Journey to the Center...

[bluehouse]

Sing to me, O Mickey the Muse, of the many twists and turns our family took on its most recent trip to Walt Disney World. Sing of the triumphs, tribulations, interminable lines and wild rides. Sing of victory and defeat, of wake-up calls that came earlier than the busiest workday back home, and of beautiful evenings in paradise...

I admit I tend to get a little Homeric sometimes. I'll try not to make a habit of it. Yesterday I returned from my 10th (or was it 12th?) trip to WDW. I've never done a full trip report, but this is my attempt to polish up my writing and maybe make the Magic last a bit longer.

I've titled this trip "Journey to the Center" because that was kind of our theme this year. For one thing, all vacations to Disney World are as much about the journey as they are the destination, the experiences while travelling through the World as much as my final score in my 20th time on Buzz Lightyear. Secondly, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" was one of the movies we downloaded to my son's iPod, a device that came in very handy while waiting for lines to move and for shows to begin. Additionally, "the Center" is a phrase I remember from the movie "Mulan'' and signifies the perfect mix of busy activity and peaceful relaxation; between get-up-and-go and stop-and-rest; between the work and play that goes into most trips of this nature. Most importantly, "the Center" represents my quest to achieve balance between the two fundamental forces of any Disney vacation: the desire to squeeze as many activities/rides/shows/snacks/attractions into the day as possible (thus justifying the enormous investment in airfare, park tickets, meal plans, etc.) AND the need to ditch the touring plan and do nothing (after all, it's supposed to be vacation!).

Can this balance possibly be achieved? I would have thought that after a dozen or so vacations in WDW, I'd have solved this puzzle. Yet it remains a formidable challenge, and each trip to Orlando an epic quest worthy of Odysseus himself. (Homeric again. Sorry.)

So, I'm writing this trip report to offer experience and perhaps wisdom to those considering a similar journey, as well as to give myself a chance to reflect on what will probably be our last WDW vacation for several years.

 

[allison k]

Achieving that perfect WDW vacation balance. Has anyone achieved this? I know I haven't! I can't wait to see how you did!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Joining in.

 

[bluehouse]

Cast of Characters:

Me -- Jim. My first trip to Disney World was in 1983, shortly after EPCOT Center opened. I just did the math, and this was officially my 12th time there.

DW -- Ann. This was our 10th time to WDW together, the first time being our honeymoon in 1993. Most times we stayed at Old Key West, although last year we splurged and stayed at the Polynesian. This year would be another adventure: first time staying at Coronado Springs.

DS -- Ben, age 8. This was his 8th trip to WDW.

DD -- Hannah, age 6. Her 7th trip.

We left on Sunday, April 4, already facing a bit of a puzzle. As alumni of Michigan State, we were thrilled that the Spartans had made the NCAA Basketball Championship. However, tipoff was scheduled for precisely the same time we were to watch Illuminations on Monday. We tossed around many possible ideas: skipping the game altogether, leaving Epcot early to watch the entire thing, leaving right after Illuminations to catch the second half. It was a nice problem to have, but still a unique challenge.

The flight (Detroit to Orlando is a little more than two hours) was made easier by our decision to download some movies and TV shows to the kids' iPods. That kept them occupied while I got to do something I rarely am able to enjoy: two hours of uninterrupted reading. For a high school English teacher, this rare opportunity for pleasure reading is paradise itself. The flight was otherwise uneventful, but we always make sure to enjoy some of the sights and sounds of our arrival: the monoral ride from our gate to the main MCO terminal, the first sight of palm trees, the fountains by the rental car park. These are pretty mundane things in the grand scheme of a Disney vacation, but they symbolize the fact that "we've arrived" and help get us even more excited. It's important to stop and soak in these mini-moments and appreciate the fact that it was snowing back home.

Even the drive to WDW from the airport is kind of an annual rite of passage, the familiar landmarks helping to stoke our excitement, culminating in our drive under the "Welcome to Walt Disney World!" sign on the highway. Sure, it's corny, but it's part of the fun. By the time we pulled up to Coronado Springs, it was about 10:30 p.m. -- well past the kids' normal bedtime. However, the adrenaline was rushing and we were excited to see what our new resort had in store for us.

 

[kmaach]

Been there 4 times in the last 3 years. First trip was chaotic....trying to see everything possible. By the 4th trip we know what to see and when to see it. We just returned and experienced Toy Story at Hollywood Studios. The best feature at the Parks, bar none.

 

[kmaach]

And we just invested in Disney Vacation Club. Should have done so 4 years ago!

 

[bluehouse]

Been there 4 times in the last 3 years. First trip was chaotic....trying to see everything possible. By the 4th trip we know what to see and when to see it. We just returned and experienced Toy Story at Hollywood Studios. The best feature at the Parks, bar none.

