Have you been "Bitten" by the Concierge "Bug"? aka The LIZARD LOUNGE!

[k&a&c'smom]

Tess - *waving* Bye! Have a wonderful time - as I know you will!! Can't wait for your trip report, but I know you want the time to go slow!!

 

[teentoddlermom]

Haven't checked in in a while, but I just wanted to let you all know that YC IPO's are on the ball! I booked our trip with Magical Journeys for August in March, and a few weeks ago was beginning to wonder if I should contact them for planning and that day received in the mail a letter, key to the floor, and lots of forms and suggestions for activities for them to plan for us! Now I just have to figure out our tentative schedule. Last year we booked at about the same time for Poly Concierge and I waited and waited, but had to contact them first. This year we are staying first (not concierge) at the Portofino for 2 nights to try Universal (never been) before arriving at YC Concierge for 7 nights. Can hardly wait to stay full concierge at Disney! Last year we changed to GF Sugarloaf at the last minute, and loved it, but they did not offer a full concierge menu like I'm hoping they offer at the other CLs.
Does anyone have any advice on Universal, Portofino, and the smartest way to enjoy them before we get to our favorite place in the world, WDW?
I'm not planning on renting a car either, does anyone have any suggestions on best way to get to Portofino, transfer to YC, and the YC to airport home? Should we just get a towncar service for it all, or just use a taxi between Portofino and YC?
Thanks and hi to all!

 

[cajunfan]

Good afternoon all!

BT...LOVE the new sign!!! It is soooo festive!

JANET...WOW...what a wonderful party!

I am very jealous of all you lizards leaving soon....wish it were me, but not until late July for me

 

[mom_rules]

Love the sign!!!

RE: Watermice boats-Not only do you have to be 16 you have to show them a valid drivers license-boat licenses don't count!

Should have seen DS dejected face-16 years old but left his drivers license at home-didn't figure he would need it. Had to go with his dad.

 

[disneyholic family]

BambiTamby -- i called the GF IPO and the WL IPO today....they were extremely nice and helpful....so that's VERY reassuring...i think the way to go is to call to make the first contact...after that email seems to do the trick...

teentoddlermom -- if you don't want to rent a car, then i would go with a towncar rather than a taxi....taxis are incredibly expensive in orlando....i think you won't pay much more for a towncar and you'll have much better service...you could call them and find out...perhaps they'll give you a package that includes all the legs of your trip...
as for universal, we've never stayed at the portofino bay either (we will this year for the first time), but we've been at both universal and Islands of Adventure....how old are your kids?

 

[teentoddlermom]

Beth..
Thanks for your info, I did not know that taxis too expensive in Orlando. Do you have a towncar recommendation? Our kids are 5 (girl) and 14 (boy) At Disney last year the then 4 year old went on everything she could including TOT and BTMRR! Mom sat both of those out! But at Disney there are a lot of rides she met the height requirement for. Now she's 44". Our family in general is not interested in any super fast thrill rides. Rocking Roller Coaster is about the limit for thrills for Husband and Son. We love themed rides that tell a story.
I have yet to get a guide book for Universal or really look on the web for info on rides, shows and food there.
Any help is so much appreciated. We'll be there half of tuesday 8/17 and check out on 8/19. Hopefully we can check luggage and get to the Universal parks on the 19th till around supper time, then go over to YC!

 

[#1hockeymom]

disneyholic>> I had a really good laugh over your post! It was 6:30 am, right before I left for work, in the Eastern time zone... north of Detroit, HOCKEYTOWN Michigan! (Hey, it says so on the ice!) I have, however, been known to post at weird hours when I can't sleep!

Report cards done! Report cards done! I won't tell my class that, though! They think I am taking grades right till the last day!

Kac'smom>> May 26th sounds glorious! My own children are out on Friday, and even the school district where I work is out on Thursday or Friday. I am at one of those charter-like/partnership schools which requires a lot more days each year and an eight hour day for the kids! (We're not a charter, but this "system" in other areas of the country is frequently run as a charter.)

Someone asked about taxi v. towncar for a three leg trip. I would contact the different towncar services and have them price the whole thing. I know others have done this so it can be done.

Did I mention my report cards are done? WOOO HOOO!
Big wave to all, and the wine is out chilling or breathing, whatever it needs to do! LOL
Debbie

 

[disneyholic family]

teentoddlermom -- i haven't used a towncar service in years and i can't remember who we used....but there are zillions of posts about car services on these boards..
you could post a new question about it and i'm sure people will respond.....i've seen people mention happy limo....and a few others...why not post a question and see what people say....(you could post it on the cruise line board too....lots of people on that board use the towncars)....and what hockey mom suggested is a good idea....call up and ask about what they would charge for all the legs.....it will be more expensive than a taxi but better service...and one of the companies includes a free stop at a grocery store if you want it....
as for Universal/IoA....we're like you...we like the rides with a story (my personal favorite is splash mountain).....in my opinion universal isn't as good at it as disney, but they have their moments....
in universal your son will most certainly want to do the following:
-- Revenge of the Mummy (brand new blockbuster attraction)
-- Men in Black (sort of a very fancy version of buzz lightyear --- this ride is very well done in my opinion)...
--Back to the Future (i didn't ride it due to my motion sickness, but my son said it was good - he was 14 at the time)
--shrek 4 D (also brand new but i imagine like Honey i shrunk the audience)
--terminator 2 3D - everyone raves about this, we thought it was ok but nothing really special

