blsx3
Let us never forget. This all started with a mous
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2007
- Messages
- 137
First things first...Big shout out to the room manager at CBR!!! Perfect!!!
You could not have read my mind any better.
Big thank you to Al at Spoodles on the boardwalk. He was our server, went there on our first night on the DDP. He was excellent, even with a table of 12 he was able to take care of us. Awesome place, awesome food. Best way to get there, off season and before Fantasmic lets out, go to MGM when you get off the Disney Transportation bus take the boat that is off on the right hand side, by the water of course...To get back you will have to grab the Disney Transportation bus from the Boardwalk to DTD then grab a bus back to your resort, unless you go on a night when MGM has EMH at night…
Big thank you to Harold at Chef De LeFrance,,also did an excellent job taking care of us.
And "kongaloosh" to Julie, happy 21st, who we saw as a cast member the next day @ India Jones in MGM, so if you see Julie and you know it,,,,,,
Now down to the nitty gritty.
We're going to Disney
Day 1 (Sat)
Left for the Philadelphia airport (one of the dirtiest and mis-signed >> you better know where you are going once you get there...they don't put up a lot of signs airports @ 6:00 am, too early as usual, made it there in 45mins,,usually takes about 1hr 10mins, parked the car and grabbed the shuttle bus.
Used curbside check in, flew US Airways, why wait in line? Make sure you tip, they print out your boarding passes too, when we got our luggage it was tagged priority. Anywhere between $5- $10 is usually good, especially if your luggage is over weight, in that case $10 should take care of it.
Arrived in Orlando 40 mins early. Took the tram car, down the escalator and grabbed Magical Express. >>> Awesome can't say enough.
Arrived at CBR checked in only took 5 mins. Grabbed our key to the world and hit Epcot for lunch in the World Showcase.
Went on Mission Space > 10 min wait for the orange (more intense), on our next trip ack to Epcot I finally got my DW to get on the ride, but on the green side, you still feel the liftoff, but it is a lot less intense. On the Orange side I could feel my face pulling back a little bit.; Went on Test Track > 5 min wait.
Headed back to our room, where our luggage magically arrived grabbed our suits and went for a swim.
Headed to the Boardwalk for dinner at Spoodles > Awesome place, make sure to make reservations and then leave an extra 20 mins in your schedule in case they are running behind.
Day 2 (Sun)
Breakfast @ Resort, on the DDP at this resort, mistake, explain later in "tips" section of this report.
Animal Kingdom....must grab fast pass for Expedition Everest,,,THIS IS A MUST, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, then go enjoy yourself. The Safari Ride line was a little bit shorter now that they have something new in AK.
Went back to resort for pm swim, relaxed a little and had dinner BIG HUGE MISTAKE @ Raglan Road, the Irish Pub in DTD...Avoid this place, it is not worth it. Irish people don't/can't eat food that is this bad. Not sure what the live music is like but the food was horrible.
After dinner went to the Adventurer's Club...highly recommend this club if you like interactive dinner shows, even though they don't serve dinner. They have a full bar,,,so drink up...This is one of the only clubs in Pleasure Island that you don't have to be 21 to enter...It is however a PG 13 show.
Day 3 (Mon)
Back to Animal kingdom for: EE, have to ride it 2x for full experience. Then went to the Lion King show, THIS IS A MUST SEE FOR ALL AGES. This show rocks. Make sure you pick up the show time sheet so you don't miss it. Went to Rafiki's planet watch via the train. Great area to check out.
Back to resort for, you guessed it, pm swim.
Headed out to dinner @ Tony's in MK also had tix for P&PP......so, here’s the scoop on the party.
I need to preface the party with the following:
It is just my wife and I going as "big Kids" We really enjoyed the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in Oct 2005. The parade, the fireworks show against the castle, the short lines for the rides, and the candy.
We had the park hopper pass, plus the party tix. They let us in @ 4:00 with the P&PP ticket.
Had dinner @ Tony's, my wife enjoyed her meal more than mine, it was a flavor thing for me, I would eat there again, just order something different, and off to the party.
A disappointment;
With children the experience is probably much better, but for us;
1) The treasure stops were all backed up, unlike the MNSSHP, we only got 2 pieces of treasure because of the lines, even in the rain.
