Hi 
We are just back from seven days and a WONDERFUL trip!!! Our first Four of us... me, hubby, DS (15) and DD (7). Weather was good.. rainy all day one day and a few other showers, but not as hot as we expected at all. We were surprised that the crowds and lines were not bad until our last day, Friday, at MK. Was the perfect vacation from start to finish!! We wanted to see everything, but had to remind ourselves constantly that we were on vacation.... we made ourself relax and if we started feeling less than happy, we moved on to something different.. it made all the difference than staying in the parks and toughing it when we were tired. We had a detailed schedule, but ended up being very flexible. It payed off when it rained and when we were tired.
We got in at 11:00 Fri night, 6 Jul .. big traffic jam on 192 from the parks and DD had to go to the bathroom..ughhhh... lots of whining but she made it!! We finally checked into the Renaissance Maingate on 192. $40 priceline hotel - we were pleased. The hotel wasnt anything luxurious, but the staff was very nice, the room was big enough, clean, and we had a fridge and a safe. Just your basic hotel with pools, restaurant, etc. We would stay here again for $40. There was plenty of places to eat in the area and we ended up going out at midnight to Dominoes for a couple of pizzas. (delivery was expensive and we had $4.00 coupons) 5 minute drive.. traffic jam was gone, and we were fed, settled in and happy.
FIRST DAY: We slept in until 9:00 and went over to the Golden Corrale for bfast. We always enjoy the buffet and left stuffed. Bfast was a little over $20 for the four of us (this GC has lower prices, but the Orlando Sentinel website has coupons you can use for the one on I-4 by Downtown Disney - it is newer and nicer). We decided to tour the resorts this day and wanted to make it to Celebration (we didnt make it). We went to the Swan and Dolphin first. I think in many ways they were our favorite as far as decor and location. We shopped in the gift shop and enjoyed the surroundings... walked over to the board walk and the day was getting hot. Spent some time there and decided to head over to Downtown Disney for GOH badges. We were totally surprised at the size of everything... DD was a lot bigger than I imagined too!! We ate a boxcar at Ghiardelli's it was yummy and went into the Disney store. The kids loved everything about the Marketplace. It was happy shopping!! Great way to start the trip and pick up some must haves.. the badges.. character hats After that we went back to the hotel to rest and swim before heading over to Chef Mickeys.
On the way to Chef Mickey's we stopped at the Wilderness Lodge. Again, we were overwhelmed at the SIZE!! We would stay here too... the lobby is awesome! DH especially liked it because of the rustic elegance.
CHEF MICKEY"S: Great way to start our trip!! The characters were so friendly, especially Minnie who made my DD's life I think!! Lots of hugs and kisses and pictures. Chip and Dale were a hoot!!! The atmosphere drew us in and we entered the Disney Zone easily. Buffet wasn't anything special, but the character interaction more than made up for that. We left stuffed and in great spirits. This will be a must do for future trips.. so much fun!!!! The meal total was $100 (with tip) and was worth every penny!!
We took the monorail to the Poly and walked on the beach for a bit... I layed on a beach chair and couldv'e stayed there the rest of the evening. A nice breeze was blowing off the water and people were walking past.. very relaxing. We checked out the bricks while walking over to the Grand Floridian... wondered how those people got their names on them and thought it was cool Again, we were taken in by Disney at the GF. So elegant and pretty. The whole atmosphere was relaxed and happy. DH loved this place too. We toured other resorts later in the trip, but the ones on the first day were the best by far.. except for the All stars. I know why these places are considered luxury resorts because just being in them was great.
We rode the monorail back to the contemporary and went through the Garden Grill to the observation deck. The view is great and we took lots of pictures. We were too tired to stick it out for the fireworks, but we stayed up there a long time just taking and taking in the scenery.
The Garden Grill seemed like a fantastic place to eat and watch the fireworks after dinner. We are hoping to do that our next trip After that we went to the food court and let the kids play video games for a bit. I sat on the little couches and watched Disney cartoons.. very tired from all the walking we did, but happy
Went back to the room.. laxed out and all agreed we had a perfect start on our vacation
Day 2 is Magic Kingdom!!
