Highs / Lows of last weeks trip!

[krismom]

What a week!!!! It went waaaaaay too quickly

Every night at dinner we play high / low with the kids. (They have to say the best and worst thing that happened that day) so I'll use that as a guide:

Wilderness Lodge-

Highs
~ Being right in the heart of Disney!
~ Getting back my daughter's lanyard and pins that she left on the table at Whispering Canyon. We went back the next day and they even added a new pin since she had been so worried!

Lows
~ No food court (Roaring Forks is under rehab and the "grab and go" offerrings were pretty bad).
~The pool was FREEZING! They have definately turned the thermostat down on the resort pools! The water at Typhoon Lagoon was MUCH better. My kids spent most of their time in the hot tub while at WL.
~ Internet Acces is $10.00 a day!! C'mon- we are paying $250 a night to stay here- Starbucks provides it free with a cup of coffee!

Magic Kingdom-
Highs
~Lunch at the Castle for DD's 7th birthday was truly magical! The kids loved their (free) wands, swords and wishing stars. The food was ok- but you're paying for the "experience."
~ Wishes! I cry every time I see it. It is a wonderful show.

Lows
~ the CROWDS!!!! we used Tour Guide Mike's best days, got their early, maximized our Fast passes, etc. But it was still much more crowded than I thought it would be. I guess there is no "off season" anymore!
~ No Pirates! I know they have to rehab- but this was sorely missed.
~ Tink didn't fly on the one night I scheduled Wishes! I guess it was too breezy for those delicate wings... So... we had to stay late and see it a few nights later again!
EPCOT-

Highs
~ we rode Soarin' 2x, thanks to my daughter's birthday pin! This ride is unlike anything else at Disney!

Lows
~ trying to get the bus back to WL. It took over 30 minutes, but felt like forever. We kept saying we should have taken the monorail and both boats back- it would have been faster!

Universal / IOA-
High
~ The kids LOVED being in a new park! Since this is their third trip to Disney- we thought we'd branch out. I was very reluctant- change isn't easy! They loved the DR Seuss area, Spidey , ET, Curious George play area and so much more. WE could easily have spent a couple more days here!
Low
~the Front of the line pass spoiled us!!!!! it was hard going back to fast pass juggling after that! I know people may not agree but- I hope Disney offers this option soon- it was way worth the $$$!

Animal Kingdom-
High
~ We rode the safari twice and loved every second of it!
~ My son was tall enough for Everest!!!! He kept his eyes shut for most of it though!

Low
~ the rest of the park is really lacking if you ask us. Yes, Lion King was pretty good (we had seen the Broadway show last year and it was much better) and we were "done" with this park after not even half a day.

Typhoon Lagoon-
High
~the weather was PERFECT!

Low
~ our first visit to first aid. My DD flipped over in her tube on the Lazy River and scraped her back up pretty badly. They fixed her up as best they could- but she wouldn't swim anymore for the rest of the trip ("it burns when the water touches it!")

All in all- I didn't see any shocking moments, the CM's were all wonderful, and the park crowds seemed pretty considerate of each other. (I guess it has to do with the nice temperatures!)

Lots of people asked about our "buggy board" that attaches to the back of the stroller for our DD to stand on when tired. It was easy and a lifesaver for when her dogs were tired. I think we could have sold it for $$$$ when we left!

We didn't need any of the hot weather gear I broght- neck wraps, misting fans, tank tops- I guess I'm just used to July travel!

Every restaurant was turning away people with no ADR's. It was counter service (very long lines for very little selection) if you didn't stock up on those ADR's. Yes, I made extra- and I was glad I did. We used a few of our "fall back" meal choices.

I'm sure I'm forgetting alot- If anyone has any ??? I'm all ears!

 

[SnackyStacky]

Glad to hear you had a good trip! Sorry though about your daughter's back. That highly chlorinated water sure does sting when it touches those brush burns.

 

[krismom]

Thanks! She was really fine- a little extra drama added for good measure!

 

[TwingleMum]

Really enjoyed your trip report. What kind of room did you have at WL?? Was it roomy for the # of people you had?? I'm hoping to get a bunkbed room. I think a post stated that Roaring Forks is now opened. How bad were the crowds?? Were they mostly spring breakers?? AT US/IOA where is Curious George?? What other things did your kids enjoy?? Thanks for the info.

 

[krismom]

Really enjoyed your trip report. What kind of room did you have at WL?? Was it roomy for the # of people you had?? I'm hoping to get a bunkbed room. I think a post stated that Roaring Forks is now opened. How bad were the crowds?? Were they mostly spring breakers?? AT US/IOA where is Curious George?? What other things did your kids enjoy?? Thanks for the info.

We had a room at the far end past the snack bar. It was the last room on the wing closest to the boat dock. We had a woods view and could see some of the fireworks at night. The room was plenty big enough for the 5 of us... I know you're not supposed to have more than 4! My Daughter wouldn't stay with my in-laws in their condo off site as planned.
Roaring Forks was still not open as of 2 days ago-
The crowds were much bigger than I expected- but I think it was mostly teens and college kids (whatever happened to going to the Beach?!) Fantasyland wasn't crowded.
Curious George was at Universal Studios- I wish I knew how to post pictures! They have a HUGE ball house where you shoot the balls through air guns and gather then with vaccuums (my sons LOVED this!) and a really great water play area. Bring Bathing suits!
The kids also loved Discovery Island at IOA- lots of cool interactive dinosaur stuff! Much better than AK's Dinoland!

