HERE NOW - quick trip update...

[two*little*birds]

Stayed overnight at Millennium Hotel in Buffalo, IMO I would not stay there again.

Flight on AirTran was great, on-time with no issues what-so-ever. Got to the airport less than 90 minutes prior, still had some time to spare.

MCO, no issues and luggage was retrieved quickly.

Windsor Hill ROCKS absolutely love it here. Would stay here again in a heartbeat and would recommend to anyone! It took us only 7/8 minutes to get to/from MK today!

We had dinner at Cici's (yuck, never again), lunch at Chick Fil A, dinner at Friday's (so-so), breakfast at Chef Mickey's (always good) and then just did CS dinner at Cosmic Ray's today. Tomorrow we'll do Charlie's Steakhouse for dinner...

Although steady, I would say MK was steady but not swarmed. Most rides were 20 minutes or less (most 10) and some even walk-on.

Christmas decorations are up - looks gorgeous!

Weather is awesome - perfect actually, the last three days have been in the mid 70's to 80'ish today with lots of sun!

Tomorrow we'll do DHS, as FIL wants to go there (he joined us yesterday for a 5 day stay).

That's it for now... more later!

 

[purplepeg]

sounds great, have a great time and keep us posted

 

[maryrego]

Great thank you for posting We leave in 2 days

 

[glenpreece]

I always wanted to stay at the Millenium but refuse to pay the ridiculous prices. We stayed at the new Quality Inn down the 1-90 and loved it. It's where we stay on all of our shopping trips and BUF departures. I've even had a few clients stay at the Millenium and they didn't really like it either.

 

[snickerboo]

I'm so jealous! We just returned on Thursday and I'm already suffering withdrawl! LOL You are definitely getting better weather than we had! We stayed at WH, too, but the ony restaurant in the area we ate at was Red Lobster (the one that is past World Drive on 192, not the one by Publix), it was good, though. We bought groceries at Walmart (there's a Super Walmart at SR535 near 192) and made meals in the condo. I don't recommend shopping at the Publix near Windsor Hills, though. I have a feeling they have upped the prices due to so many condos in the area as they were super pricey.

 

[disneynovic]

Thanks for the report. We leave in 2 days too!! Thanks for the advise too, we were going to eat at Cici's at one point during our stay, because it's cheap, I have a 10% off coupon, and there are 6 of us. I'm thinking twice about that idea though. The weather looks like it is cooling off for us next week, but hope it's somewhat warm.

 

[cabmom]

I've heard good and bad reviews about Millienum. I've stayed there 2x and it was ok.

 

[two*little*birds]

Went to Epcot today…

• Walked on to Nemo, great as always!
• Turtle Talk broke down right before we saw it.
• Got fast passes for Test Track (70 minute wait)!
• Soarin’ pretty much ran out of fast passes early in the day, eventually the wait got to 35 minutes so decided to wait – DD was tall enough to ride it this year!
• Mission Space was a 20 minute wait – but broke down right before the end (I didn’t ride it, had DD with me) so DH, DS and FIL got special fast passes to return whenever they wanted. Returned before we left for the evening and they were able to walk right on.
• Living With The Land – found this interesting last time so did it again this time, 5-10 minute wait.

Best part of the day… DD and I won “Year of a Million Dreams” Mickey Ears in the exit area of Mission Space – they called for volunteers to play Mission: Space Race. We were part of the Orion team and eventually even won the game too. The whole thing was very cool, and everyone that participated in the Space Race was given a set of ears. LOL I think when DH got off Mission Space he was a bit jealous! It was something special for just DD and me, especially since she’s too little to ride and I’m too chicken – LMAO!

Today was hot and humid – 85 degrees or so. Very quick rain shower in the afternoon and then a little more rain after we left the park.

Tomorrow we’re heading to Hollywood Studios.

 

[MouseGirl]

Congratulations on winning the Mickey ears - how exciting! Hope you and your family have fun at DHS tomorrow and thanks for letting us know how your trip is going.

 

[two*little*birds]

Yesterday morning did Downtown Disney (FIL wanted to do some specific shopping). DS LOVED the Lego place, and we had lunch at T-REX which was AMAZING, actually the best meal we've had so far IMO. We'll probably go there again before we leave.

