shaggy almost ran over one of my kids. A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to vacation there.
As always, the best part of the trip for me is dining at Disney. My son planned our schedule this time, including the dining. Here's our list:
House of Blues: Our first time there -- OK, but nothing remarkable. We did get to run into the Disney representative we had with us during the video shoot last April (Laura). A nice beginning to our week.
Alfredo's: I dream about the Fettuccine Alfredo there. They never disappoint me. Though the waiters need to be a little less attractive -- I don't appreciate Mrs. Dizney being that distracted.
Whispering Canyons: Got to see our good friends Candy and Tiny. My boys went to the gift shop just before our PS was called, and when Tiny found out they weren't there, he went over to the shop paraded them throughout the lobby. Candy recognized us from the show and made fun of us the whole night. OK food, but the floor show is worth the price.
Boma: Oh--my--gosh. I keep waiting for a bad experience to bring me back to reality, but this place continues to knock our socks off. The seafood soup was to die for. So much a little bit of this and that to mention -- but all good. We got to talk with the head chef like we did during the Travel Channel shoot, and he commented on the show. Then after we had stuffed ourselves, he brought us this HUGE puffy coconut chocolate dessert that was very artistically presented -- if they had made a doggie bag big enough, I'd still be taking pieces off. This place is now my personal favorite for the quality and variety.
Prime Time Diner: The food is OK here, and we usually go for the atmosphere, but this time the waiter was not very playful. One more new fine dining place at MGM would be nice.
Ohana's: Still our family favorite, but this year, for even more important reasons. We chose Ohana's because it's the first place we brought our son for dinner at Disney when he was only 4. This was our last meal with him at Disney before he moves to college. The meal was as good as always (still waiting for the coconut bread recipe), but by the pineapple and caramel dessert, we were all so choked up, we couldn't finish. I have memories in every corner of that restaurant.
Other notes:
CELEBRITY MOMENT!!!! Yes! Those of you who were following our threads about the Travel Channel special will note that I was bummed because no one has recognized any of our family since the airing of the show. Some of the other participants have had a "celebrity moment" but we have not. On our last day, while in line for Space Mountain, a lady tapped me on the shoulder and asked "are you the guy from the Disney Fans show? I was so stoked! We talked through the whole line (FP -- only 5 minutes) and found out this was her first trip and she was greatly helped by the show. Now my 15-minutes is officially over!
NEW GAME: We got pulled from the crowd at Innoventions and got to test a new robot game. It was fun, but nothing that would blow anyone away.
Coco Beach: Since we had a rental car, we decided to go to Coco Beach since we had a late flight home and our tickets were used (see -- we can be spontaneous). It was a nice day-trip. We have done the east coast and Panama City Beach in the past, and this was a nice place to jump in the ocean for a few hours. Ron Johns is a trip! But still, if you gave me a choice between driving or using a Town-car service -- I'd take the latter in a heartbeat.
One last comment to anyone out there reading this wondering if a trip to Disney is worth the expense. Now that our first kid is leaving home, I look back at all the trips we've made -- and I find I have these indelible memories I will always cherish. I know how old each kid was when we were at each resort -- memories associated with smells, tastes, sounds, and sights. I remember how a lizard was more interesting in the parking lot than many rides in the park -- I can show you where that lizard was. My son is right now moving out a lifetime of stuff from his room -- in the midst of all the this he's thrown away from his childhood, in his "keep" pile I found an old stuffed Figment, old passes, and silly Disney trinkets he bought with his own money -- he can't part with some of them. Somehow, on this last trip, when I was in the Magic Kingdom standing next to my 18 year old watching "Wishes," I felt the small legs of a 4-year-old on my shoulders watching the "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks. Then his large arm went around me and said "Did you see that dad?" just as he said years ago, except with a deeper and nostalgic tone to his voice. I can't put a price on that. I have never regretted a single dollar I've spent on those memories, and look forward to someday feeling another 4-year-olds legs on my shoulders while his dad stands next to me.
Geeze -- somebody stop me! Nuff said.
