brenda1966
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2004
- Messages
- 1,998
WDW February 2006
Setting: Me and DD, age 4 her 3rd trip to a Disney park. All meals are counter unless specified. Feb 9th Feb 14th 2006.
We flew in on Feb 9th. The Magical Express bus worked out great for getting to the hotel. We were there within an hour of our plane landing. We met up with our friends (a mom and her 5 year old daughter) and headed to Coronado Springs hotel to eat at the Pepper Market. The food was much better than the cafeteria at Pop Century where we were staying. Plus, they had a great childrens playground for the girls to let off some steam. Still they were overly excited and that night it was total chaos trying to get them into bed. Our luggage had not arrived after 4 hours so I called Magical Express and was told they had just taken possession of it at the airport. Huh? Where was it for the last 4 hours? Just sitting in a pile? Just cruising around a luggage carousel? It took 2 more hours to get our luggage and might have taken longer had I not offered to walk down and get it myself. Next time I think well skip the yellow luggage tags and grab our luggage ourselves.
The next morning we head for MGM Studios. We meet Mickey and Pluto and then I head off to ride the Rock N Rollercoaster for the first time. Wow! The take off was great. Since youre in the dark you dont even realize when youre going to go upside down. It was a fun ride. We hit all the major attractions: Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Great Movie Ride, the Backlot Tour, Star Tours and the excellent Beauty and the Beast show. We tried to see the Lights, Motor, Action stunt show but it was cancelled. Late afternoon we head back to the room for a well needed nap. After nap its off to the Magic Kingdom to eat some dinner, ride a few things, and catch the Wishes fireworks show. What a great way to end our first day at WDW.
The next day was spent at Animal Kingdom. While the kids played in the Bone Yard, I ran to Expedition Everest, the newest WDW ride. What a terrific ride! Such attention to detail in the queuing area really Disney at its finest. I feel so luck to get to ride it before its grand opening in April. I then ran to get Fastpasses for the Safari. The kids had already ridden TriceraTop Spin twice while I was gone but I wanted to ride didnt have to twist their arms for that one. We then headed to Africa for our Safari ride. We met Baloo and King Louie along the way. Baloo was being silly and sat down and then expected DD to help him up. I dont think she had a clue what he was doing but I got a kick out of it. I saw much more of AK than I did last time and really enjoyed the park. We hit these major attractions: Kilimanjaro Safari, Pocahontas and her Forest Friends, Festival of the Lion King, and took the Wildlife Express train back to the petting zoo. We were in the Flights of Wonder bird show when the sky opened up. 60% chance of rain and here it came! The rain seemed to let up and I was determined to hang around and see if the 4pm parade would go on. We walked around in Maharajah Jungle looking at animals until 3:45 and the rain had stopped. I was so thrilled to finally see Mickeys Jammin parade. It was wonderful! We left after the parade and the rain returned ruining our plans for Fantasmic that night. Oh well we decided on dinner at Pop Century and an early night as we had a busy day tomorrow.
The cold weather had settled in so we bundled up for the opening ceremony at Magic Kingdom. We hit all the rides in Fantasyland (except Snow White). DD didnt like Philharmagic last visit, refusing the wear the glasses, but this time she loved it and wanted to see it twice. The carousel is still her favorite ride and once shes on it, its very hard to get her off! We had lunch reservations with Pooh and Eeyore at the Crystal Palace. The kids enjoyed meeting the characters and the adults enjoyed the good food. I just wish it wasnt so chaotic so I could eat more of the delicious lunch! After lunch I rode Big Thunder Mountain with my friends daughter (we all rode it 2 days prior, but DD and my friend didnt want to go again whimps!) While I was riding my kid fell asleep in her stroller so I went on Splash all by myself. One good thing about cold weather is the line for Splash Mountain is non existent! One good thing about wearing your winter coat is that its water repellant so any splashing from Splash Mountain just rolls off your back like a duck.
I walked around MK pushing my sleeping child while my friends went back to the hotel for a nap. I shopped on Main Street and as luck would have it DD woke up 5 minutes before the parade. Another good thing about cold weather is peoples reluctance to camp out for parade spots. We were able to step outside and grab a good spot for the Share a Dream parade right before it started. I told my daughter that I had ridden Splash without her and she said she wanted to go, so back we went. Shes fearful of the big splash but I really wanted her to see Briar Rabbit and friends. She did great. After that we grabbed some popcorn and hopped the monorail to Epcot. We had to eat our popcorn wearing our gloves it was so chilly outside.
