plutosmyfav
<font color=deeppink>Has high hopes, high apple pi
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- Sep 19, 2002
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Trip Report Part 1 (Nov 29 - Dec 3)
Cast: Me (39) DH (37) DD (13) DS (2 1/2)
Dates: Nov 29 - Dec 8, 2002
Place(s): Sierra Suites
POR
The Castle (I-drive/Universal)
Our taxi arrived early and we were off to Logan at 2:30 PM for a 6:15 PM flight. Traffic can be very unpredictable, but it turned out to be non-existent so we got there at 3:10 PM. What to do with DS for 3 hours???? Logan has a "Kidport" playroom. DS had a blast. DD did homework
But she was glad to get a couple of assignments out of the way. Our flight was on time, I was worried about DD and DS ears. DD wore her ear planes, DS wouldn't leave them in. When we started for the run way I gave DS a bottle. We took so long to get our ok to go that the bottle was long gone before we were airborne! But DS fell asleep and stayed asleep for the entire flight. So much for the giagantic carryon of toys I brought with me!!!!
Arrive MCO around 9:30 PM. We Lugged WAY TOO MUCH LUGGAGE through the airport to the Dollar counter. We used the 50% off Jeep coupon and got a shiny red Durango. DH was thrilled. We enjoyed it very much but still like our Grand Caravan better.
Arrived at Sierra Suites (Palm Parkway) around 10:30 ish, exhausted. The pull out couch bed didn't have a sheet and there was none in the closet. Then, we discovered the blanked was covered in sour milk stains. Yuk. They didn't have anymore blankets or sheets so they gave us two bead spreads. We were a little miffed but no bigge. The continental breakfast was lacking as well. I wouldn't be quick to recomment this place from our experience but it wasn't bad.
Nov 30: First stop MGM. We planned on early entry since our POR stay starts today, but we eneded up getting there at 9:00 AM. I was shocked at how crowded it was. I had read so much about low crowds and I was very disappointed. But with Fastpass we got on the main attractions in less than 15 minutes wait so we were happy. We took DS to Muppets 3D theatre and he got scared when they started tearing up the place. I put my hands over his ears and he was fine.
PS at Hollywood & Vine 11:10 Lunch: We loved this place. We also loved the 11:10 time slot. We got to eat from both the breakfast and lunch buffet. We stuffed ourselves!!! It wasn't full to capacity and the characters spent alot of time at our table. DS enjoyed them from a distance but got scared up closed. Goofey spent a real long time trying to get him to acclimate.
We watched the Motorcade parade and then headed off to POR to check in. We got our requested Mansion-- Magnolia so we were thrilled. We did a lilttle unpacking, ate a few packed snacks and went back to MGM for the Osborne Lights. Boy was it busy. It was hard to stop and take pictures the crowd was so thick. But we really enjoyed it. Left the world for a late night dinner at IHOP and headed back to our Mansion for a slide show. I bought a dig camera right before we left and each day we would end the day by downloading the day's pics to my laptop and watching a slide show. That was a big highlight for us.
Dec 1: Too pooped to hop. We all decided we should use this as our "downtime" day since we were so tired from travel and our first day at the parks. So we explored POR, rented a Surely bike and hit I-drive for some shopping. Took the river boat to DD in the evening. Everyone was bundled up like it was the north pole. I was wearing a tank top and shorts (I never get cold). The boat driver told my husband I was nuts! On the way home everyone was complaining about the bitter cold-- I still didn't don a jacket! Then DD and I went swimming. It was about 39 Deg F and the steam was coming off of the pool. We had a blast until we got out! We ran for the locker room and changed and then went to the food court for hot chocolate and pralines. YUMMMMM!!!
Before our trip I made personalized envelopes for mousekeeping. I left nice tips ($8 per day) and when we arrived back our first day we had towel animals!!! I hadn't said anything to the fam so they wouldn't be expecting them. This was probably the number one highlight for DD. She took a ton of pictures of them and wrote a thank you to the mousekeeper. We kept them all on the shelf above the sinks and we didn't get any new ones over the week, but we did get fancy displays of our mickey soaps and shampoos and DS trucks and cars were always arranged in some cute fashion.
Dec 2: AK & EPCOT
We aimed for EE at AK but again, didn't get there until 9 AM. We had a PS at Donald's for 9:40 so we headed for the boneyard playground for a while before our PS. I wasn't thrilled with Donalds. Maybe it was because it was much more crowded than H&V but I felt the characters barely stopped long enough for one picture. Plus, everytime I went to the buffet table (I had to do my plate and DS) I'd miss someone! The food was great and overall we had a good time, it just felt kind of rushed. Now after DS got scared at the Muppets you'd think I'd play it safe right? Wrong! I took him to Its Tough to Be A Bug! He did fine on my lap with my hands over his ears (except for the spray can part). He cried a little but got right over it. It was still kind of chilly so we skipped the rapids. We were pretty much done with the park by 2 PM (We don't seem to be real big on AK). So we went back to the Mansion for a while and then hit Epcot.