2) The parade was ok, but very short, nothing like MNSSHP.
3) "Wishes" fireworks is a much better show. The P&PP were lacking that Disney Pizzaz,,,if you like MNSSHP fireworks show you are going to be very disappointed with this one.
4) Character signing,,parents pay attention: you are going to wait 1 hour in line to get an autograph by the fake Jack Sparrow, unless you are one of the first people there.
A possitive note:
Ride all of the rides you want to, it’s a long walk onto mission space, especially if there is no one in front of you, walk onto Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz light year, etc...
Party started at 7 we were done by 10:30
Was it worth the extra $$$?? NO, not for us anyway. I would not recommend this show unless you want the park to yourself for the rides. We hit all of the majors and were pretty much done after the fireworks. Maybe parents with kids would have more fun with this one.
Day 4 (Tues)
Spent the day in MGM,,,we love MGM,,,probably one of a handful of people that enjoy MGM,,,had dinner @ Hollywood & Vine w/Fantasmic Dining Experience....Hollywood & Vine were ok, but I would probably go to the Brown Derby and use 2 credits next time we go,,,we used 2 credits on Sprit of Aloha, report coming.
Day 5 (Wed)
Spent the day in the clouds, with off and on rain in Epcot. Avoid the Maelstorm ride in Norway,,,,they changed it and made it shorter and added a couple more things. and at all costs avoid their quick 5 min movie...Apparently they like oil rigs and parades. (for those of you who have seen it you know what i mean)
This is where a "Magical Moment" happened for us, but not brought on by Disney, this was "the right place at the right time"....I literally, ran into Michael Moloney from ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I was ready to grumble and gripe about people just stopping in front of me, I look up and see that a woman had grabbed him, put her arm around his neck, tossed her husband the camera and then asked if he would mind a picture....well after the picture I looked at him, shook my head,,,then shook his hand and said "I love what you guys do" and left the man alone.
I have a feeling they were filming in the park because "Test Track" was closed for an hour, this is where I ran into Michael Moloney, when I asked CM when "Ty" was going to be done with Test Track, the CM just looked at me with that look that says, how did you know...anyway, rambling.
Dinner @ Chef De Lefrance, awesome..Thank you Harold
Day 6 (Thurs)
Had a lazy morning, went to MGM. If you want to see the car show keep walking back towards Star Tours, stay to the right, and follow the road back to NY city. Make sure you get there first thing. I believe the first show is @ 10:30. Had lunch, browsed around then caught the bus to Polynesian Resort for Spirit of Aloha. On a scale from 1-10 I would give this show a 6/7. The latter part of the show is great, food is all you can eat pork ribs, chicken, rice & vege's. Dessert was good too so leave room.
Day 7 (Fri)
Magic Kingdom; mistake, there were so many people in the park this day for some reason, the sun was away for 2 1/2 days, so maybe that had something to do with it so we didn't get to do to much. We stood in line for 45mins for counter service lunch, back to the resort for afternoon relax.
Had dinner in DTD @ Wolfgang Pucks, for some reason the server didn't seem to care for the DDP, we felt rushed. My hint here is to order your appetizer, ask to keep the menu, when you are done with the app, order your entree, don’t order dessert until you are ready.
Day 8 (Sat) last day
Spent the day in MK, much better crowd levels than Friday. Left before parade to get a PM siesta, before the mad dash out of the park to the busses.
Went to MGM for dinner @ Prime Time Cafe, always a favorite. Went to DTD to Disney Quest, its ok, but I wouldn't have paid for it if it wasn't part of our package.
Day 9 (Sun) left for the airport arrived home w/out a hitch.
Tips:
Fast Pass
I wish Disney would create a new system for people staying on WDW property that would allow those of us immersed in Disney Magic to receive multiple fastpass's for each major attraction in the parks, rather than limit it to one per major/park.
CBR
If you are staying at CBR leave yourself 45mins for travel time maybe more durring busy season(s)/time(s).