In the afternoon we did Disney Studios - got there late so it was packed! We watched a bit of the afternoon parade then went over to see Beauty and the Beast - what a great show! After that we hit Voyage of the Little Mermaid, again another hit. DD was in heaven and singing to all the songs.

We also did The Great Movie Adventure (think that's what it's called) and then called it a night and headed for dinner.

Did Golden Corral for dinner (near Windsor Hills) and the food was very good, and OMG they had tons of variety! Thanks to some DIS'ers for recommending this place.

Still hot and humid here too... mid 80's feel like 90's with the humidity!

FIL leaves today, then we're doing MK again and 1900 Park Fare tonight for dinner.

And to think, we still have 6 full days left to our trip!!!

 

[misslissa]

Aak! I almost missed your trip report! I am loving it and just way too jealous. Thanks for the updates

 

[mtmbyck]

Great report and glad you posted it here for us snowbirds. You will be pleased to know that we are expected to get snow Monday and it is pouring rain here all day today! We liked Windsor Hills also when we stayed but be careful on that pool slide as my DD really hurt herself coming down it and almost had a concusion!

Hope you have figured out the back way to get to AK - you'll be there in about 3 minutes - LOL! Head over to AK lodge one evening and try out the night vision goggles....pretty cool. Fun to just sit in the lobby for a bit and take in the sights and sounds.

Keep writing!

 

[two*little*birds]

DH drove FIL back to the airport yesterday, so we spent half the day just having a little R&R (swimming, playground, etc.)

In the afternoon we went back to MK for a few hours.

Got in line for photos (Princesses and Fairies) in Toontown, DD just LOVED that and I can’t wait to see the photos. The line for princesses said 30 minutes but it only took 10, and the fairies line said 45 minutes and it was pretty much just that – but worth it. Rode some of our favorite rides again, and got fast passes for Peter Pan (the wait was 50 minutes).

DD had a “wing-ding” as we were leaving the park – I think it was a combination of being over-tired, over-stimulated, and over-heated (another very hot and humid day). LMAO I got a picture of her having her fit, DH says we’ll have to show it to everyone when she gets older or at her wedding.

Did dinner at 1900 Park Fare, had to wait while even though we had an ADR. The characters were Cinderella, Prince Charming, Evil Step-Mother and her daughters (Anastasia and Drizella were so funny). We almost didn’t go because of DD’s mood but I’m glad we did. The food was great, just like last year.

We missed the shuttle taking off as it started to rain and there was cloud coverage, so we were disappointed. Supposedly people at the Contemporary could see it for a few second before it entered the clouds.

Today we’re off to Animal Kingdom, we’ve never been there before (didn’t get a chance to go last year) so we’re excited. They’re calling for rain this afternoon though, so we’ll see what happens.

 

[two*little*birds]

Hope you have figured out the back way to get to AK - you'll be there in about 3 minutes - LOL!

Yeah we tried the "back route" the first day, but since it's pretty quiet we've been taking the normal route - takes us 7-10 minutes depending on which park we're going too.

Thanks for the tips on Animal Kingdom, we'll try and check it out.

 

[purplepeg]

Glad you enjoyed 1900 Park Fare. The stepsisters and Lady Tremaine had us in stitches last year. Keep it coming, hearing about the weather makes me feel warmer

 

[two*little*birds]

Yesterday was another hot and sticky day; we were expecting rain but only got one very brief shower when we arrived at AK and then one late in the afternoon right before the park closed.

• Started off seeing “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” which was amazing – we all loved it!
• “Dinosaur” – DS got to ride twice, once with DH and then again with me.
• DD rode “TriceraTop Spin” while DS and I were on Dinosaur – DH said she loved it!
• Got fast passes for “Expedition Everest” and then went for lunch at Pizzafarri (which was so-so).
• Walked back to “Expedition Everest” and DH and DS went on – they both LOVED it!
• Then DH, DS and DD did “Kali River Rapids” as I didn’t want to get soaked. I laughed so hard when I saw them coming around the corner towards the exit, they were all soaked from head to toe and DD was crying! LMAO, but they had a fun time!
• Did “Festival of the Lion King” next which was an awesome presentation – also a nice chance to cool off.
• Next we did “Finding Nemo” which we all loved, what an awesome show!
• After Nemo DH and DS went back to “Expedition Everest” for another ride – DS just loves it, it’s his new favorite (replacing Space Mountain).

