Sat morning DH and I awoke at 6:00 am to finish packing, check-out and head to MK for early entry. We drove to Wilderness Lodge, parked our car and took the boat over for EE. This was a magical morning. Walking down main street without a huge crowd of people allowed us to notice things about main street we had missed before. We only had until 9:30 to explore the park because I had made reservations at Artist Point for breakfast at 10:10. We wanted to do a litttle shopping and get in three rides. We were able to do 6 rides. We did Many Adventures of Pooh, space mountain, splash mountain, BTMRR, Buzz lightyear and Peter Pan. At about 9:30 we caught the boat back over to WL for our character breakfast. Let me start by saying WL is magnificent. My DH and I have been to Glacier National Park, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. The Lodge feels so authentic-only disney could create the pacific northwest in central Florida. Breakfast was awesome! The food was delicious and seeing pooh, tigger, and eeyore was one of the highlights of our vacation. I was a bit hesitant to make a PS for a character meal as we are childless, but watching other kids with the characters is priceless. After breakfast we were off to Discovery Cove and three nights at Portofino Bay hotel. I will be posting my experiences there on the appropriate boards. Now for my .........
Final Thoughts-
1. We noticed an incredible amount of foreign tourists this trip. Is January a big month for international travel? Our experiences with them were all positive. I loved to stand in the queu of an attraction and listen to all of the many languages being spoken. Despite not being able to understand all of what was being said, I did understand the universal language of a smile which seemed to be present everywhere.
2. I did not fully appreciate Disney's designated smoking areas until we went to Universal Studios. People were smoking EVERYWHERE at US, but I hardly noticed any at WDW. As a non-smoker for 1 year and 8 months, I truly appreciate the courtesy of the smokers at WDW.
3. My DH and I are not blessed with children, but we hope someday to adopt a little one. I love children and one of my favorite things to do is eavesdrop on children with the characters at Disney. Watching their little mouths drop open at the sight of Mickey or Pooh is so moving. We particulary noticed on this trip the wonderful, well-behaved children. On the last day of our trip there was a huge hockey convention at DD and a ton of teenagers were checking-in at DL. We encountered the most polite, cute, courteous teens. This says a lot about both their chaperones and the hockey program. Kudos to you all. In fact we never saw one tantrum or screaming child. The only rude people we ever saw in Florida were the locals on the road that drive 30 miles over the speed limit,but then they are really not rude-just crazy!!
4. Stay on property if possible. When I initially made my vacation plans I booked 7 nights at Comfort Suites Maingate East which I am sure is a nice hotel. After some research, though, I found DL for 109.00 per night. After we arrived at WDW we were so happy we had made the choice to stay on property. When we were walking to our room on the first day we saw three wild bunnies. I love the theming of the disney properties, the access to the parks and transportation, and being immersed in the magic of Disney 24 hours a day.
5. Go on vacation with a postive attitude and a smile. I know that may sound trite, but I believe it makes for a postive experience all around. My DH and I only received excellent treatment from the moment we checked-in to the moment we left. We met wonderful tourist, enthusiastic cast members and beautiful children.
6. And last but definately not least....remember it all started with a mouse.
Final Thoughts-
1. We noticed an incredible amount of foreign tourists this trip. Is January a big month for international travel? Our experiences with them were all positive. I loved to stand in the queu of an attraction and listen to all of the many languages being spoken. Despite not being able to understand all of what was being said, I did understand the universal language of a smile which seemed to be present everywhere.
2. I did not fully appreciate Disney's designated smoking areas until we went to Universal Studios. People were smoking EVERYWHERE at US, but I hardly noticed any at WDW. As a non-smoker for 1 year and 8 months, I truly appreciate the courtesy of the smokers at WDW.
3. My DH and I are not blessed with children, but we hope someday to adopt a little one. I love children and one of my favorite things to do is eavesdrop on children with the characters at Disney. Watching their little mouths drop open at the sight of Mickey or Pooh is so moving. We particulary noticed on this trip the wonderful, well-behaved children. On the last day of our trip there was a huge hockey convention at DD and a ton of teenagers were checking-in at DL. We encountered the most polite, cute, courteous teens. This says a lot about both their chaperones and the hockey program. Kudos to you all. In fact we never saw one tantrum or screaming child. The only rude people we ever saw in Florida were the locals on the road that drive 30 miles over the speed limit,but then they are really not rude-just crazy!!
4. Stay on property if possible. When I initially made my vacation plans I booked 7 nights at Comfort Suites Maingate East which I am sure is a nice hotel. After some research, though, I found DL for 109.00 per night. After we arrived at WDW we were so happy we had made the choice to stay on property. When we were walking to our room on the first day we saw three wild bunnies. I love the theming of the disney properties, the access to the parks and transportation, and being immersed in the magic of Disney 24 hours a day.
5. Go on vacation with a postive attitude and a smile. I know that may sound trite, but I believe it makes for a postive experience all around. My DH and I only received excellent treatment from the moment we checked-in to the moment we left. We met wonderful tourist, enthusiastic cast members and beautiful children.
6. And last but definately not least....remember it all started with a mouse.
.) But I felt compelled to after reading this post. Meeting up with people like you is the reason I enjoy going on vacation in WDW. Thanks for your positive, enlightened remarks and reminders!
My French was a little rusty from my college days, but it was one of those "Tapestry of Nations" kind of moments. 