We've gotten closer and closer to that philosophy: picking and choosing the most important things to see instead of trying to cover everything. Alas, while Toy Story Midway Mania was on our list of things to do, we never made it. Certainly next time.

 

[Angelrose]

I'm in! Can't wait to read more.

 

[bluehouse]

How important are first impressions?
How much time do you truly spend in your hotel room?
Are all Disney resorts created equal?

These are some of the questions we pondered as we checked into Coronado Springs on Sunday night. We'd never been to CSR; we didn't even know what it looked like. And I should say right up front that our lodging for this trip was free. Our in-laws, as members of the Disney Vacation Club, allowed us to use their points during the week of Spring Break, and the only available resort for the entire week was CSR. The gripes I'm about the share are minor, and on the whole our lodging experience was wonderful.

Anyway, being unfamiliar with CSR, I did some research, looked at some maps and decided to put in a request for a room in one of the Cabanas, either building 9A or 9B. For those unfamiliar with the CSR layout, it's a series of smaller buildings around a fairly good-sized lagoon. On one side of the lagoon is the main registration, dining and convention area. On the other side is the main swimming pool. Some buildings are near the restaurants, others are near the pool, others are somwhere in between. We wanted a Cabana that would be comfortably in the middle. I called twice to request such a room, with the understanding that it was simply a request and not a guarantee. So I was a little disappointed when we checked in and got assigned to Casitas Building 5. My first impressions of the place: blah. Yes, it's somewhere in between the restaurants and the pool; but it's clear on the other side of the lagoon and farther away from each than the Cabanas are. Perhaps most importantly (and this is probably a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things, I know) the Casitas just aren't very interesting from a visual standpoint. Their architecture reminded me of a cross between a slightly-more-upscale La Quinta Motor Inn and the old Chi-Chi's restaurant. Yes, it had some nice palm trees and some lovely fountains, but little else of the thematic magic of the rest of the resort.

That thematic magic is one of the things I truly love about staying on Disney property. Disney, I have come to appreciate, is brilliant at creating artificial worlds and immersing you in them so thoroughly, you almost feel like you're there. Everything -- from the fonts on the restaurant menus to the design of the wallpaper to the music piped through that loudspeaker behind that shrub over there -- helps create this world. Sure it's artifice, but it's beautiful and elaborate artifice and I love it. The Casitas just didn't seem to have that for me. We were offered a room in the Cabanas, but it would not be available until Monday night. The idea of unpacking for one night, then packing and moving the very next day, was just not appealing at 11 p.m. We also took a walk around the lagoon to confirm that we still were within tolerable walking distance of our important destinations. And we remembered that we'd be spending much time at various parks and little time (outside of the sleeping) in the room itself. As a result, we settled into Casitas 5 for the week, telling ourselves we'd come to enjoy the yellows, golds and browns of the design, the soaring palm trees and fountain in the courtyard, and the Mexican restaurant chain aesthetic. On the whole, this was a minor glitch. The fact was, we were finally in Disney World as a family and getting ready to unpack for seven nights in our family's favorite place on earth.

Tomorrow we had two things to look forward to: the Spartans in the Finals, and our family in Epcot!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I read your comments on Coronado Springs and I hope that you post more. The things that you pointed out are what have kept us from staying at Coronado. From the pics I have seen, it just looks a little blah to us too. Like I said, I hope you'll write more about the resort.

Will you be posting pictures? I sure hope so.

 

[bluehouse]

I read your comments on Coronado Springs and I hope that you post more. The things that you pointed out are what have kept us from staying at Coronado. From the pics I have seen, it just looks a little blah to us too. Like I said, I hope you'll write more about the resort.

Will you be posting pictures? I sure hope so.

I'll try to post pictures, but I need to learn how. I can't seem to find the right instructions on inserting a photo into my post. None of the FAQs seem to help.

Coronado Springs did turn out to be a very good resort, as I will mention in further posts. But our first impressions were somewhat blah.

 

[oddBotkins]

I'm anxious to witness your Odyssey

 

[alice99]

I have stayed on property only 3 times.

1st time Wilderness Lodge (loved it, 1997)
2nd time Coronado Springs (disappointing, 2002)
3rd Time Boardwalk (Bought DVC at this time, 2009)

After staying at the Coronado Springs we didn't stay on Disney property for 7 years! It was Holiday Inn quality, for a lot more than we would have paid for Holiday Inn. What a rip-off
We got a discounted rate, because of world Trade Center promotion for rescue workers.... but spoke with people at the pool who paid $200 per night to stay there. We had just come from the Hard rock Hotel (beautiful!!) where we paid $159 per night.
Shameful that they would charge $200, for a 2 1/2 star hotel , when the Hard Rock, 4 star, was less expensive.

