henrylovespooh
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 28, 2003
- Messages
- 1,568
Just back from a five day trip to WDW. I thought it was too short - from now one I think if we can't go for seven days we won't go at all. On shorter trips I feel we have to cram so much in, and then we rush around and tire ourselves out and don't use the pool to relax nearly enough.
Anyway, I wanted to share some things from our trip in case I din't find time to write a real trip report.
1) MNSSHP - we had a great time this year, but I thought there were far less characters out than when we last went in 2003. The only characters we saw were Alice and the Queen of Hearts along the path between Toontown and Tomorrowland (and it was so crowded I wish we had avoided it); Rafiki, Tarzan and Jane, the Gorilla from Tarzan, and Baloo by the Jungle Cruise, and Jasmine and Aladdin by the Magic Carpet ride. We didn't see Minnie or Donald in Toontown, although there were lines by Donald so maybe he was on break. Only Pooh and Tigger were in Pooh's playground, and in 2003 all four Pooh characters were out together. I was hoping to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but didn't. DD did get her picture in front of Cinderella's coach wearing her Cinderella dress which I'm sure will be a treasured photo. They moved it from behind the castle to over by It's a Small World, so we're lucky we stumbled upon it. Now, characters are near the trick or treating lines so the lines get long and crowded. Often the candy lines were longer than the character lines! Since our kids don't eat that much candy and the trick or treating wasn't important to us, we let them do it once or twice when it wasn't crowded and then just focused on characters if they were interested. I would suggest that others avoid the TOT stations if they're crowded, because there is a huge bin of candy on the way out that you can hit and fill up instead of waiting in lines at the party.
Hallowishes fireworks were amazing. A must see. DH said you should look all around including behind you, because the fireworks are concentric instead of centered around the castle like Wishes. We skipped the parade because with two kids under 5, we figured we had to make the most of our time before 9 p.m., when the kids would start getting tired. We found a spot right after the Headless Horseman went by, but then after 10 minutes we decided we needed to walk around and experience more of the party while everyone else was waiting for the parade. The kids saw Spectro and are afraid of "the bad guys" so I think our decision was okay. We did get to see the Headless Horseman which was really cool.
The CMs who take the free pictures are great. DD does not like it when strangers take her picture and clams up when Photopass people appear. But this CM said something and snapped his fingers and she looked right up. He did it again, and the flash went off and everyone was looking at the camera. He's my hero.
2) The best day at MK was Tuesday. We were at WDW Friday through Tuesday (10/14-10/18) and Tuesday had no Spectro or Wishes. The crowds were noticeably less and ride lines were much shorter. The day was so pleasant. Those with hopper passes would be wise to go to MK on non-Spector/Wishes days and then maybe do Fantasmic or Illuminations that night. The crowds on Saturday and Monday were pretty bad in the afternoon.
3) Storytime with Belle is so cute! We finally got to do this and DD2 (3 next month) loved it! We went on Tuesday when the park was not crowded and there was no crowd at all - we got a seat in the second row seven minutes before the 1:10 p.m. show. If you want your child to get picked to be a character in the story, sit on the end of the row - most kids get picked from there. After the story, all those who sat for the story get their pictures with Belle. CM's block the entrance so no one else can get in line. Belle was wonderful and chatted with my daughter far more than the Belle at PSB in Akershus did. Well worth the time spent there, which was about 20 minutes.
4) Ariel's Grotto. This was the first time we went there so DD could see Ariel since she was scared of her at PSB on our first day in the parks. Again, this Ariel was so much more chatty and she looked like a mermaid instead of a princess in a dress, so DD loved it. Great photo op. Again, we went on Tuesday around 11:10 a.m. and the wait was 10 minutes. So glad we did it.
5) It was hot! I didn't expect it to be as hot as it was in October. The heat sucked the energy out of us. The water in the pool at ASMo was also pretty warm so it was not that refreshing unless you swam under the water jetting out from Sorcerer Mickey, which was cold.
6) Princess Storybook Lunch at Akershus - We liked the food! I'm not into smoked or pickled things, so I was going mainly for DD, but DH and I really liked the food. DH had the soup and sandwich and I had a dish similar to our meatloaf with mashed potatoes. A pleasant surprise. The princess interaction was not that great - very rushed and not very magical. I thought the interaction at Storytime, Ariel's Grotto and the Judge's Tent was better, although part of it was probably that it was our first day in the parks and DD was a bit shy and got better with each princess that came, the final one being Cinderella! Snow White was not at our lunch so I guess they brought Cindy in to save the day. Another pleasant surprise. DD was thrilled. I hope to do CRT next visit to see how it compares.
7) Character Appearances - when we went in March, many mornings there were lots of characters in the circle right after you walk under the train station. That never happened this stay - instead Mickey, Goofy, Chip and Dale and Donald were out in between the turnstiles and the train station tunnel. In March Pocahontas could be found with Meeko in a little shady area in between the Castle and Adventureland by where they do portraits, but not this visit.