AK was kind of crowded but not too bad, Epcot was not crowded at all. Even ToD was easy to see without staking out a spot way in advanced. It was a very pleasant change from MGM's crowds on Saturday!
I think Epcot is my favorite. We walked right onto Spaceship earth then DH and DD went to Test Track without a fastpass and waited about 35 minutes. I took DS on UofEnergy. He liked the dinasoaours and wasn't scared! We did both innovations and Wonders of Life and then headed to world showcase for Tapestry of Dreams and Illuminations. We really enjoyed both-- never seen either before. We were starving (just snacked at since Donalds) and the only counter service we could find was at America and it was awful and the lines were horrible! I waited over 30 minutes for hotdogs.
Dec 3: MK thru' to MVMCP
We arrived at MK at 9 AM and left at 11:40 PM! DS was built for Disney. He fell asleep in his stroller for about 40 minutes (cleverely he picked the hour between 6-7 PM!!! so he didn't miss anything). We took him on Haunted Mansion and he did fine (didn't like it though). We took him on everything that didn't have a height requirement. But the best memory I have is his face during "Its a Small World" He lit up and laughed and giggled and squreeched. We were rolling in our boat! We went on it 6 times. We also did Buzz Lightyear over and over. I usually had to ride with DS so I didn't get to shoot too much because he steered (basically we went in one continuous circle). We also rode TA over and over and hit space moutain many times. We absolutely loved MVMCP, the change in crowds was wonderful, the fireworks were incredible. Our photo just arrived yesterday and it came out great! We took 300 pics today! We ate cinnamon buns on Main street for breakfast, had terrible food at Sonny's Starlight Cafe for lunch and then just snacked on packed food for dinner. Not a very good eating day but we couldn't slow down long enough for a sit down restaurant.
We had a lot of PS that we didn't use. We found the days were just too short to spend dining. Next time I will make late dinner ressies so we don't have to choose between park time and eating! Our snacks came in handy.
We also didn't follow the good advice of taking breaks in the afternoon after the first two days. It turned out that DS was made for this sort of living. He never had a meltdown or temper tantrum, he just went with the flow. He ran and walked until I though his little feat would fall off. I had more trouble keeping DD (13) on the move!!!!.
I hope to write the rest soon. I know this report isn't very detailed, but I know if I try to wait and write a really detailed report I'll never get around to it.
Cast: Me (39) DH (37) DD (13) DS (2 1/2)
Dates: Nov 29 - Dec 8, 2002
Place(s): Sierra Suites
POR
The Castle (I-drive/Universal)
Our taxi arrived early and we were off to Logan at 2:30 PM for a 6:15 PM flight. Traffic can be very unpredictable, but it turned out to be non-existent so we got there at 3:10 PM. What to do with DS for 3 hours???? Logan has a "Kidport" playroom. DS had a blast. DD did homework
But she was glad to get a couple of assignments out of the way. Our flight was on time, I was worried about DD and DS ears. DD wore her ear planes, DS wouldn't leave them in. When we started for the run way I gave DS a bottle. We took so long to get our ok to go that the bottle was long gone before we were airborne! But DS fell asleep and stayed asleep for the entire flight. So much for the giagantic carryon of toys I brought with me!!!!Arrive MCO around 9:30 PM. We Lugged WAY TOO MUCH LUGGAGE through the airport to the Dollar counter. We used the 50% off Jeep coupon and got a shiny red Durango. DH was thrilled. We enjoyed it very much but still like our Grand Caravan better.
Arrived at Sierra Suites (Palm Parkway) around 10:30 ish, exhausted. The pull out couch bed didn't have a sheet and there was none in the closet. Then, we discovered the blanked was covered in sour milk stains. Yuk. They didn't have anymore blankets or sheets so they gave us two bead spreads. We were a little miffed but no bigge. The continental breakfast was lacking as well. I wouldn't be quick to recomment this place from our experience but it wasn't bad.
Nov 30: First stop MGM. We planned on early entry since our POR stay starts today, but we eneded up getting there at 9:00 AM. I was shocked at how crowded it was. I had read so much about low crowds and I was very disappointed. But with Fastpass we got on the main attractions in less than 15 minutes wait so we were happy. We took DS to Muppets 3D theatre and he got scared when they started tearing up the place. I put my hands over his ears and he was fine.
PS at Hollywood & Vine 11:10 Lunch: We loved this place. We also loved the 11:10 time slot. We got to eat from both the breakfast and lunch buffet. We stuffed ourselves!!! It wasn't full to capacity and the characters spent alot of time at our table. DS enjoyed them from a distance but got scared up closed. Goofey spent a real long time trying to get him to acclimate.