I hope you enjoyed your stay. Our trip was great , but the CSR was too business/convention oriented. To me it did not have that Disney Magic.

I'm sorry I am adding negativity to your report!! But, couldn't help myself... just venting.

 

[bluehouse]

I'm anxious to witness your Odyssey

Thanks. The Odyssey is one of my favorites.

 

[bluehouse]

I hope you enjoyed your stay. Our trip was great , but the CSR was too business/convention oriented. To me it did not have that Disney Magic.
.

We'd heard similar things about the business/convention aspect, but did not notice it to be much of a problem. Maybe because it was Spring Break for nearly every school district in America? Certainly just about every district in Michigan. My kids are in elementary school, and I teach high school; and this was a big SB week.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'll try to post pictures, but I need to learn how. I can't seem to find the right instructions on inserting a photo into my post. None of the FAQs seem to help.

Coronado Springs did turn out to be a very good resort, as I will mention in further posts. But our first impressions were somewhat blah.

It's really easy to post pics. I'm computer illiterate and even I can do it. Just download your pictures to your computer. Then, join a site like www.photobucket.com. Once you've joined (free of charge), then download your pictures from your computer. After they've downloaded, you'll see three links under each picture. You'll need to copy the bottom link. Come back to this thread and paste the link. Hit Submit Reply and you've got a posted picture!

 

[bluehouse]

DAY 1 -- Epcot

What is your Disney Sleeper Pick: the attraction that you were not expecting much of, but which turned out to be excellent?
On the other side: what is your Disney Dud, the attraction that you had heard great things about but which fell flat?

We saw both of those on our first full day in WDW. We still were unsure of what to do about the basketball game tonight, but we knew we'd wear our Michigan State T-shirts in the park. Ann, Ben and I did so; Hannah, not so much. She has no use for sports and was quite possibly unaware there was a basketball game tonight. However, it was fun to recognize the Spartan fans in the park and shout "Go Green!" at otherwise complete strangers.

I should also mention beforehand that we made a promise to ourselves this year not to rush all over the parks, to instead take some time to linger in the shops and admire the landscaping. After all, this was our eighth trip in as many years. We've ridden many of the best attractions, and usually killed ourselves in the process with rushing and hurrying. In the interests of "balance," this was to be the kinder, gentler, slower Disney trip. The one where we spend more time at the pool and the dinner table than running from line to line.

However, old habits die hard and I knew that the key to touring a park, especially at a busy time of year, is to arrive early. As in, at least 30 minutes before park opening. On the one hand, it seems ludicrous to wake up at 6:30 a.m. when we're on vacation. On the other hand, who wants to wait two hours to ride Test Track? So we got to Epcot by 8:30, and were off and running when the gates opened at 9. And I mean running! The plan was for me to run to The Land to get fastpasses for Soarin' while the other three moseyed on over to Test Track. If I ran fast enough, we'd meet at Test Track at the same time. This, of course, was foolish. By the time I arrived at TT, I was dripping with sweat. Ann was kind enough to tape some footage with our camcorder, mocking me for already breaking our pre-vacation promise not to run-run-run all over Disney World this year.

Sweaty mornings aside, We all loved Test Track. Hannah was finally old enough to appreciate going 60 mph in a convertible, and we all agreed it was a great choice for our first ride of the week. After that, we spent a little time poking around the cars in the post-ride area. Sure, it's a glorified GM showroom, but the kids had fun. Isn't that more important than running all over Future World? We then strolled over to Soarin' -- Ann's favorite attraction at WDW. The key to enjoying Soarin' for us is to get in the front row. We're perfectly willing to wait an extra 10 minutes if it means we get a view of California unobstructed by someone else's feet. Soarin' is one of those rides that never gets old. I love the huge-screen views of Palm Springs, Yosemite, the orange groves, the San Diego Naval harbor, and of course, Disneyland. Whenever we leave Soarin' we have smiles on our faces.

So that essentially covered two of our three must-sees for the day. I said we were scaling back the insanity of park touring by isolating only a few must-sees, hitting them early in the morning, then enjoying the rest of the day at a more leisurely pace. Our third must-see will probably sound silly to you veterans out there, but here it is: Honey I Shrunk The Audience. I'm old enough to remember when this theatre housed Captain EO, but I'd never seen Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I'd read and heard great things about it (The Unofficial Guide calls it "an absoulte hoot!") and figured the kids were finally old enough to see it. So we donned our 3D glasses and entered the theatre for some knee-slapping, gut-busting, good-old-fashioned Disney hilarity.