Fantasmic Dining Experience
Use the Fantasmic Dining Experience if you want to see the show,,,this made it so much easier to enjoy ourselves at the show,,they put you on the right side with a great view. On that day I would just go to MGM b/c you need to be seated for dinner @ 5:00 and you must be through the special entrance before 6:30,,if not the special entrance is closed,,you can still get your seat you just need to show the fantasmic ticket you get at dinner.
Water
Take water bottles with you,,,I've seen some people add kool aid or other items to it to take the wonderfull disney chlorine taste out of it. We would fill up our water bottles before we left the resort from the sink, then probably filled them once more from the water fountains.
Disney Dining Plan
We used our snack credit(s) for "snackfast" rather than eating breakfast at the resort. #1 it gets you to the park quicker, #2 it's quicker than having breakfast, and again we are without kids so this may not work for some. If you are on the DDP there seems to be more of a push to get you out of the restaurants quicker for some reason, this was especially true @ Wolfgang Puck's (not the express) in DTD. We were half way thru our apps when our entree's came.
Order your appetizers, hold onto the menus until your appetizers arrive, then order your entree,,,unless it's something that is going to be quick, then wait until you are just about done, or done to order your entree.
We stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort, Loved It!!!
I made coffee in the room, I used 2 coffee packets, I like it strong. I left a $3 tip and got more coffee packets…
Travel Times Using Disney Transportation
If you are staying at CBR, make sure you give yourself 45mins for travel time.
Refillable Mugs @ CBR
My wife and I usually buy the all you can drink resort mug, except this time....This resort is big. What we started doing is going to the parks for "snackfast". At CBR the food court could be some distance away so the all you can drink mugs can become more of a nuisance having to carry them to the park, and not utilizing them enough to make it worth the $$$....but that's just my opinion.
Other stuff:
Toned Down
Disney has toned down Stictches Great Escape since we were last there.....Parents with small children,,when they say it's going to be in the dark with loud sounds, it's going to be in the dark with loud sounds, they are not kidding; it is not a joke. it's going to be loud, and in the dark. Please don't have them tone down anymore rides.
Disney's Photopass
This is the first time I left my camera at home, that's right...I did not take a single picture, and it rocked.,,, now this was our third trip to Disney so we have plenty of pictures from before, but I got to see everything without my camera eye, and I spotted a lot more of the details that Disney has to offer that most people will miss when trying to get a picture. We used the Disney Photopass, CD cost me $133.?? but you get the copyright so you can take it and get them developed.
This is a pet peeve.....Digital Videographery (you are not Spielberg)
This is what I find amusing, for those wannabee movie makers with their digital recorders please don't sit in front of me. If you do the next time I am there I am going to ask you to describe the show when it's over once you put the camera away. You are trying to capture the perfect moment, but that perfect moment is passing you by as you try to focus center stage, that's the side glance at your child's face beaming with glee and singing along with the characters,,,but you were so focused on not missing the shot, you missed. Please stop trying to capture the show on your digital recorder, instead enjoy the momment, nobody is going to want to watch your amateur video but you anyway.
Shoes/Footwear
WEAR CROCS, with or without socks, we wore ours with just to avoid any blisters.
I took sneakers, my good shoes just in case, Crocs, and my Birks. We did not put my sneakers on once. I wore my Crocs everyday except one time @ night to DTD I threw on my Birks.
If you like Birks, you are going to love Crocs. My wife and I bought the Disney Crocs just because. 9 days of walking and our feet did not hurt once, that’s right, our feet did not hurt!!!
Disney CD Picture cost me $133.??
DDP
3rd time we used it, 3rd time we loved it. I wish they would give you a cup of coffee with dessert though. You used to get 2 non-alc drinks, now you get one that’s refillable, it would be nice to get coffee with dessert, maybe they can change this. You do get a lot of food, unfortunately anyone staying on the resort with the park tickets has to have the same plan.
Sept vs. Oct vs. January
I would probably go back in October; however, I think our next trip will be in December to see the decorations for Christmas. It seems the crowd levels are low during the 2nd week in December before Christmas, and we would get to see the Christmas Party.
Leaving Disney
I think Disney should have a counseling session upon leaving if you stay 5+ days. Everyone has that same look on their faces when getting on Magical Express to leave, and the one woman was almost in tears. Why is it so depressing when you leave?