We are just back from seven days and a WONDERFUL trip!!! Our first Four of us... me, hubby, DS (15) and DD (7). Weather was good.. rainy all day one day and a few other showers, but not as hot as we expected at all. We were surprised that the crowds and lines were not bad until our last day, Friday, at MK. Was the perfect vacation from start to finish!! We wanted to see everything, but had to remind ourselves constantly that we were on vacation.... we made ourself relax and if we started feeling less than happy, we moved on to something different.. it made all the difference than staying in the parks and toughing it when we were tired. We had a detailed schedule, but ended up being very flexible. It payed off when it rained and when we were tired. We got in at 11:00 Fri night, 6 Jul .. big traffic jam on 192 from the parks and DD had to go to the bathroom..ughhhh... lots of whining but she made it!! We finally checked into the Renaissance Maingate on 192. $40 priceline hotel - we were pleased. The hotel wasnt anything luxurious, but the staff was very nice, the room was big enough, clean, and we had a fridge and a safe. Just your basic hotel with pools, restaurant, etc. We would stay here again for $40. There was plenty of places to eat in the area and we ended up going out at midnight to Dominoes for a couple of pizzas. (delivery was expensive and we had $4.00 coupons) 5 minute drive.. traffic jam was gone, and we were fed, settled in and happy.
FIRST DAY: We slept in until 9:00 and went over to the Golden Corrale for bfast. We always enjoy the buffet and left stuffed. Bfast was a little over $20 for the four of us (this GC has lower prices, but the Orlando Sentinel website has coupons you can use for the one on I-4 by Downtown Disney - it is newer and nicer). We decided to tour the resorts this day and wanted to make it to Celebration (we didnt make it). We went to the Swan and Dolphin first. I think in many ways they were our favorite as far as decor and location. We shopped in the gift shop and enjoyed the surroundings... walked over to the board walk and the day was getting hot. Spent some time there and decided to head over to Downtown Disney for GOH badges. We were totally surprised at the size of everything... DD was a lot bigger than I imagined too!! We ate a boxcar at Ghiardelli's it was yummy
and went into the Disney store. The kids loved everything about the Marketplace. It was happy shopping!! Great way to start the trip and pick up some must haves.. the badges.. character hats After that we went back to the hotel to rest and swim before heading over to Chef Mickeys.On the way to Chef Mickey's we stopped at the Wilderness Lodge. Again, we were overwhelmed at the SIZE!! We would stay here too... the lobby is awesome! DH especially liked it because of the rustic elegance.
CHEF MICKEY"S: Great way to start our trip!! The characters were so friendly, especially Minnie who made my DD's life I think!! Lots of hugs and kisses and pictures. Chip and Dale were a hoot!!! The atmosphere drew us in and we entered the Disney Zone easily. Buffet wasn't anything special, but the character interaction more than made up for that. We left stuffed and in great spirits. This will be a must do for future trips.. so much fun!!!! The meal total was $100 (with tip) and was worth every penny!!
We took the monorail to the Poly and walked on the beach for a bit... I layed on a beach chair and couldv'e stayed there the rest of the evening. A nice breeze was blowing off the water and people were walking past.. very relaxing. We checked out the bricks while walking over to the Grand Floridian... wondered how those people got their names on them and thought it was cool
Again, we were taken in by Disney at the GF. So elegant and pretty. The whole atmosphere was relaxed and happy. DH loved this place too. We toured other resorts later in the trip, but the ones on the first day were the best by far.. except for the All stars. I know why these places are considered luxury resorts because just being in them was great. We rode the monorail back to the contemporary and went through the Garden Grill to the observation deck. The view is great and we took lots of pictures. We were too tired to stick it out for the fireworks, but we stayed up there a long time just taking and taking in the scenery.
The Garden Grill seemed like a fantastic place to eat and watch the fireworks after dinner. We are hoping to do that our next trip
After that we went to the food court and let the kids play video games for a bit. I sat on the little couches and watched Disney cartoons.. very tired from all the walking we did, but happy Went back to the room.. laxed out and all agreed we had a perfect start on our vacation
Day 2 is Magic Kingdom!!