Thud.

That was not only the sound of the giant footsteps of the characters on-screen, it also describes my expectations falling after viewing this attraction. It became painfully obvious that we were watching some darn-near ancient 3D technology, helped in no way by the painfully lame jokes in the "story". Maybe I simply don't appreciate the genius of Rick Moranis. Perhaps I'm not too wild about snakes. Or maybe I'm too surprised that a comic genius like Eric Idle ("Bring out yer dead!") would stoop to be involved in this film. Whatever the reason, I walked out of the theatre terribly disappointed.

The rest of the morning consisted of bumming around Future World at our own pace, mostly looking at a few exhibits in Innoventions and sampling the wacky flavors of Coke in Club Cool (I'm particularly fond of the ginger-flavored soda from Mozambique). It became obvious that the park was getting ridiculously crowded when I noticed a 30-minute wait for the Figment ride at Journey to the Imagination, perhaps the lamest ride in all of WDW and also starring the slumming Eric Idle. That's when we knew it was time to go back to CSR.

Next chapter: the best food court at WDW and a too-short evening in World Showcase.

 

[bluehouse]

It's really easy to post pics. I'm computer illiterate and even I can do it. Just download your pictures to your computer. Then, join a site like www.photobucket.com. Once you've joined (free of charge), then download your pictures from your computer. After they've downloaded, you'll see three links under each picture. You'll need to copy the bottom link. Come back to this thread and paste the link. Hit Submit Reply and you've got a posted picture!

Thanks. I'll try a photo from the GM showroom at the end of Test Track:

(Doc Brown voice from Back to the Future): It works! It works!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm still enjoying the trip report and I'm soooo glad that you're able to upload pictures now! Hope you'll post more!

 

[bluehouse]

We arrived back at CSR in time for lunch, which was going to be at the Pepper Market, the unique food court/cafeteria at the resort. I'd heard nothing but great things about this place, and our first meal was not a disappointment. I had a simple cheeseburger and fries - nothing fancy, but the bacon was crisp and hot. Ann had a curried chicken salad that was very flavorful. Hannah had pasta, Ben chicken fingers. Cheeseburger and fries is kind of a tradition with me -- my first meal at WDW is usually a "cheeseburger in paradise;" I'm a pretty big Buffet fan. All in all, a solid B-plus meal, especially for counter-service.

We spent the next couple of hours at the CSR main pool. It was a bit breezy, and it actually rained for a little while, but that did not dissuade the kids from swimming. We did, however, have the pool almost entirely to ourselves. Funny, though: one of the fellow guests was one of my wife's co-workers. What are the odds of running into a colleague 2,000 miles away on vacation? Small world.

Each family member has his/her own must-do attraction and must-eat restaurant. For Ann and Ben (DW and DS), that's the Garden Grille at The Land. We had a 4:30 reservation, which we figured would be enough time for us to have dinner and tour World Showcase in time for Illuminations (or get back to the room for the 9p.m. tip-off). The meal was good, but not as excellent as I remember. The turkey was solid, if not quite lukewarm. The skirt steak was cut with the grain, hence very chewy and also lukewarm. The potatoes were good, but the highlight was the cranberry sauce -- I detected hints of orange, ginger and cinnamon. It had a nice spicy bite to it. The highlight of the meal, however, was an apple bread pudding with outstanding fresh whipped cream. The cream was thick and fluffy and probably terrible for me. Oh well, it was delicious:

I also love the atmosphere at Garden Grille, especially seeing the rainforest, dessert and farm from the Listen to the Land ride. In addition, it's an excellent character meal -- far superior to standing in line at a greeting place in the parks, and not nearly as chaotic as the character buffets at Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's.

In the evening we wanted to tour World Showcase. We took the El Rio del Tiempo in Mexico -- incredibly corny, especially with the added animation. But it's fun, and those opening moments sailing past the volcano are always awe-inspiring. But nothing prepared us for "Reflections of China." I wanted to see one of the 360 movies, particularly Canada. However, we began our tour of WS on the wrong side of the lagoon, so we saw China instead.

Amazing.

The scenery, the music, the entire 360 experience was a revelation. Even Ben, fairly jaded sometimes at age 8, said "woah" a few times. The Great Wall, the Yangtze River, the Gobi Desert -- all of the scenes were awe-inspiring. It felt a lot like Soarin' - minus the smells but with the added bonus of being surrounded by scenery. I truly did not want the movie to end. This was by far my most wonderfully pleasant surprise and I highly recommend this movie to anyone. Throw in the excellent mini-museum on the terra cotta warriors and the delicious mango smoothie at the Lotus Blossom take-away counter, and China was a huge hit.