also nice:
-- Jaws -- it's obviously fake and all that, but we all enjoyed it and are going to do it again..
-- earthquake -- nicely done....a very fancy castastrophe canyon underground..
--the gory gruesome makeup show (that's not the accurate name - but something close to that....it's a fun show...my kids loved it...two guys show how monster makeup is done and are very very funny......
-- twister -- we laughed at this one....we still think it must have been broken because it was the dumbest thing of all time...if you've ever seen a real tornado, well.....we couldn't figure out how people said it scared them....they must be super wimps or else it was not working right when we were there..
ET - this was a nice pleasant ride...your little one will like this...

there's also a stunt show that's nice......as well as some other stuff that's slipping my mind....

a good guide book to get is the "unofficial guide to walt disney world 2004"...-he gives a very good rundown of all the rides at universal and IoA

as for IoA....
even if you don't like coasters, you shouldn't pass up the hulk coaster and dueling dragons.....they are some of the best anywhere....
in addition to those are the following:

--spiderman - this is considered the blockbuster at IoA (other than the two coasters).....read about it in the guide as i had my eyes closed the whole time because of motion sickness....it's another simulator ride with excellent effects...

-- jurassic park - we enjoyed this one a lot...a nicely done log flume (with a dinossaur theme)

--also in the jurassic park section of IoA is the visitor center that looks like the visitor center in the movie jurasic park (i think with interactive things there....) my son enjoyed this when he was 14

-- dudley doorights ripsaw falls (or something like that).....a log flume...the storyline is weak (especially compared to splash mountain)....but it's a nice logflume if you like them..

--popeye and pluto's bilge rats (or something like that)....this is a river raft type ride and you WILL get drenched.....it's like kali river rapids but without the good storyline...

--pteryndon flyers - your daugther can take your son on this....we were too tall adn too old, but it looked like fun in a tame sort of way (it's basically a chairlift sort of ride that goes around)

i know i'm missing the kiddie rides....
oh..
--cat in the hat--....this is an indoor dark ride based on the cat and the hat....not bad for that kind of ride...

one fish , two fish, red fish blue fish - a kind of dumbo ride where you try to not get wet....

i'm sure i've missed something but that's what i'm remembering offhand...

 

[k&a&c'smom]

teentoddlermom - We always use Tiffany Town Car and have always had great service. The price list on their web site gives the prices of $95 round trip WDW resorts/Orlando airport and $35 one way from US/IOA resorts to WDW resorts. They have a $5 coupon on their site, making the total $125. I have to second disneyholic family and say that the Hulk and Dueling Dragons are really great coasters, and Spiderman is an awesome ride!! The Cat in the Hat ride is cute, but the themeing is not up to par with WDW's rides. The whole Seuss Landing area is really cute. We spent most of our time at IOA, but there were some nice rides at US, we really laughed at the guy driving the boat in Jaws, he really hammed it up for us!! And, I loved ET, as I loved the movie when it came out. We can't wait to do the new Revenge of the Mummy ride, but won't get the chance this year. Even though we like the thrill rides at US/IOA, it just doesn't compare to WDW's charm.


Debbie - Ahhhh, that wine is fantastic! Just what I needed!! Our school does not get as many days off during the year as a lot of southern schools do. A week to 10 days at Christmas, 2 days at Thanksgiving and a week for Spring Break is all we get other than the various one-day holidays (MLK, Vet. Day, Columbus Day, Pres. Day) and we forfeit some of those if we have snow, which we always do.

Gotta head out to take DD to dance - catch you guys later!!

 

[teentoddlermom]

To Disneyholic family!
Thank you so much for your advice about Universal IOA!
I'm going to get the guidebook and print your post

 

[BambiTamby]

Originally posted by disneyholic family
BambiTamby -- i called the GF IPO and the WL IPO today....they were extremely nice and helpful....so that's VERY reassuring...i think the way to go is to call to make the first contact...after that email seems to do the trick...

Yes! That's the trick alright!
And what wonderful tips for IOA/US...we haven't been there since Sept 2000.
That's why I'm wanting to stay there as part of our 10th anniversary trip.

Ah....that wine is just what I needed tonight!
Thanks Debbie!!!!

Vagal....hehehe! I called IPO back and cancelled the previous desserts! I emailed the pics of Janet's party and simply said "This is what we want!" for our G1 cruise!
(slippers, mickey bombs, parfaits, dirt pots, mickey jello with whipped cream, plus the ice cream, drinks and beer!)

And we got a 2 hour cruise booked!
plenty of time for lots of pictures and my DS to check out the "head" and tell everyone about it!

We decided on Citrico's for our pre-cruise dinner. It'll be new for all of us! And the reviews have been very good!

kacsmom...you're right about Disney's charm....that's why we haven't returned to US/IOA for 4 years!

