disney_princess_85
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2009
- Messages
- 5,804
Well, I got back on Saturday morning but here I am. 
As expected, we had a fantastic time. We're really sad to be home and we're already planning next year's trip!
If you have any questions about any of my points, please ask away! Some highs and lows:
HIGHS
Saratoga Springs Resort
We really enjoyed SSR. We were assigned a room in The Springs, which I wasn't happy about at first as we'd requested Congress Park. However, it was a great location! It only took a few minutes to walk to our bus stop and the main pool. The main building was really close too so it was easy to stop by and refill our mugs/grab a snack, etc.
Our studio room was fab, particularly the balcony and big fridge! We had a trees/water view so that was nice.
We loved getting the boat over to Downtown Disney. It's such a relaxing ride and a nice change from the buses. When none of the parks were open late, we often took the boat over and browsed the shops or went to the cinema.
My only gripe with SSR was the length of time the buses took to navigate the resort. It's huge, that goes without saying. Nonetheless, the buses seemed to take such a strange, long-winded route. It wasn't so bad that we'd be put off staying there again though, it was just a minor issue.
Weather
We were very lucky overall and only experienced two bouts of heavy rain. The temperature was 90+ most days. It was VERY humid but nothing a hat and pigtails wouldn't sort!
People
From the CMs at WDW to the shop assistants at the malls, the majority of people we encountered were very friendly, kind and helpful. We felt like very welcome guests.
Blue Man Group
I booked the show for DBF's birthday and I'm so glad I did. It was hilarious! I'd booked aisle seats, which paid off because I was picked to go on stage! For those who have seen the show, I was involved in the Twinkies segment.
I was so nervous but it was a lot of fun. 
Shopping
Even with a mediocre exchange rate, everything is still so much better value over there. I was after some UGGs and got my Classic Short pair for $117 at Premium Outlets. I'm a size 5 and bought a kids' pair (not sure what size they go up to). The adult versions were $150. Considering they cost £150 over here, I got a great bargain!
Crowds/wait times
We were really fortunate with wait times. Even for popular rides like Big Thunder Mountain and Tower Of Terror, the most we waited was five minutes! We got to see the wait time of 13 minutes for ToT too. It was weird because sometimes the parks seemed to be swarming with people but the wait times were very low. 
Tune In Lounge
I think this is our favourite place to hang out in all of WDW, not just Hollywood Studios. We just love it. The drinks are great and the atmosphere is fab. We'll definitely be back.
Disney Dining Plan
We've done the DDP twice now, once paid for and once free. Either way, it suits our needs and we enjoy trying all the different restaurants. We were a little more savvy with our credits than we were last year, so we didn't have loads to use up at the end.
Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
I haven't seen any of the Harry Potter films, nor have I read any of the books. However, I was blown away by WWoHP. It's amazing! They've done such a fantastic job and Forbidden Journey is one of the best rides I've ever been on.
Lynx buses
Thankfully, the buses were really easy to use. They showed up on time (unlike buses over here!) and were clean, comfortable and very cheap. We only took a few taxi journeys, most of which were actually quite unpleasant: we were taken the long way round to Walmart, even though we'd specified which one we wanted to go to and on the way back from Universal we had to direct the driver as she didn't know where she was going. In comparison, the buses were a breeze!
LOWS
Royal Pacific Resort
To cut a long story short, it was rubbish. We were so disappointed. We'd booked a Club Level room, which was tiny and had a bad view. The CL lounge had a dull, bordering on miserable, atmosphere and the offerings weren't great. Breakfast wasn't bad but it was still pretty basic. We weren't able to use the facilities on the day we checked out, even though I'd read differently on here. Also, some staff members were pretty rude to us. We won't be staying onsite at Universal for a while now.
As expected, we had a fantastic time. We're really sad to be home and we're already planning next year's trip!
If you have any questions about any of my points, please ask away! Some highs and lows:
HIGHS
Saratoga Springs Resort
We really enjoyed SSR. We were assigned a room in The Springs, which I wasn't happy about at first as we'd requested Congress Park. However, it was a great location! It only took a few minutes to walk to our bus stop and the main pool. The main building was really close too so it was easy to stop by and refill our mugs/grab a snack, etc.
Our studio room was fab, particularly the balcony and big fridge! We had a trees/water view so that was nice.
We loved getting the boat over to Downtown Disney. It's such a relaxing ride and a nice change from the buses. When none of the parks were open late, we often took the boat over and browsed the shops or went to the cinema.
My only gripe with SSR was the length of time the buses took to navigate the resort. It's huge, that goes without saying. Nonetheless, the buses seemed to take such a strange, long-winded route. It wasn't so bad that we'd be put off staying there again though, it was just a minor issue.
Weather
We were very lucky overall and only experienced two bouts of heavy rain. The temperature was 90+ most days. It was VERY humid but nothing a hat and pigtails wouldn't sort!
People
From the CMs at WDW to the shop assistants at the malls, the majority of people we encountered were very friendly, kind and helpful. We felt like very welcome guests.
Blue Man Group
I booked the show for DBF's birthday and I'm so glad I did. It was hilarious! I'd booked aisle seats, which paid off because I was picked to go on stage! For those who have seen the show, I was involved in the Twinkies segment.
I was so nervous but it was a lot of fun. Shopping
Even with a mediocre exchange rate, everything is still so much better value over there. I was after some UGGs and got my Classic Short pair for $117 at Premium Outlets. I'm a size 5 and bought a kids' pair (not sure what size they go up to). The adult versions were $150. Considering they cost £150 over here, I got a great bargain!
Crowds/wait times
We were really fortunate with wait times. Even for popular rides like Big Thunder Mountain and Tower Of Terror, the most we waited was five minutes! We got to see the wait time of 13 minutes for ToT too.
It was weird because sometimes the parks seemed to be swarming with people but the wait times were very low. Tune In Lounge
I think this is our favourite place to hang out in all of WDW, not just Hollywood Studios. We just love it. The drinks are great and the atmosphere is fab. We'll definitely be back.
Disney Dining Plan
We've done the DDP twice now, once paid for and once free. Either way, it suits our needs and we enjoy trying all the different restaurants. We were a little more savvy with our credits than we were last year, so we didn't have loads to use up at the end.
Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
I haven't seen any of the Harry Potter films, nor have I read any of the books. However, I was blown away by WWoHP. It's amazing! They've done such a fantastic job and Forbidden Journey is one of the best rides I've ever been on.
Lynx buses
Thankfully, the buses were really easy to use. They showed up on time (unlike buses over here!) and were clean, comfortable and very cheap. We only took a few taxi journeys, most of which were actually quite unpleasant: we were taken the long way round to Walmart, even though we'd specified which one we wanted to go to and on the way back from Universal we had to direct the driver as she didn't know where she was going. In comparison, the buses were a breeze!
LOWS
Royal Pacific Resort
To cut a long story short, it was rubbish. We were so disappointed. We'd booked a Club Level room, which was tiny and had a bad view. The CL lounge had a dull, bordering on miserable, atmosphere and the offerings weren't great. Breakfast wasn't bad but it was still pretty basic. We weren't able to use the facilities on the day we checked out, even though I'd read differently on here. Also, some staff members were pretty rude to us. We won't be staying onsite at Universal for a while now.
Meantime I couldn't resist a quick welcome home. Hooray, another trip report! 
) however to be fair to them we complained when we got home and they have given us a free nights stay so we might try again on our next trip, whenever that is
Probably what you get for typing a post while doing something at work ....
Don't worry about it, I knew what you meant! Hope you're feeling better after your rough week.