Have a great trip!
If you have any other ??? I'll try my best!

 

[Toadi]

You said " Every restaurant was turning away people with no ADR's. It was counter service (very long lines for very little selection) if you didn't stock up on those ADR's. Yes, I made extra- and I was glad I did. We used a few of our "fall back" meal choices." ??? am just wondering what "extra" means??? did you make more than one ADR for same meal on same day???

We are planning on going in early June next year which is a big change for us. We usually go at down times, but DS doesn't want to miss school. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

March is a busy time of year to go to Disney, because its spring break in many of the school districts around US. We went Presidents week which was rated a 9 on a scale from 1 -10, but we didn't feel it was that crowded. NE is on break during Presidents week.

I hear May is a good time to go as is September.

Great Trip report!!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We were there last week too and stayed at WL. I agree about RF being down. Figures it would open the day after we get back.

I used TGM too and had excellent results! I commented several times about the crowds being like the first week of December. I even made a post about it. The only park that drove me nuts, was the MK. I think we spent a total of seven hours there, the whole week.

I actually fell in love with the Animal Kingdom on this trip! Our first day there was on a Sunday. Didn't love it so much that day, but when we went back Thursday, it was wonderful! I actually liked the fact that it was small, so we didn't feel pressured to cram so much into one day.

 

[byoung]

Sounds like you had a good trip.

 

[dzneelvr]

Great report--I loved the high/low concept. Any signage around the POTC to indicate when the rehab would end? We will be there June 22-July 2 and I've heard it WILL open in that time frame and also that it WON'T I am trying really hard to stay open minded about it, but my entire family thinks the timing on this rehab is horrible

 

[krismom]

You said " Every restaurant was turning away people with no ADR's. It was counter service (very long lines for very little selection) if you didn't stock up on those ADR's. Yes, I made extra- and I was glad I did. We used a few of our "fall back" meal choices." ??? am just wondering what "extra" means??? did you make more than one ADR for same meal on same day???

We are planning on going in early June next year which is a big change for us. We usually go at down times, but DS doesn't want to miss school. Any advice would be appreciated!

Well... I know it's frowned upon around here, but, yes, I admit I double booked some meals. I just wasn't sure where we would end up after our Typhoon Lagoon morning- so I made an ADR for Chef Mickey's and one for Liberty Tree. I made a few extras in Epcot also... like I said- I didn't want to get stuck as the counter service places offer much less for my kids tastes than a buffet.

 

[krismom]

Great report--I loved the high/low concept. Any signage around the POTC to indicate when the rehab would end? We will be there June 22-July 2 and I've heard it WILL open in that time frame and also that it WON'T I am trying really hard to stay open minded about it, but my entire family thinks the timing on this rehab is horrible

Nope- no mention of any rehab being done at all. Just the quiet, closed facade of the ride. They were doing character greets (Captain Hook) in the area and (in case you were worried!) the gift shop area is still fully functional (Hey, It's Disney- what'd you expect?!)

 

[beachbum]

Great report, I love how you did the highs and the lows of each day. Can you tell me more about the buggy board?

 

[krismom]

Great report, I love how you did the highs and the lows of each day. Can you tell me more about the buggy board?

Hi! The buggy board was the best investment I made- and I habve bought ALOT of strollers! It attaches via 2 clips that come off easily for busses and car trunks. My daughter would either stand on it or sit indian style. It does take a little getting used to for the "pusher" since my feet hit the thing alot at first... but I was so glad we had it- it cut down on alot of whining.
Have Fun! I got mine here:

http://www.dmart2000.com/dmart2/juridekibo.html

 

[beachbum]

Thanks so much for the extra info and website!!!!

 

[dmk1021]

I hope Disney offers this option soon- it was way worth the $$$!

I think that would be pretty cool also. I don't see it happening, though, as US has two hotels (are there more now?), and WDW has...okay, I've never counted, but many, many more. It wouldn't work nearly as well as at US, simply because they have way too many people staying at WDW Resorts.

I don't think that paying for something like that seems very Disney either, although never say never. I just don't think it would be very fair for people to pay just to get to the head of the line. If that were the case, I'd be bribing CMs at Peter Pan every chance I get

 

[momrek06]

WOW, what a great report. I love the "highs" and "lows" feature of your report.

I especially love the mini-report on US and IOA. My family LOVES both and it has been sometime since we have been, from your report we NEED to get back there.

Something for us to ponder for next year's trip to WDW!!!

for your report.

 

[jellydisney]

~ Internet Acces is $10.00 a day!! C'mon- we are paying $250 a night to stay here- Starbucks provides it free with a cup of coffee!

ITA!!! What is the deal with that? I have a feeling it has something to do with Disney not wanting people to stay in their rooms on the internet when they could be out spending $$$ in the parks....

But come on! The vast majority of people at WDW just want to be able to check email, banking, post pictures, etc... not spend the whole day browsing the web.

 

[lissawynn]

Sounds as if you had a great trip! One of the many things I LOVE about WL is the boats to and from MK and CR. It's our favorite way to travel to MK, CR, and Epcot.

 

[krismom]

Sounds as if you had a great trip! One of the many things I LOVE about WL is the boats to and from MK and CR. It's our favorite way to travel to MK, CR, and Epcot.

That's the main reason I picked WL- it was cheaper than the monorail hotels, but had transportation to MK. On the boat the first day it took about 45 minutes to get to Epcot though- and it was hard for the kids to bypass MK when they saw the gates and get back on a monorail!