Trip date: Aug. 14-22 (just under the gun of Charlie's wrath -- more below)
Transportation: Fly from Minneapolis to MCO -- car rental through Hertz
Accommodations: Orbit One (timeshare) -- only second time off-site (bummer)
Ticket Media: 5-day Hopper Plus & 1 Single Day Universal
Attendee's: Dad, Mom, 2 teen boys, 1 pre-teen girl
Parks Plan: Sat: World of Disney -- Dinner: House of Blues
Sun: Epcot -- Dinner: Alfredo's
Mon: MK -- Dinner: Whispering Canyons @ WL
Tues: AK/Typhoon Lagoon -- Dinner: Boma @ AKL
Wed: Universal -- Dinner: City Walk or Lake Buena Vista
Thurs: DisMGM -- Dinner: Prime Time Cafe
Fri: MK -- Dinner: Ohana's @ Poly
Sat: Drive to Coco Beach & fly home
First things first -- we usually would never go to DW in August. The weather is a most formidable foe during this time. I would MUCH rather go during the pre-Christmas weeks or during the early spring or mid-fall, but there was reason for our madness. Our oldest son has graduated from high school and next week will be moving away to college. We mark time with our Disney trips and this one was especially meaningful.
We also don't stay off site, but for a graduation gift my son's uncle gave him his week in a time-share. Against our better practice, we accepted and used our Hertz gold points to get an inexpensive rental car.
Then there was Hurricane Charlie -- we arrived the day after his wrath. I think we were one of the first flights in after they reopened a portion of the Orlando airport. Flying in we saw roofs ripped off and trees all over the fences of the airport. Once in the beautiful Orlando airport, glass, ceiling tiles, and water was everywhere. It was like entering into a war zone.
Driving around was crazy. Signs down, streetlights out, and many hotels with broken windows and siding torn off. Trees were down everywhere. When we found our resort, we were stopped at the gate -- no power, no lights, no AC. We were redirected to a sister resort and were one of the last to get a suite. Here is where a different mindset began to set in -- there was plenty to complain about, but we couldn't. The people behind the counters had gone through both personal and business hell -- and how could you complain about a pool being closed? We made a point everywhere we went to first ask how the workers were doing at home. Many had put in extra hours because home was hot and dark. These folks showed true courage and determination despite the setbacks.
Yes -- we still do touring plans after 30 years of Disney vacations. The plans were extra flexible this year because of the wild weather, and really helped to remind us to take breaks and hydrate in the muggy weather. If we have to go in August, we usually plan on going after most school systems start in Florida, but after a few days in we found the crowds larger than usual. We then realized that schools had been canceled because of the hurricane and many AP holders were escaping the heat by going to the parks.
As far as progress being made on new rides:
AK: Everest continues to rise with the lower part of the mountain skin taking shape at the bottom. Lots of track inside -- one more step in making this a day-long park. Many trees were down around discovery river from the high winds, but the Tree of Life looked untouched.
MGM: The car stunt show area continues to amaze me. They were putting in a big globe at the entrance while we were there. I also noticed that the old theater that Hunchback used to be in (boy, I miss that show) is still there. I thought for sure it would be taken down with the new venue. The city streets are almost finished and the San Francisco section looks great as we watched the crews adding more paint. The animation tour was so disappointing as it is still between refurbisments. The backstage tram tour is so short now that they're mentioning the Earful Tower twice in the script. Anyone know what happened to Walt's plane? I also still miss Superstar Television (and try to forget that "Doug" was ever there) and sigh whenever I pass by the vacant building. Also, while we were there a huge crane went up backstage between TT and RR -- anyone know anything about that?
Epcot: We saw more trees down outside of the park, but surprisingly no broken glass in any of the buildings (a testimony to planners when you consider the glass in the Land or Imagination pavilions). I wish every park had a "Ice Station Cool" in the summer! As far as construction, the only thing active was the "Soarin' " building that is soarin' up as a Canadian backdrop.
MK: I was able to get a look at a few areas under construction here. The lagoon is being filled in. The ground in front of the entrance to Stitch is still torn up, but the sound effects behind the wall is cute. There's a lot of brick work being done around the old skyway building in Fantasyland (stroller parking for Small World?). And the saddest thing I saw all week was a little 4-year-old running in front of her mom and upon reaching Small World and finding it closed, burst into tears -- big, huge, disappointed tears. We gave her "cuts" in front of us for Peter Pan.
