PearlySwan
"I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread so
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 1,586
I've had very few replies to this thread. I'm wondering what's wrong with this trip report. Any suggestions? 
Let me start by saying who the players were. My DD (8), DS (3), DH, and myself. I actually purchased one Disney Trip travel planning guide (PP) and used it along with information found on this forum (Disboards.com) and a few other on-line sources. Based on what I learned from the message boards, travel guide, good friends, and other sources, I put together an itinerary which allowed us to visit Magic Kingdom the most, while simultaneously visiting the other parks at least twice. DH felt it was a very ambitious itinerary; however, it became rather manageable due to a great deal of advanced planning. It was not our intention to try to 'fit it all in' on this trip (and impossibility at WDW); but rather to get a taste of the World if you wish (pun intended). I hope next time we can have a longer visit to Walt Disney World. That way we could do the things we missed.
Day 1, Monday 6/29/09: Our good friend, K.M., drove us to the airport super early that morning. Our nonstop flight arrived in Orlando right on time. It was a hot sunny summer day in Florida. We took the Magical Express shuttle from Orlando Airport to the Wilderness Lodge Resort in Magic Kingdom. It was a quick 35min. ride. We checked in at the front desk and got our Keys to the World; however, our room wasnt quite ready, so we decided to explore the Wilderness Lodge resort. This is a wonderful resort that has a lot to offer families, especially those with young kids. It is absolutely beautiful!
The lobby area alone is worth a thousand words. No picture can truly do it justice. We went outside to the pool area. DS and I sat by the pool while DD and DH went for a dip in the pool. I had packed our swimwear in the carryon luggage (just in case). Shortly after 11am we were notified the room was ready. Ours was a Woods View room, Room#6022. It was located on the north side of the resort overlooking the pond. This room was on the 6th floor and had an enclosed balcony which was perfect for us. Our luggage arrived in our room shortly after DS fell asleep (he had been up since 4am!). DD went back down to the pool with DH. Afterwards, we all took showers, got changed and took a short, pleasant boat ride to Magic Kingdom. Shortly after entering the park we watched the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade. We stopped at a gift shop to get an official WDW autograph book. We knew it was going to get lots of use during this trip. We had 4pm dinner reservations at Cinderellas Royal Table in Magic Kingdom. The experience was everything we had expected and more. Dining at Cinderellas Royal Table was the ideal way to start our childrens First Visit celebration. We were treated like royalty. After meeting and greeting Cinderella we were escorted upstairs to the royal dining hall. Our table was next to a large beautiful stained glass window with views of the park. We could see Fantasyland and Dumbo from where we sat. The food at Cinderellas Royal Table was excellent, as was the lovely floor show with Cinderellas Mice and the Fairy Godmother. DD got a wand and DS got a sword. DD got a special dessert treat, Cinderellas Royal Chocolate Slipper (which I had ordered in advance). The Chef wrote Princess [Her Name] and First Visit on her plate with chocolate. It was a fantastic dining experience. 
After dinner, we made it a point to ride the Walt Disney World Railroad around the park once. On the second round, we got off at Fantasyland; then went on the Mad Tea Party, Dumbo, and Buzz Lightyear rides. The children thoroughly enjoyed these rides. We also visited Minnies Country House and Ariels Grotto. Between rides we walked around Magic Kingdom taking it all in. At 9pm we enjoyed Spectromagic and at 10pm we watched Wishes fireworks in front of Cinderellas Castle. We stood directly underneath Tinker Bells flight. Both experiences left us in awe. 
On the boat ride back to the Wilderness Lodge we saw the Electric Water Pageant. Upon entering our room we discovered a Donald Duck white chocolate dessert, a beach bucket and pale with a Mickey Mouse chocolate covered Rice Krispies bar on a stick, two Mickey Mouse shaped straws, and a gorgeous and very large Walt Disney World canvas gift bag filled with all sorts of goodies, including fresh fruits and two Mickey and Minnie plush toys. Even though we were exhausted we couldnt help but admire the lovely gifts and partake of a few of the treats. We were very tired but extremely happy to be together in Magic Kingdom at the Wilderness Lodge. 
I'll be posting pictures of Day 1 and report on Day 2 soon.
Let me start by saying who the players were. My DD (8), DS (3), DH, and myself. I actually purchased one Disney Trip travel planning guide (PP) and used it along with information found on this forum (Disboards.com) and a few other on-line sources. Based on what I learned from the message boards, travel guide, good friends, and other sources, I put together an itinerary which allowed us to visit Magic Kingdom the most, while simultaneously visiting the other parks at least twice. DH felt it was a very ambitious itinerary; however, it became rather manageable due to a great deal of advanced planning. It was not our intention to try to 'fit it all in' on this trip (and impossibility at WDW); but rather to get a taste of the World if you wish (pun intended). I hope next time we can have a longer visit to Walt Disney World. That way we could do the things we missed.