Awesome vacation, Disney does it right. I would go back tomorrow if I could.
You could not have read my mind any better.
Big thank you to Al at Spoodles on the boardwalk. He was our server, went there on our first night on the DDP. He was excellent, even with a table of 12 he was able to take care of us. Awesome place, awesome food. Best way to get there, off season and before Fantasmic lets out, go to MGM when you get off the Disney Transportation bus take the boat that is off on the right hand side, by the water of course...To get back you will have to grab the Disney Transportation bus from the Boardwalk to DTD then grab a bus back to your resort, unless you go on a night when MGM has EMH at night…
Big thank you to Harold at Chef De LeFrance,,also did an excellent job taking care of us.
And "kongaloosh" to Julie, happy 21st, who we saw as a cast member the next day @ India Jones in MGM, so if you see Julie and you know it,,,,,,
Now down to the nitty gritty.
We're going to Disney
Day 1 (Sat)
Left for the Philadelphia airport (one of the dirtiest and mis-signed >> you better know where you are going once you get there...they don't put up a lot of signs airports @ 6:00 am, too early as usual, made it there in 45mins,,usually takes about 1hr 10mins, parked the car and grabbed the shuttle bus.
Used curbside check in, flew US Airways, why wait in line? Make sure you tip, they print out your boarding passes too, when we got our luggage it was tagged priority. Anywhere between $5- $10 is usually good, especially if your luggage is over weight, in that case $10 should take care of it.
Arrived in Orlando 40 mins early. Took the tram car, down the escalator and grabbed Magical Express. >>> Awesome can't say enough.
Arrived at CBR checked in only took 5 mins. Grabbed our key to the world and hit Epcot for lunch in the World Showcase.
Went on Mission Space > 10 min wait for the orange (more intense), on our next trip ack to Epcot I finally got my DW to get on the ride, but on the green side, you still feel the liftoff, but it is a lot less intense. On the Orange side I could feel my face pulling back a little bit.; Went on Test Track > 5 min wait.
Headed back to our room, where our luggage magically arrived grabbed our suits and went for a swim.
Headed to the Boardwalk for dinner at Spoodles > Awesome place, make sure to make reservations and then leave an extra 20 mins in your schedule in case they are running behind.
Day 2 (Sun)
Breakfast @ Resort, on the DDP at this resort, mistake, explain later in "tips" section of this report.
Animal Kingdom....must grab fast pass for Expedition Everest,,,THIS IS A MUST, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, then go enjoy yourself. The Safari Ride line was a little bit shorter now that they have something new in AK.
Went back to resort for pm swim, relaxed a little and had dinner BIG HUGE MISTAKE @ Raglan Road, the Irish Pub in DTD...Avoid this place, it is not worth it. Irish people don't/can't eat food that is this bad. Not sure what the live music is like but the food was horrible.
After dinner went to the Adventurer's Club...highly recommend this club if you like interactive dinner shows, even though they don't serve dinner. They have a full bar,,,so drink up...This is one of the only clubs in Pleasure Island that you don't have to be 21 to enter...It is however a PG 13 show.
Day 3 (Mon)
Back to Animal kingdom for: EE, have to ride it 2x for full experience. Then went to the Lion King show, THIS IS A MUST SEE FOR ALL AGES. This show rocks. Make sure you pick up the show time sheet so you don't miss it. Went to Rafiki's planet watch via the train. Great area to check out.
Back to resort for, you guessed it, pm swim.
Headed out to dinner @ Tony's in MK also had tix for P&PP......so, here’s the scoop on the party.
I need to preface the party with the following:
It is just my wife and I going as "big Kids" We really enjoyed the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in Oct 2005. The parade, the fireworks show against the castle, the short lines for the rides, and the candy.
We had the park hopper pass, plus the party tix. They let us in @ 4:00 with the P&PP ticket.
Had dinner @ Tony's, my wife enjoyed her meal more than mine, it was a flavor thing for me, I would eat there again, just order something different, and off to the party.
A disappointment;
With children the experience is probably much better, but for us;
1) The treasure stops were all backed up, unlike the MNSSHP, we only got 2 pieces of treasure because of the lines, even in the rain.