At Epcot we rode Spaceship Earth, Ellens Energy and Journey into Imagination with Figament and I got to ride Mission: SPACE! Fantastic ride, not because its so thrilling, but because its so unique. Its not a wild ride. I never felt like I was spinning, just so cool to feel those G forces. This was my third new ride. Yipee! After that we headed back to the countries so the girls could start creating their masks and we could eat dinner and get ready for Illuminations. Once again the cold kept people from camping out so we just stayed indoors, rode Norway and Mexico rides, until right before show time.
The next morning was also quite cold with a record breaking freeze overnight. We got to Epcot 5 minutes after opening and went straight to Soarin. We rode this in California and it was a favorite. We Fastpassed it so we could ride twice. We also rode Living with the Land and then headed over to see Turtle Talk with Crash. This was easily the longest line we stood in all trip -- 40 minutes. We had also seen this before in California but my daughter was too shy to sit up front. Since she had a pal this time she was happy to sit in the very front. The show was great and worth the long wait.
We headed back to the countries so the kids could finish their masks and we could eat lunch. My friends headed back to the hotel for a nap and we decided to stay in China and wait for Mulan. Confusion reigns supreme there as I tried to get an accurate answer about when shed appear! Finally we were told she wasnt there at all and Mushu would be out. We waited and finally Mulan herself appeared. My daughter had fun just hanging out in China and it was nice to slow down and just look around. She had never seen Epcot during the day. We headed back to future world, watched the dancing fountains, and finally she fell asleep in her stroller. Once again, I shopped while she slept and then decided to head back to MK to meet up with our friends for dinner and Spectromagic. We rode rides and stayed indoors to keep warm right until parade time and then grabbed an excellent spot.
Our friends headed back to the hotel and we decided to stay and see the fireworks from Mainstreet since this was our last night. Everyone on Main Street had the same idea stay in the stores until right before the fireworks. The stores are usually madness anyways in the evenings, but there were extra people just standing around like I had planned to do. Well, my daughter hopped out of her stroller and disappeared into the crowded store. I spent the next 15 minutes searching for her with the help of 2 cast members. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life and after 10 minutes I was crying in panic. My daughter did exactly as told when she finally realized she was lost she found a mom and asked for help. She was calm and not scared at all when we ran into her with another cast member. I was a basket case! We were reunited just in time to step outside and watch the fireworks.
Our last morning would be spent in Magic Kingdom we still needed to drive those race cars. We headed out plenty early but a hold up at the monorail delayed us and we got to the park 5 minutes after opening. Getting in and out of MK really is a time consuming ordeal. We drove the cars and rode Buzz again, hit a few favorites for a second time in Fantasyland and headed toward those Magic Carpets (another kid favorite). With all the time spent in MK over the past few days we managed to go on most everything: Tiki Room, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pooh, Tea Cups, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Indy Speedway, Carousel of Progress, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted Mansion. This was my daughters first time on Small World in Florida as it was closed during our last trip. The Disneyland one is certainly longer, but it seems to me the WDW one is more intimate that the dolls are closer somehow. I think the refurb really improved it. Lunch, ice cream and soon it was 2pm and time to go catch our Magic Express bus. After my luggage experience I decided not to check in my luggage at the hotel and instead took it on the bus with us and that worked out fine. We had a long 4 hour flight home both of us were simply exhausted but what a fun and memorable trip!
Since we had just recently been to Disneyland it is easy to compare the two parks. First off, I love them both and think both are worthy of a visit. For people who never go to Disneyland, I think they are missing out. Some of the advantages of Disneyland: Pirates is better, Space Mountain is better, Indiana Jones ride, some of the original Walt created rides like the Matterhorn, Storyland boats, and Alice ride, the ease of park hopping and just getting in and out of the park takes much less time. I think Disneyland is good when you have small kids as they have more rides for them (both in Fantasyland and in California Adventure) plus you can get in and out of the park easily for naps. I am a big believer in leaving the parks to take a nap and yet 2 days at WDW we didnt do that because my daughter fell asleep in the stroller and Id rather just hang in the park than spend the 40 minutes commuting one way to the hotel. WDW biggest advantage is that is just has more! It has Epcot and all the wonderful things it contains. It has the Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows. It has an arena for Fantasmic. It has AK and the real animals. It is an escape from the outside world. Im so lucky I get to visit both parks!