Universal: Everytime I go here, I wonder why I spent a day away from Disney? I do like many of the new rides opening at both Universal parks, but then the rest of the day I spend wishing I was back at Disney. We went to ride The Mummy -- and were pumped about it, but during our first ride the fire alarm went off and all the interior lights went on taking out all the dark elements. We were SO disappointed. We rode it three more times in the dark but it had lost some of it's magic. There were also many malfunctioning elements in the ride each time, I started to get ticked. We also had lunch at Rictors, and I'm sorry, but that plain hamburger lunch out-priced every lunch we had at Disney. And the street music -- are they even trying for atmosphere? The final blow was when the "Mystery Machine" drove down the street and Shaggy almost ran over one of my kids. A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to vacation there.
As always, the best part of the trip for me is dining at Disney. My son planned our schedule this time, including the dining. Here's our list:
House of Blues: Our first time there -- OK, but nothing remarkable. We did get to run into the Disney representative we had with us during the video shoot last April (Laura). A nice beginning to our week.
Alfredo's: I dream about the Fettuccine Alfredo there. They never disappoint me. Though the waiters need to be a little less attractive -- I don't appreciate Mrs. Dizney being that distracted.
Whispering Canyons: Got to see our good friends Candy and Tiny. My boys went to the gift shop just before our PS was called, and when Tiny found out they weren't there, he went over to the shop paraded them throughout the lobby. Candy recognized us from the show and made fun of us the whole night. OK food, but the floor show is worth the price.
Boma: Oh--my--gosh. I keep waiting for a bad experience to bring me back to reality, but this place continues to knock our socks off. The seafood soup was to die for. So much a little bit of this and that to mention -- but all good. We got to talk with the head chef like we did during the Travel Channel shoot, and he commented on the show. Then after we had stuffed ourselves, he brought us this HUGE puffy coconut chocolate dessert that was very artistically presented -- if they had made a doggie bag big enough, I'd still be taking pieces off. This place is now my personal favorite for the quality and variety.
Prime Time Diner: The food is OK here, and we usually go for the atmosphere, but this time the waiter was not very playful. One more new fine dining place at MGM would be nice.
Ohana's: Still our family favorite, but this year, for even more important reasons. We chose Ohana's because it's the first place we brought our son for dinner at Disney when he was only 4. This was our last meal with him at Disney before he moves to college. The meal was as good as always (still waiting for the coconut bread recipe), but by the pineapple and caramel dessert, we were all so choked up, we couldn't finish. I have memories in every corner of that restaurant.
Other notes:
CELEBRITY MOMENT!!!! Yes! Those of you who were following our threads about the Travel Channel special will note that I was bummed because no one has recognized any of our family since the airing of the show. Some of the other participants have had a "celebrity moment" but we have not. On our last day, while in line for Space Mountain, a lady tapped me on the shoulder and asked "are you the guy from the Disney Fans show? I was so stoked! We talked through the whole line (FP -- only 5 minutes) and found out this was her first trip and she was greatly helped by the show. Now my 15-minutes is officially over!
NEW GAME: We got pulled from the crowd at Innoventions and got to test a new robot game. It was fun, but nothing that would blow anyone away.
Coco Beach: Since we had a rental car, we decided to go to Coco Beach since we had a late flight home and our tickets were used (see -- we can be spontaneous). It was a nice day-trip. We have done the east coast and Panama City Beach in the past, and this was a nice place to jump in the ocean for a few hours. Ron Johns is a trip! But still, if you gave me a choice between driving or using a Town-car service -- I'd take the latter in a heartbeat.
One last comment to anyone out there reading this wondering if a trip to Disney is worth the expense. Now that our first kid is leaving home, I look back at all the trips we've made -- and I find I have these indelible memories I will always cherish. I know how old each kid was when we were at each resort -- memories associated with smells, tastes, sounds, and sights. I remember how a lizard was more interesting in the parking lot than many rides in the park -- I can show you where that lizard was. My son is right now moving out a lifetime of stuff from his room -- in the midst of all the this he's thrown away from his childhood, in his "keep" pile I found an old stuffed Figment, old passes, and silly Disney trinkets he bought with his own money -- he can't part with some of them. Somehow, on this last trip, when I was in the Magic Kingdom standing next to my 18 year old watching "Wishes," I felt the small legs of a 4-year-old on my shoulders watching the "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks. Then his large arm went around me and said "Did you see that dad?" just as he said years ago, except with a deeper and nostalgic tone to his voice. I can't put a price on that. I have never regretted a single dollar I've spent on those memories, and look forward to someday feeling another 4-year-olds legs on my shoulders while his dad stands next to me.
Geeze -- somebody stop me! Nuff said.
Thanks a lot, Dave! 