2) The parade was ok, but very short, nothing like MNSSHP.
3) "Wishes" fireworks is a much better show. The P&PP were lacking that Disney Pizzaz,,,if you like MNSSHP fireworks show you are going to be very disappointed with this one.
4) Character signing,,parents pay attention: you are going to wait 1 hour in line to get an autograph by the fake Jack Sparrow, unless you are one of the first people there.
A possitive note:
Ride all of the rides you want to, it’s a long walk onto mission space, especially if there is no one in front of you, walk onto Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz light year, etc...
Party started at 7 we were done by 10:30
Was it worth the extra $$$?? NO, not for us anyway. I would not recommend this show unless you want the park to yourself for the rides. We hit all of the majors and were pretty much done after the fireworks. Maybe parents with kids would have more fun with this one.
Day 4 (Tues)
Spent the day in MGM,,,we love MGM,,,probably one of a handful of people that enjoy MGM,,,had dinner @ Hollywood & Vine w/Fantasmic Dining Experience....Hollywood & Vine were ok, but I would probably go to the Brown Derby and use 2 credits next time we go,,,we used 2 credits on Sprit of Aloha, report coming.
Day 5 (Wed)
Spent the day in the clouds, with off and on rain in Epcot. Avoid the Maelstorm ride in Norway,,,,they changed it and made it shorter and added a couple more things. and at all costs avoid their quick 5 min movie...Apparently they like oil rigs and parades. (for those of you who have seen it you know what i mean)
This is where a "Magical Moment" happened for us, but not brought on by Disney, this was "the right place at the right time"....I literally, ran into Michael Moloney from ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I was ready to grumble and gripe about people just stopping in front of me, I look up and see that a woman had grabbed him, put her arm around his neck, tossed her husband the camera and then asked if he would mind a picture....well after the picture I looked at him, shook my head,,,then shook his hand and said "I love what you guys do" and left the man alone.
I have a feeling they were filming in the park because "Test Track" was closed for an hour, this is where I ran into Michael Moloney, when I asked CM when "Ty" was going to be done with Test Track, the CM just looked at me with that look that says, how did you know...anyway, rambling.
Dinner @ Chef De Lefrance, awesome..Thank you Harold
Day 6 (Thurs)
Had a lazy morning, went to MGM. If you want to see the car show keep walking back towards Star Tours, stay to the right, and follow the road back to NY city. Make sure you get there first thing. I believe the first show is @ 10:30. Had lunch, browsed around then caught the bus to Polynesian Resort for Spirit of Aloha. On a scale from 1-10 I would give this show a 6/7. The latter part of the show is great, food is all you can eat pork ribs, chicken, rice & vege's. Dessert was good too so leave room.
Day 7 (Fri)
Magic Kingdom; mistake, there were so many people in the park this day for some reason, the sun was away for 2 1/2 days, so maybe that had something to do with it so we didn't get to do to much. We stood in line for 45mins for counter service lunch, back to the resort for afternoon relax.
Had dinner in DTD @ Wolfgang Pucks, for some reason the server didn't seem to care for the DDP, we felt rushed. My hint here is to order your appetizer, ask to keep the menu, when you are done with the app, order your entree, don’t order dessert until you are ready.
Day 8 (Sat) last day
Spent the day in MK, much better crowd levels than Friday. Left before parade to get a PM siesta, before the mad dash out of the park to the busses.
Went to MGM for dinner @ Prime Time Cafe, always a favorite. Went to DTD to Disney Quest, its ok, but I wouldn't have paid for it if it wasn't part of our package.
Day 9 (Sun) left for the airport arrived home w/out a hitch.
Tips:
Fast Pass
I wish Disney would create a new system for people staying on WDW property that would allow those of us immersed in Disney Magic to receive multiple fastpass's for each major attraction in the parks, rather than limit it to one per major/park.
CBR
If you are staying at CBR leave yourself 45mins for travel time maybe more durring busy season(s)/time(s).
Fantasmic Dining Experience
Use the Fantasmic Dining Experience if you want to see the show,,,this made it so much easier to enjoy ourselves at the show,,they put you on the right side with a great view. On that day I would just go to MGM b/c you need to be seated for dinner @ 5:00 and you must be through the special entrance before 6:30,,if not the special entrance is closed,,you can still get your seat you just need to show the fantasmic ticket you get at dinner.