We watched the Motorcade parade and then headed off to POR to check in. We got our requested Mansion-- Magnolia so we were thrilled. We did a lilttle unpacking, ate a few packed snacks and went back to MGM for the Osborne Lights. Boy was it busy. It was hard to stop and take pictures the crowd was so thick. But we really enjoyed it. Left the world for a late night dinner at IHOP and headed back to our Mansion for a slide show. I bought a dig camera right before we left and each day we would end the day by downloading the day's pics to my laptop and watching a slide show. That was a big highlight for us.
Dec 1: Too pooped to hop. We all decided we should use this as our "downtime" day since we were so tired from travel and our first day at the parks. So we explored POR, rented a Surely bike and hit I-drive for some shopping. Took the river boat to DD in the evening. Everyone was bundled up like it was the north pole. I was wearing a tank top and shorts (I never get cold). The boat driver told my husband I was nuts! On the way home everyone was complaining about the bitter cold-- I still didn't don a jacket! Then DD and I went swimming. It was about 39 Deg F and the steam was coming off of the pool. We had a blast until we got out! We ran for the locker room and changed and then went to the food court for hot chocolate and pralines. YUMMMMM!!!
Before our trip I made personalized envelopes for mousekeeping. I left nice tips ($8 per day) and when we arrived back our first day we had towel animals!!! I hadn't said anything to the fam so they wouldn't be expecting them. This was probably the number one highlight for DD. She took a ton of pictures of them and wrote a thank you to the mousekeeper. We kept them all on the shelf above the sinks and we didn't get any new ones over the week, but we did get fancy displays of our mickey soaps and shampoos and DS trucks and cars were always arranged in some cute fashion.
Dec 2: AK & EPCOT
We aimed for EE at AK but again, didn't get there until 9 AM. We had a PS at Donald's for 9:40 so we headed for the boneyard playground for a while before our PS. I wasn't thrilled with Donalds. Maybe it was because it was much more crowded than H&V but I felt the characters barely stopped long enough for one picture. Plus, everytime I went to the buffet table (I had to do my plate and DS) I'd miss someone! The food was great and overall we had a good time, it just felt kind of rushed. Now after DS got scared at the Muppets you'd think I'd play it safe right? Wrong! I took him to Its Tough to Be A Bug! He did fine on my lap with my hands over his ears (except for the spray can part). He cried a little but got right over it. It was still kind of chilly so we skipped the rapids. We were pretty much done with the park by 2 PM (We don't seem to be real big on AK). So we went back to the Mansion for a while and then hit Epcot.
AK was kind of crowded but not too bad, Epcot was not crowded at all. Even ToD was easy to see without staking out a spot way in advanced. It was a very pleasant change from MGM's crowds on Saturday!
I think Epcot is my favorite. We walked right onto Spaceship earth then DH and DD went to Test Track without a fastpass and waited about 35 minutes. I took DS on UofEnergy. He liked the dinasoaours and wasn't scared! We did both innovations and Wonders of Life and then headed to world showcase for Tapestry of Dreams and Illuminations. We really enjoyed both-- never seen either before. We were starving (just snacked at since Donalds) and the only counter service we could find was at America and it was awful and the lines were horrible! I waited over 30 minutes for hotdogs.
Dec 3: MK thru' to MVMCP
We arrived at MK at 9 AM and left at 11:40 PM! DS was built for Disney. He fell asleep in his stroller for about 40 minutes (cleverely he picked the hour between 6-7 PM!!! so he didn't miss anything). We took him on Haunted Mansion and he did fine (didn't like it though). We took him on everything that didn't have a height requirement. But the best memory I have is his face during "Its a Small World" He lit up and laughed and giggled and squreeched. We were rolling in our boat! We went on it 6 times. We also did Buzz Lightyear over and over. I usually had to ride with DS so I didn't get to shoot too much because he steered (basically we went in one continuous circle). We also rode TA over and over and hit space moutain many times. We absolutely loved MVMCP, the change in crowds was wonderful, the fireworks were incredible. Our photo just arrived yesterday and it came out great! We took 300 pics today! We ate cinnamon buns on Main street for breakfast, had terrible food at Sonny's Starlight Cafe for lunch and then just snacked on packed food for dinner. Not a very good eating day but we couldn't slow down long enough for a sit down restaurant.
We had a lot of PS that we didn't use. We found the days were just too short to spend dining. Next time I will make late dinner ressies so we don't have to choose between park time and eating! Our snacks came in handy.
We also didn't follow the good advice of taking breaks in the afternoon after the first two days. It turned out that DS was made for this sort of living. He never had a meltdown or temper tantrum, he just went with the flow. He ran and walked until I though his little feat would fall off. I had more trouble keeping DD (13) on the move!!!!.
I hope to write the rest soon. I know this report isn't very detailed, but I know if I try to wait and write a really detailed report I'll never get around to it.
Just kidding, I think everyone BUT me was cold!