All our $$$$ been going to WDW!

 

[floridafam]

I wish I could say that I was pleased with WL IPO but I was not.

They arranged a few PS's but everything else I arranged just didn't go as planned.

They had asked who my children's favorite characters were. We received 2 character cards that were left in the hallway on the floor. This is really the only thing that I requested be done and they failed.

I also made a few requests on my reservation that were not there.

The e-mails they sent me were not clear and filled with spelling errors.

In no way, did this influence the amount of fun we had on our trip but I think they could improve things in the WL/Poly IPO office.

Just make sure that they have everything and that they follow through if you are making any special requests.

I decided to do most of the things myself at the last minute because something told me everything would get goofed up. I'm glad I did.

 

[GoofyJoofy]

Wow so much to read, so little time

The BWI Garden suites do look so devine. My wife fell in love with them as soon as she saw the picture of the garden with the little gate and the bird house with the suite number on it. I figured we found our second resort to visit.

But I caught her on the Disney web site pricing out a 4 day Christmas visit to WDW
But was she selecting the BWI? NO, she thinks GF would be better for Christmas.

Going to have to get those APs real soon

 

[BambiTamby]

floridafam...you are absolutely right about double checking on all these things!

I have to say, AKL's IPO has been the best, so far, in my experiences!
Every single thing I've ever requested as always been met by AKL CL, PLUS alot of suprises that I didn't expect and was very suprisingly pleased!

GoofyJoofy...hehehe! Careful....those APs will BURN a hole in your pocket!

 

[floridafam]

BambiTamby,

Word of warning on the desserts. My DS had some jello, a Cinderella's slipper and a bite of something else. It was as if he had been hooked up to a sugar I.V. He was a "motormouth." My husband and I could not stop laughing. The poor thing didn't know what hit him.

Sorry Janet and Bonzie1, he usually doesn't monopolize conversation like that.

 

[GoofyJoofy]

floridafam - That does sound so disappointing
Glad it did not rain on your enjoyment of the magic at WDW.

Anyone heard of the web site Magic Alley?
The site is: magicalley.com looks cute. Just wondering if anyone had any comments on it.

Debbie - Thanks for the wine. Have a good night everyone.

 

[BambiTamby]

Originally posted by floridafam
BambiTamby,

Word of warning on the desserts. My DS had some jello, a Cinderella's slipper and a bite of something else. It was as if he had been hooked up to a sugar I.V. He was a "motormouth." My husband and I could not stop laughing. The poor thing didn't know what hit him.

Sorry Janet and Bonzie1, he usually doesn't monopolize conversation like that.

ROTFL, floridafam!!!!

Well, usually I wouldn't let DS partake of that much sugar, but, hey! It's Disney and it's a vacation!

hehehe! Actually DS talks alot...and I mean alot. (like me!)
VAgal..may be having second thoughts as she reads this!

 

[floridafam]

More on Janet2k's Summerhouse BBQ,

Near the end of the meal (I was never so stuffed!) a letter arrived from Mickey Mouse for the children to read. It advised them that there was much more to the evening and they would have to hunt for clues as to where we were going next.

I know Janet has a picture of the letter on her website.

The children took off for the beach to find where X marks the spot.

They found a treasure map that contained a series of clues about where we would spend the rest of our evening.

We ended up at a beautiful area near the GF Marina where there was the most mouth watering display of desserts I have ever seen. The bartender moved with us and made sure everyone had what they wanted. A beautiful round table was set up and this area was also blocked off so that we could enjoy it all to ourselves.

Janet has pictures of this part of the party on her website. I just can't describe how beautiful it was.

We all had many desserts and continued our conversations while listening to beautiful background music.

A while later, the castle started to change colors and the Wishes music started on the speaker that was set up for our party.

All I can say is WOW!!!!!! We had an awesome view of Wishes and the music. It couldn't have been any better. Everyone stood there in silence during Wishes and I actually felt the hair stand up on my arms. My children were so happy and we felt extremelly lucky.

We continued the party after Wishes was over and had front row seats for the EWP.

It was a wonderful evening. I hope you all get a chance to look at Janet's pictures. Janet and her truly have that Disney spirit. They seemed to always have smiles on their faces and are thoughtful and caring to everyone they come in contact with.

I hope to be able to show Janet some of the wonderful hospitality she showed my family the next time we are at Disney.

 

[floridafam]

The Cinderella's Slipper was beautiful! It was the first thing my daughter reached for. Janet has a cute picture of it on her website.

They raspberries and cream that fill the slipper are out of this world.

We all went back to our hotel room and I think we all fell asleep before our heads hit our pillows. DD slept in her party dress (you know you've been to a great party when you crash in your party clothes )

 

[floridafam]

I also wanted to add:

I feel a little strange reporting on the BBQ. It was Janet's event and I don't want to take anything away from her.

She said it was okay to describe it as we experienced it.

I've always been a big fan of Janet's trip reports. She's certainly has a way with words and with photos.

I'm hoping she'll have time soon to expand on the happenings that evening. I know I always leave something out.

Thanks, Janet2k!