Setting: Me and DD, age 4 her 3rd trip to a Disney park. All meals are counter unless specified. Feb 9th Feb 14th 2006.
We flew in on Feb 9th. The Magical Express bus worked out great for getting to the hotel. We were there within an hour of our plane landing. We met up with our friends (a mom and her 5 year old daughter) and headed to Coronado Springs hotel to eat at the Pepper Market. The food was much better than the cafeteria at Pop Century where we were staying. Plus, they had a great childrens playground for the girls to let off some steam. Still they were overly excited and that night it was total chaos trying to get them into bed. Our luggage had not arrived after 4 hours so I called Magical Express and was told they had just taken possession of it at the airport. Huh? Where was it for the last 4 hours? Just sitting in a pile? Just cruising around a luggage carousel? It took 2 more hours to get our luggage and might have taken longer had I not offered to walk down and get it myself. Next time I think well skip the yellow luggage tags and grab our luggage ourselves.
The next morning we head for MGM Studios. We meet Mickey and Pluto and then I head off to ride the Rock N Rollercoaster for the first time. Wow! The take off was great. Since youre in the dark you dont even realize when youre going to go upside down. It was a fun ride. We hit all the major attractions: Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Great Movie Ride, the Backlot Tour, Star Tours and the excellent Beauty and the Beast show. We tried to see the Lights, Motor, Action stunt show but it was cancelled. Late afternoon we head back to the room for a well needed nap. After nap its off to the Magic Kingdom to eat some dinner, ride a few things, and catch the Wishes fireworks show. What a great way to end our first day at WDW.
The next day was spent at Animal Kingdom. While the kids played in the Bone Yard, I ran to Expedition Everest, the newest WDW ride. What a terrific ride! Such attention to detail in the queuing area really Disney at its finest. I feel so luck to get to ride it before its grand opening in April. I then ran to get Fastpasses for the Safari. The kids had already ridden TriceraTop Spin twice while I was gone but I wanted to ride didnt have to twist their arms for that one. We then headed to Africa for our Safari ride. We met Baloo and King Louie along the way. Baloo was being silly and sat down and then expected DD to help him up. I dont think she had a clue what he was doing but I got a kick out of it. I saw much more of AK than I did last time and really enjoyed the park. We hit these major attractions: Kilimanjaro Safari, Pocahontas and her Forest Friends, Festival of the Lion King, and took the Wildlife Express train back to the petting zoo. We were in the Flights of Wonder bird show when the sky opened up. 60% chance of rain and here it came! The rain seemed to let up and I was determined to hang around and see if the 4pm parade would go on. We walked around in Maharajah Jungle looking at animals until 3:45 and the rain had stopped. I was so thrilled to finally see Mickeys Jammin parade. It was wonderful! We left after the parade and the rain returned ruining our plans for Fantasmic that night. Oh well we decided on dinner at Pop Century and an early night as we had a busy day tomorrow.
The cold weather had settled in so we bundled up for the opening ceremony at Magic Kingdom. We hit all the rides in Fantasyland (except Snow White). DD didnt like Philharmagic last visit, refusing the wear the glasses, but this time she loved it and wanted to see it twice. The carousel is still her favorite ride and once shes on it, its very hard to get her off! We had lunch reservations with Pooh and Eeyore at the Crystal Palace. The kids enjoyed meeting the characters and the adults enjoyed the good food. I just wish it wasnt so chaotic so I could eat more of the delicious lunch! After lunch I rode Big Thunder Mountain with my friends daughter (we all rode it 2 days prior, but DD and my friend didnt want to go again whimps!) While I was riding my kid fell asleep in her stroller so I went on Splash all by myself. One good thing about cold weather is the line for Splash Mountain is non existent! One good thing about wearing your winter coat is that its water repellant so any splashing from Splash Mountain just rolls off your back like a duck.
I walked around MK pushing my sleeping child while my friends went back to the hotel for a nap. I shopped on Main Street and as luck would have it DD woke up 5 minutes before the parade. Another good thing about cold weather is peoples reluctance to camp out for parade spots. We were able to step outside and grab a good spot for the Share a Dream parade right before it started. I told my daughter that I had ridden Splash without her and she said she wanted to go, so back we went. Shes fearful of the big splash but I really wanted her to see Briar Rabbit and friends. She did great. After that we grabbed some popcorn and hopped the monorail to Epcot. We had to eat our popcorn wearing our gloves it was so chilly outside.