Day 1, Monday 6/29/09: Our good friend, K.M., drove us to the airport super early that morning. Our nonstop flight arrived in Orlando right on time. It was a hot sunny summer day in Florida. We took the Magical Express shuttle from Orlando Airport to the Wilderness Lodge Resort in Magic Kingdom. It was a quick 35min. ride. We checked in at the front desk and got our Keys to the World; however, our room wasnt quite ready, so we decided to explore the Wilderness Lodge resort. This is a wonderful resort that has a lot to offer families, especially those with young kids. It is absolutely beautiful!
The lobby area alone is worth a thousand words. No picture can truly do it justice. We went outside to the pool area. DS and I sat by the pool while DD and DH went for a dip in the pool. I had packed our swimwear in the carryon luggage (just in case). Shortly after 11am we were notified the room was ready. Ours was a Woods View room, Room#6022. It was located on the north side of the resort overlooking the pond. This room was on the 6th floor and had an enclosed balcony which was perfect for us. Our luggage arrived in our room shortly after DS fell asleep (he had been up since 4am!). DD went back down to the pool with DH. Afterwards, we all took showers, got changed and took a short, pleasant boat ride to Magic Kingdom. Shortly after entering the park we watched the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade. We stopped at a gift shop to get an official WDW autograph book. We knew it was going to get lots of use during this trip. We had 4pm dinner reservations at Cinderellas Royal Table in Magic Kingdom. The experience was everything we had expected and more. Dining at Cinderellas Royal Table was the ideal way to start our childrens First Visit celebration. We were treated like royalty. After meeting and greeting Cinderella we were escorted upstairs to the royal dining hall. Our table was next to a large beautiful stained glass window with views of the park. We could see Fantasyland and Dumbo from where we sat. The food at Cinderellas Royal Table was excellent, as was the lovely floor show with Cinderellas Mice and the Fairy Godmother. DD got a wand and DS got a sword. DD got a special dessert treat, Cinderellas Royal Chocolate Slipper (which I had ordered in advance). The Chef wrote Princess [Her Name] and First Visit on her plate with chocolate. It was a fantastic dining experience. After dinner, we made it a point to ride the Walt Disney World Railroad around the park once. On the second round, we got off at Fantasyland; then went on the Mad Tea Party, Dumbo, and Buzz Lightyear rides. The children thoroughly enjoyed these rides. We also visited Minnies Country House and Ariels Grotto. Between rides we walked around Magic Kingdom taking it all in. At 9pm we enjoyed Spectromagic and at 10pm we watched Wishes fireworks in front of Cinderellas Castle. We stood directly underneath Tinker Bells flight. Both experiences left us in awe. On the boat ride back to the Wilderness Lodge we saw the Electric Water Pageant. Upon entering our room we discovered a Donald Duck white chocolate dessert, a beach bucket and pale with a Mickey Mouse chocolate covered Rice Krispies bar on a stick, two Mickey Mouse shaped straws, and a gorgeous and very large Walt Disney World canvas gift bag filled with all sorts of goodies, including fresh fruits and two Mickey and Minnie plush toys. Even though we were exhausted we couldnt help but admire the lovely gifts and partake of a few of the treats. We were very tired but extremely happy to be together in Magic Kingdom at the Wilderness Lodge. I'll be posting pictures of Day 1 and report on Day 2 soon.
No but seriously it was a very nice gesture on the part of someone who knew of our plans to be at the WL at the time.
We couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised! 
Please post some more.
and rode Peter Pans Flight. 
Later DS and I rode Stitchs Great Escape while DS and DH spent some time at the gift shop nearby and people watching. Then we all went to see Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. It was a riot! 
Before we left, we watched Cinderellas Castle forecourt stage show, Dream Along with Mickey. It featured all the Princesses dancing with their Princes, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and others. 