ALL rides were pretty much walk-on, except for Dinosaur - which was only 5-10 minutes and EE which was 20-30 minutes (but we got FP's).

Today we’re off to Epcot in the morning/afternoon for a few hours and then we’re doing MVMCP tonight!

The weather is much cooler today, but nice and sunny – actually it’s a nice change from the hot and humid weather we had for most of last week.

 

[two*little*birds]

Forgot to mention, this year our trip is 12 days - with 10 days worth of parks. What a difference compared to last year - we did a week and it just wasn't long enough! Now we're spoiled and I'll want to do either 12 or 14 days again next year!

Plus DS isn't in a stroller this year, and DD only uses the umbrella stroller sometimes. Which again is great! They're been doing great considering the amount of walking we've been doing.

 

[purplepeg]

Sounds like a great day in AK. I just love Festival of the Lion King. No matter how many times I see it we need to see it again

 

[two*little*birds]

Yesterday (Sunday) we spent the morning and mid-afternoon at Epcot, then took a break from the parks before getting ready for MVMCP. MVMCP was awesome! ALL the rides were walk-on, and the parade and fireworks were simply fantastic! The weather was very cool though, mid 50’s – but with some hot chocolate and a loved one near by you could keep warm enough. The castle all decked out in Christmas lights is simply breathtaking, we couldn’t stop looking at it – you’re left speechless!

Today we did the “Studios” again, and most if not all rides were less than 10 minutes – with the exception of “Toy Story Mania”. We got fast passes at 11:42 and our return time was 4:55 – 5:55, we heard from others that by lunchtime all the fast passes were gone! I was so excited about that ride, especially with all the hype, but man does it ever whip you around – thankfully it’s a short ride or my stomach wouldn’t be able to take it. BTW the standby line was a 70 minute wait… IMO not worth it.

Tomorrow DD is doing Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the morning, and then we’re going to CRT for lunch! We’ll probably stay at MK for a few hours too, heck why not?

DH and I are already talking about our next trip and we're not even home yet!

 

[two*little*birds]

Yesterday as planned we went to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – DD had the full package (hair, make-up, nails, dress, accessories, etc.) and DS also had his hair done (spiked and coloured). To make things interesting DH decided to do his hair too, and let DS pick the hair gel colours (pink, purple, aqua, orange) and everyone in the boutique was giggling. The overall experience was great, and something that everyone should do (if they can afford it).

After BBB we went to CRT for lunch. As we’ve never been before we were not sure what to expect, especially since I’ve heard mixed reviews. The castle was great, interesting to be inside and see something new. The food was “ok” but better than I expected overall (again thanks to some reviews). Service is very fast, probably so they can move a lot of people in and out. In attendance were Aurora, Belle, Mary Poppins and Snow White. We got a picture with Cinderella before we were seated, and handed the photo during lunch in a nice presentation folder. It was a great experience, but not sure I would do it again – perhaps next time we would do dinner.

After that we did a few rides in MK and to our surprise had another very magical experience!

I was getting on to Cinderella’s golden carousel today with DS and DD and was loading the kids onto their horses when a CM approached us. She asked DS “would you like to be our honorary prince today?” At first he was very hesitant and a little scared, but finally said “yes”. He got an awesome certificate, a large sticker to wear, a sticker on the back of the certificate and also a yellow voucher for all 4 of us to pick any ride he wished to be used as a “family” fast pass! It was so awesome! DS ended up selecting “Peter Pan” as our special ride, which was great because the wait was 40 minutes.

In the evening we went to see wishes, which is always magical – one of my personal favourites!

Today we’ll take it easy – no rushing around and no reservations. We might head off later this morning to AK for half a day or so.

Tomorrow is our last full day at the parks, then we depart on Friday morning.