So now the post-trip depression begins, until I can start planning the next trip...
Anyway, I wanted to share some things from our trip in case I din't find time to write a real trip report.
1) MNSSHP - we had a great time this year, but I thought there were far less characters out than when we last went in 2003. The only characters we saw were Alice and the Queen of Hearts along the path between Toontown and Tomorrowland (and it was so crowded I wish we had avoided it); Rafiki, Tarzan and Jane, the Gorilla from Tarzan, and Baloo by the Jungle Cruise, and Jasmine and Aladdin by the Magic Carpet ride. We didn't see Minnie or Donald in Toontown, although there were lines by Donald so maybe he was on break. Only Pooh and Tigger were in Pooh's playground, and in 2003 all four Pooh characters were out together. I was hoping to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but didn't. DD did get her picture in front of Cinderella's coach wearing her Cinderella dress which I'm sure will be a treasured photo. They moved it from behind the castle to over by It's a Small World, so we're lucky we stumbled upon it. Now, characters are near the trick or treating lines so the lines get long and crowded. Often the candy lines were longer than the character lines! Since our kids don't eat that much candy and the trick or treating wasn't important to us, we let them do it once or twice when it wasn't crowded and then just focused on characters if they were interested. I would suggest that others avoid the TOT stations if they're crowded, because there is a huge bin of candy on the way out that you can hit and fill up instead of waiting in lines at the party.
Hallowishes fireworks were amazing. A must see. DH said you should look all around including behind you, because the fireworks are concentric instead of centered around the castle like Wishes. We skipped the parade because with two kids under 5, we figured we had to make the most of our time before 9 p.m., when the kids would start getting tired. We found a spot right after the Headless Horseman went by, but then after 10 minutes we decided we needed to walk around and experience more of the party while everyone else was waiting for the parade. The kids saw Spectro and are afraid of "the bad guys" so I think our decision was okay. We did get to see the Headless Horseman which was really cool.
The CMs who take the free pictures are great. DD does not like it when strangers take her picture and clams up when Photopass people appear. But this CM said something and snapped his fingers and she looked right up. He did it again, and the flash went off and everyone was looking at the camera. He's my hero.
2) The best day at MK was Tuesday. We were at WDW Friday through Tuesday (10/14-10/18) and Tuesday had no Spectro or Wishes. The crowds were noticeably less and ride lines were much shorter. The day was so pleasant. Those with hopper passes would be wise to go to MK on non-Spector/Wishes days and then maybe do Fantasmic or Illuminations that night. The crowds on Saturday and Monday were pretty bad in the afternoon.
3) Storytime with Belle is so cute! We finally got to do this and DD2 (3 next month) loved it! We went on Tuesday when the park was not crowded and there was no crowd at all - we got a seat in the second row seven minutes before the 1:10 p.m. show. If you want your child to get picked to be a character in the story, sit on the end of the row - most kids get picked from there. After the story, all those who sat for the story get their pictures with Belle. CM's block the entrance so no one else can get in line. Belle was wonderful and chatted with my daughter far more than the Belle at PSB in Akershus did. Well worth the time spent there, which was about 20 minutes.
4) Ariel's Grotto. This was the first time we went there so DD could see Ariel since she was scared of her at PSB on our first day in the parks. Again, this Ariel was so much more chatty and she looked like a mermaid instead of a princess in a dress, so DD loved it. Great photo op. Again, we went on Tuesday around 11:10 a.m. and the wait was 10 minutes. So glad we did it.
5) It was hot! I didn't expect it to be as hot as it was in October. The heat sucked the energy out of us. The water in the pool at ASMo was also pretty warm so it was not that refreshing unless you swam under the water jetting out from Sorcerer Mickey, which was cold.
6) Princess Storybook Lunch at Akershus - We liked the food! I'm not into smoked or pickled things, so I was going mainly for DD, but DH and I really liked the food. DH had the soup and sandwich and I had a dish similar to our meatloaf with mashed potatoes. A pleasant surprise. The princess interaction was not that great - very rushed and not very magical. I thought the interaction at Storytime, Ariel's Grotto and the Judge's Tent was better, although part of it was probably that it was our first day in the parks and DD was a bit shy and got better with each princess that came, the final one being Cinderella! Snow White was not at our lunch so I guess they brought Cindy in to save the day. Another pleasant surprise. DD was thrilled. I hope to do CRT next visit to see how it compares.
7) Character Appearances - when we went in March, many mornings there were lots of characters in the circle right after you walk under the train station. That never happened this stay - instead Mickey, Goofy, Chip and Dale and Donald were out in between the turnstiles and the train station tunnel. In March Pocahontas could be found with Meeko in a little shady area in between the Castle and Adventureland by where they do portraits, but not this visit.
So now the post-trip depression begins, until I can start planning the next trip...
I felt like I was there with you.
So, needless to say, Belle is DH's favorite Disney character now! 
