I just wanted to thank all the people who posted on this website and whose info I found valuable. Some of those were:
1. Magical Express - this is a great convenience. Like other posters said it's not well marked to get to the proper terminal but they had greeters with signs directing you. Our luggage arrived in our room before we did. We quickly changed and went to the pool to relax after an all day flight from Canada. When we came back our luggage was there. When we first boarded the bus there was 3 of us and another family of 3. About 5 minutes later another lady and her son got on. Boy, was she cranky. AFter about 5 minutes she started yelling at the bus driver that her flight was 5 hours late and this was suppose to be an express service and she expected to leave right now. Poor bus driver. I hope she was as miserable at the POFQ as she was on the bus. Oh, one other thing, for those Canadians who book through AMA your luggage tags are sent to AMA not your home.
2. Next time I go (I hope) I'll avoid EMH and crowded days. The day we went to MK it was full to capacity. When I left at 5:00 -- leaving DH and DD to carry on - they were only admitting resort guests. I found it too crowded to really appreciate all the theming that makes it special. Plus if one more person hit me with their stroller I was going to scream.
3. Having had 4 kids, the youngest being 14 the oldest 30 (OMG), I can't get why parents have to make every moment magical and why it would be tragic if they missed something. I found that some of the things my kids enjoyed the most were the simplest things. I have never seen so many cranky kids being dragged around in a rush because they may miss something. What about letting them be a kid and enjoy the moment? This was my second trip to the MK and I still haven't seen Tomorrowland, this time we skipped Toontown too, and you know what, I'm okay with that and so is DD. I noticed the most relaxed and having the most fun were the grandparents in charge of the grandkids who were willing to just sit and let the kids run around or the ones who were leaving when I left to take the child back to the resort to recharge.
4. Refillable mugs are a great moneysaver. We used ours constantly. I had some Crystal Light in my purse and refilled a water bottle at the MK.
5. Buses - at POR we never waited more than 5 minutes. They had buses running constantly. Our stop was the last and we stood every time but that's okay.
6. The boatride to Downtown Disney is very relaxing and enjoyable. DD was in heaven at Downtown Disney -- why do teens love to shop. I found the boatdrivers to be a good form of entertainment.
7. REnovations were complete at the foodcourt at POR but I honestly don't know what they did. When we first arrived they were still working and it reopened while we were there. My guess is they only worked on the food counters, not the sitting area. We ordered room service pizza one night. It was tasty and of good value for what we paid.
8. The turkey legs at the MK are repulsive. I saw people eating them and against my better judgement bought one. Yuck. My stomach tossed and turned for the rest of the day.
9. POR - we stayed in bulding 24 in Alligator Bayou which is probably the furthest buildign to the restaurants and main pool but a bus stop is very close. It was a long walk but enjoyable. It was a convenience when we checked out though because they were able to bring our rental car right to our door. Next time I'd like to try a mansion. Our room was clean, no complaints there but they never took my tips. I left them all on the pillow the day we checked out so I hope the mousekeeper found them. One thing. There was a facecloth dropped in a walk way that we passed on our first day and it was still there on the last day.
10. The surrey bikes are great. DH rented one and 4 adults were peddling. It was a workout!
11. I found the giftshop at POR to be very well stocked. I purchased more there than anywhere else.
12. I really liked the photopass pictures. I was taking a picture by Walt and Mickey of DD and the photographer came up and offered to take a family picture. When I went online to order yesterday it turned out better than I expected, especially with the little surprise they added, and this weekend they are 50 percent off. We'll see how long it takes to arrive in Canada.
1. Magical Express - this is a great convenience. Like other posters said it's not well marked to get to the proper terminal but they had greeters with signs directing you. Our luggage arrived in our room before we did. We quickly changed and went to the pool to relax after an all day flight from Canada. When we came back our luggage was there. When we first boarded the bus there was 3 of us and another family of 3. About 5 minutes later another lady and her son got on. Boy, was she cranky. AFter about 5 minutes she started yelling at the bus driver that her flight was 5 hours late and this was suppose to be an express service and she expected to leave right now. Poor bus driver. I hope she was as miserable at the POFQ as she was on the bus. Oh, one other thing, for those Canadians who book through AMA your luggage tags are sent to AMA not your home.
2. Next time I go (I hope) I'll avoid EMH and crowded days. The day we went to MK it was full to capacity. When I left at 5:00 -- leaving DH and DD to carry on - they were only admitting resort guests. I found it too crowded to really appreciate all the theming that makes it special. Plus if one more person hit me with their stroller I was going to scream.
3. Having had 4 kids, the youngest being 14 the oldest 30 (OMG), I can't get why parents have to make every moment magical and why it would be tragic if they missed something. I found that some of the things my kids enjoyed the most were the simplest things. I have never seen so many cranky kids being dragged around in a rush because they may miss something. What about letting them be a kid and enjoy the moment? This was my second trip to the MK and I still haven't seen Tomorrowland, this time we skipped Toontown too, and you know what, I'm okay with that and so is DD. I noticed the most relaxed and having the most fun were the grandparents in charge of the grandkids who were willing to just sit and let the kids run around or the ones who were leaving when I left to take the child back to the resort to recharge.
4. Refillable mugs are a great moneysaver. We used ours constantly. I had some Crystal Light in my purse and refilled a water bottle at the MK.
5. Buses - at POR we never waited more than 5 minutes. They had buses running constantly. Our stop was the last and we stood every time but that's okay.
6. The boatride to Downtown Disney is very relaxing and enjoyable. DD was in heaven at Downtown Disney -- why do teens love to shop. I found the boatdrivers to be a good form of entertainment.
7. REnovations were complete at the foodcourt at POR but I honestly don't know what they did. When we first arrived they were still working and it reopened while we were there. My guess is they only worked on the food counters, not the sitting area. We ordered room service pizza one night. It was tasty and of good value for what we paid.
8. The turkey legs at the MK are repulsive. I saw people eating them and against my better judgement bought one. Yuck. My stomach tossed and turned for the rest of the day.
9. POR - we stayed in bulding 24 in Alligator Bayou which is probably the furthest buildign to the restaurants and main pool but a bus stop is very close. It was a long walk but enjoyable. It was a convenience when we checked out though because they were able to bring our rental car right to our door. Next time I'd like to try a mansion. Our room was clean, no complaints there but they never took my tips. I left them all on the pillow the day we checked out so I hope the mousekeeper found them. One thing. There was a facecloth dropped in a walk way that we passed on our first day and it was still there on the last day.
10. The surrey bikes are great. DH rented one and 4 adults were peddling. It was a workout!
11. I found the giftshop at POR to be very well stocked. I purchased more there than anywhere else.
12. I really liked the photopass pictures. I was taking a picture by Walt and Mickey of DD and the photographer came up and offered to take a family picture. When I went online to order yesterday it turned out better than I expected, especially with the little surprise they added, and this weekend they are 50 percent off. We'll see how long it takes to arrive in Canada.
but I really was curious. 