Chef Mickeys had an amazingly good buffet. It was a huge hit with everyone in the family. The character interaction was outstanding. We met Donald, Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, and Minnie several times over. All the food there was quite yummy. The breakfast pizza in particular was absolutely delicious. Afterwards we rode the monorail back to Magic Kingdom then took the boat ride to the resort for a mid-day break, a nap for DS and a pool dip for DD and DH. After DSs nap and DDs swim, we got showered and dressed and headed to Epcot in the afternoon. It was raining lightly when we got there but it worked to our advantage as we didnt find it to be at all crowded and it was much cooler than the previous day. We headed straight for Soarin. We were surprised to find DS made the height requirement for that ride. We rode Soarin for the first time ever and absolutely loved it! Next we went to our 4:10pm dinner reservations at the Coral Reef restaurant in Epcot Future World. DH loved his Mahi-Mahi, DD had the pizza, DS had the grilled chicken breast, and I had the daily special, the Halibut, which was superb. After dinner we went to the pavilions, the Seas with Nemo and Friends. DS loved the ride too! He kept finding Nemo along the way. After that DD and I went on Mission Space on the orange line (the intense ride experience). She was the Navigator, and I was the Pilot. Two other riders were assigned the roles of Engineer and Commander. DH and DS stayed behind because DS was too small for Mission Space. However, he was having so much fun with the water squirters at the playgrounds nearby that he was kept thoroughly entertained. After DD rode Mission Space with me, we used the Rider Swap Fastpass ticket and she went right back on it with DH. That time she was the Engineer while DH was the Commander. They went on the intense orange line for that round too. I took DS to the gift shop where he got a Mickey shaped glow in the dark spinning toy perfect for that evening's fireworks show. Once DD and DH were finished at Mission Space, we went to ride Test Track where we repeated the same Rider Swap experience. First DD and I went on the ride; then DD and DH rode Test Track. DS and I entertained ourselves at the misting station nearby where they had a full size replica of a Test Track car with a dummy rider in it. By the time DD and DH finished riding Test Track, DS was completely soaked. 
After a quick stop to change DSs clothing, we made our way to the bridge between the France and United Kingdom pavilions in Epcot World Showcase. We watched the magnificent Illuminations Fireworks at 9pm that evening. Epcot had Extra Magic Hours until 12am. We went around World Showcase and visited a couple of the pavilions and got some ice cream at the gelato cart outside the Italy pavilion before we left to go back to the Wilderness Lodge resort. 
We took a boat from the Wilderness Lodge to the Contemporary Resort and then the monorail to the Polynesian. It begun to rain when we arrived at Ohanas, but we didnt mind since we were quite cozy indoors. At Ohanas they gave each of us leis and took our picture before being seated. The breakfast wasnt a buffet, but it was definitely most delicious. They brought us a gigantic wok full of bacon, sausage, eggs, and breakfast potatoes. Our waiter brought the Mickey waffles and other food items to the table on a regular basis. DS absolutely loved the bug juice they served there. The hot chocolate was yummy too. We had amazing character interaction during this buffet as well. The following characters came to our table: Stitch, Goofy, Pluto, Lilo, and Mickey. They were all wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis, except for Lilo who wore her traditional red Hawaiian dress and lei. The characters did a conga parade with the dining guests too. 
After breakfast we went to Animal Kingdom. By the time we arrived there the rain had completely stopped. We did the Rider Swap at Expedition Everest in Asia. DD and I went first; then she went on with DH on the Fastpass Rider Swap ticket. DS was kept very happy with a Nestle Mickey ice cream bar and people watching. He loved looking at the 'wild life' too. There was a lot to explore at Animal Kingdom, but after Expedition Everest a light misty rain begun to fall on us, so we decided to take a mid-day break back at the Wilderness Lodge resort. They closed the pool that afternoon because there was lightening, so DD and DS both took a short, but much needed, nap that day. DH and I took turns exploring the lodge. Once the rain was over in the afternoon we went to Hollywood Studios. We all loved the feel of this theme park. We enjoyed watching High School Musical 3 in front of the Sorcerers Hat. After that we went for dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. I must say this was our longest wait for dinner. Even though we had an advanced dining reservation of 4:20pm, we werent seated until after 5pm. However, the food was well worth the wait since the milkshakes, the Reuben sandwich, and cheeseburgers were out of this world. The atmosphere in there was fantastic. Ive heard some people complain about it being dark in that restaurant but they forget it is supposed to mimic a drive-in movie theater at nighttime. I was able to read the entire menu using our cars dashboard light. The kids loved eating in the car while watching old science fiction movies. DD was a little scared of a B-movie horror film which featured spiders. Yes, this is the same child who loves the super advanced thrill rides at Walt Disney World, but then again she claims to suffer from arachnophobia. 
Afterwards it was off to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. A word to the wise, wait an hour after eating before riding the tower. I could barely keep my dinner down on that ride. 
Again, we had to do a Rider Swap for the Tower of Terror since DS couldn't ride it. DD went with me then again with her Dad. Afterwards we headed for the Rock n Roller Coaster ride. DD, DH, and I loved loved loved this ride! 
Since DS couldnt ride the big thrill rides, we decided to bring it down a notch and take him to do something he could enjoy. So we went to see the Muppet Vision 3-D show. 
We took advantage of those hours while visiting Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately they didnt have Fantastmic that night. We went back to the Wilderness Lodge. After putting the kiddos to sleep, I went downstairs for a dip in the pool and a much needed soak in the hot tub. 
As a result, it was voted our trip’s favorite ride. 