At Epcot we rode Spaceship Earth, Ellens Energy and Journey into Imagination with Figament and I got to ride Mission: SPACE! Fantastic ride, not because its so thrilling, but because its so unique. Its not a wild ride. I never felt like I was spinning, just so cool to feel those G forces. This was my third new ride. Yipee! After that we headed back to the countries so the girls could start creating their masks and we could eat dinner and get ready for Illuminations. Once again the cold kept people from camping out so we just stayed indoors, rode Norway and Mexico rides, until right before show time.
The next morning was also quite cold with a record breaking freeze overnight. We got to Epcot 5 minutes after opening and went straight to Soarin. We rode this in California and it was a favorite. We Fastpassed it so we could ride twice. We also rode Living with the Land and then headed over to see Turtle Talk with Crash. This was easily the longest line we stood in all trip -- 40 minutes. We had also seen this before in California but my daughter was too shy to sit up front. Since she had a pal this time she was happy to sit in the very front. The show was great and worth the long wait.
We headed back to the countries so the kids could finish their masks and we could eat lunch. My friends headed back to the hotel for a nap and we decided to stay in China and wait for Mulan. Confusion reigns supreme there as I tried to get an accurate answer about when shed appear! Finally we were told she wasnt there at all and Mushu would be out. We waited and finally Mulan herself appeared. My daughter had fun just hanging out in China and it was nice to slow down and just look around. She had never seen Epcot during the day. We headed back to future world, watched the dancing fountains, and finally she fell asleep in her stroller. Once again, I shopped while she slept and then decided to head back to MK to meet up with our friends for dinner and Spectromagic. We rode rides and stayed indoors to keep warm right until parade time and then grabbed an excellent spot.
Our friends headed back to the hotel and we decided to stay and see the fireworks from Mainstreet since this was our last night. Everyone on Main Street had the same idea stay in the stores until right before the fireworks. The stores are usually madness anyways in the evenings, but there were extra people just standing around like I had planned to do. Well, my daughter hopped out of her stroller and disappeared into the crowded store. I spent the next 15 minutes searching for her with the help of 2 cast members. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life and after 10 minutes I was crying in panic. My daughter did exactly as told when she finally realized she was lost she found a mom and asked for help. She was calm and not scared at all when we ran into her with another cast member. I was a basket case! We were reunited just in time to step outside and watch the fireworks.
Our last morning would be spent in Magic Kingdom we still needed to drive those race cars. We headed out plenty early but a hold up at the monorail delayed us and we got to the park 5 minutes after opening. Getting in and out of MK really is a time consuming ordeal. We drove the cars and rode Buzz again, hit a few favorites for a second time in Fantasyland and headed toward those Magic Carpets (another kid favorite). With all the time spent in MK over the past few days we managed to go on most everything: Tiki Room, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pooh, Tea Cups, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Indy Speedway, Carousel of Progress, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted Mansion. This was my daughters first time on Small World in Florida as it was closed during our last trip. The Disneyland one is certainly longer, but it seems to me the WDW one is more intimate that the dolls are closer somehow. I think the refurb really improved it. Lunch, ice cream and soon it was 2pm and time to go catch our Magic Express bus. After my luggage experience I decided not to check in my luggage at the hotel and instead took it on the bus with us and that worked out fine. We had a long 4 hour flight home both of us were simply exhausted but what a fun and memorable trip!
Since we had just recently been to Disneyland it is easy to compare the two parks. First off, I love them both and think both are worthy of a visit. For people who never go to Disneyland, I think they are missing out. Some of the advantages of Disneyland: Pirates is better, Space Mountain is better, Indiana Jones ride, some of the original Walt created rides like the Matterhorn, Storyland boats, and Alice ride, the ease of park hopping and just getting in and out of the park takes much less time. I think Disneyland is good when you have small kids as they have more rides for them (both in Fantasyland and in California Adventure) plus you can get in and out of the park easily for naps. I am a big believer in leaving the parks to take a nap and yet 2 days at WDW we didnt do that because my daughter fell asleep in the stroller and Id rather just hang in the park than spend the 40 minutes commuting one way to the hotel. WDW biggest advantage is that is just has more! It has Epcot and all the wonderful things it contains. It has the Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows. It has an arena for Fantasmic. It has AK and the real animals. It is an escape from the outside world. Im so lucky I get to visit both parks!