Water
Take water bottles with you,,,I've seen some people add kool aid or other items to it to take the wonderfull disney chlorine taste out of it. We would fill up our water bottles before we left the resort from the sink, then probably filled them once more from the water fountains.
Disney Dining Plan
We used our snack credit(s) for "snackfast" rather than eating breakfast at the resort. #1 it gets you to the park quicker, #2 it's quicker than having breakfast, and again we are without kids so this may not work for some. If you are on the DDP there seems to be more of a push to get you out of the restaurants quicker for some reason, this was especially true @ Wolfgang Puck's (not the express) in DTD. We were half way thru our apps when our entree's came.
Order your appetizers, hold onto the menus until your appetizers arrive, then order your entree,,,unless it's something that is going to be quick, then wait until you are just about done, or done to order your entree.
We stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort, Loved It!!!
I made coffee in the room, I used 2 coffee packets, I like it strong. I left a $3 tip and got more coffee packets…
Travel Times Using Disney Transportation
If you are staying at CBR, make sure you give yourself 45mins for travel time.
Refillable Mugs @ CBR
My wife and I usually buy the all you can drink resort mug, except this time....This resort is big. What we started doing is going to the parks for "snackfast". At CBR the food court could be some distance away so the all you can drink mugs can become more of a nuisance having to carry them to the park, and not utilizing them enough to make it worth the $$$....but that's just my opinion.
Other stuff:
Toned Down
Disney has toned down Stictches Great Escape since we were last there.....Parents with small children,,when they say it's going to be in the dark with loud sounds, it's going to be in the dark with loud sounds, they are not kidding; it is not a joke. it's going to be loud, and in the dark. Please don't have them tone down anymore rides.
Disney's Photopass
This is the first time I left my camera at home, that's right...I did not take a single picture, and it rocked.,,, now this was our third trip to Disney so we have plenty of pictures from before, but I got to see everything without my camera eye, and I spotted a lot more of the details that Disney has to offer that most people will miss when trying to get a picture. We used the Disney Photopass, CD cost me $133.?? but you get the copyright so you can take it and get them developed.
This is a pet peeve.....Digital Videographery (you are not Spielberg)
This is what I find amusing, for those wannabee movie makers with their digital recorders please don't sit in front of me. If you do the next time I am there I am going to ask you to describe the show when it's over once you put the camera away. You are trying to capture the perfect moment, but that perfect moment is passing you by as you try to focus center stage, that's the side glance at your child's face beaming with glee and singing along with the characters,,,but you were so focused on not missing the shot, you missed. Please stop trying to capture the show on your digital recorder, instead enjoy the momment, nobody is going to want to watch your amateur video but you anyway.
Shoes/Footwear
WEAR CROCS, with or without socks, we wore ours with just to avoid any blisters.
I took sneakers, my good shoes just in case, Crocs, and my Birks. We did not put my sneakers on once. I wore my Crocs everyday except one time @ night to DTD I threw on my Birks.
If you like Birks, you are going to love Crocs. My wife and I bought the Disney Crocs just because. 9 days of walking and our feet did not hurt once, that’s right, our feet did not hurt!!!
Disney CD Picture cost me $133.??
DDP
3rd time we used it, 3rd time we loved it. I wish they would give you a cup of coffee with dessert though. You used to get 2 non-alc drinks, now you get one that’s refillable, it would be nice to get coffee with dessert, maybe they can change this. You do get a lot of food, unfortunately anyone staying on the resort with the park tickets has to have the same plan.
Sept vs. Oct vs. January
I would probably go back in October; however, I think our next trip will be in December to see the decorations for Christmas. It seems the crowd levels are low during the 2nd week in December before Christmas, and we would get to see the Christmas Party.
Leaving Disney
I think Disney should have a counseling session upon leaving if you stay 5+ days. Everyone has that same look on their faces when getting on Magical Express to leave, and the one woman was almost in tears. Why is it so depressing when you leave?
Awesome vacation, Disney does it right. I would go back tomorrow if I could.
