Just Back - Any Questions

[karenfm]

We were at WDW April 16-22. Did all the Parks, Typhoon Lagoon, DisneyQuest, and stayed at Royal Plaza in Downtown Disney. Crowds were large, but with Fast Pass and planning did everything we wanted!

Any questions?

 

[kevind65]

hi karen! welcome back.. we just returned on sunday night from 8 nights at POFQ...how did you like the royal plaza? we stayed there back in 96' when most of the hotel was being refurbished and was wondering how it turned out? I agree that the crowds were quite heavy; but, with early entry and fasspass, very manageable. we were a little scared about going during easter week, but, it turned out not to be that bad at all. The weather was awesome! did you do summit plummet? hope you had a great trip!

 

[turbodisney]

Welcome back...

Did you check on Mission Space?...How does it look?

 

[Mickey]

How were the crowds? What time did Disney Quest open and Close and was it crowded there?

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Hi, welcome back, sorry you're not there....

Were Timekeeper and COP open?

 

[karenfm]

Hi everyone!

Pat_Elliott: Yes, much to my husband's delight, Time Keeper and COP were both open. We usually make our annual "pilgrimage" to Disney in November, and it's never open at that time of the year . We actually saw each show twice, just to get out fill!

Mickey: The crowds were pretty heavy, and that included DisneyQuest in the evening. I would say 80% of the games had at least 1 or 2 people waiting for turns. Pirates of the Caribbean had at least 20 people waiting in line , but we still enjoyed ourselves on some of the older games - nice not to have to put quarters in! Surprisingly, my kids enjoyed playing unlimited ski-ball the most!

Turbodisney: Although Mission Space wasn't open yet, we did get a good look at the outside of the pavillion (peeking over the barrier). There will be fast pass and the clocks on the fastpass were already working! So, maybe it will be open sooner that it looks. If you are a pin collector, the new Mission Space pin is out!

kevind65: Welcome back to you too! Yes, the weather was awesome - such a bummer to be back here where it's 49 degrees! We stayed at PO Riverside last April, but because this was such a last-minute trip, I just couldn't get myself to pay $200+ a night for a moderate. We were able to get into the Royal Plaza for under $100/night. The hotel is smaller than most of the downtown Disney hotels, and that is something that appealed to us. The rooms were clean and bright, and the giant roman corner tubs were a real joy to soak in after walking miles and miles each day! Other than no disney theme-ing and bus services which wasn't as frequent as a disney hotel, we enjoyed our stay. We didn't do summit plummet - had much to much fun just getting blasted by the giant wave pool

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Hi Karen. I hope you had fun (I'm sure you did).

My DH and I are going on October and we are staying at the Marriott Courtyard. In the past, we stayed at one of the WDW moderate resorts so I'm wondering about the Downtown Disney Hotel transportation. Good? Slow? Should we bag it altogether and hop a WDW bus from the Marketplace? I think the only problem there is that they probably don't have early busses (only after the shoppes open?).

Thanks!

 

[BarbaraMB]

Where did you eat? Where do you recommend?

 

[karenfm]

Hello again!

Stacy's a freak: October is such a great time to go - still warm enough to swim without too much rain and much lower crowds. We didn't take the DTD Buses because we were told they usually run every 30 minutes and we didn't want to wait that long. Also, each time the bus pulled up to the Royal Plaza as we were on our way out to our car, it was already pretty full. It was coming from having picked up guests first at the Marriott Courtyard (and perhaps another hotel too)! Although, this was a very busy time, so October might be a totally different story.

BarbaraMB: In additional to the typical Disney Fast-Food (don't want to see another burger or fries for a while!) we ate at the -

Rainforest Cafe (DTD) - good food and fun atmosphere, we've eaten at various Rainforest Cafe's and after a long travel day everyone just wanted to eat their favorite food. (walk in with Safari Club membership)

Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre (MGM) - great relaxing atmosphere, kind of a "get away from the hustle and bustle" feeling. Kids really enjoyed watching the movies and their "glowing ice cubes"-$$. DH and I enjoyed salads and burgers. (Advance Priority Seating)

Mama Melrose (MGM) - again, you feel like you're "not in Disney" anymore. However, kids didn't like the potatoe/chive bread, had small chunks of potato. After some bread and salad, neither DH or I could finish our plate of pasta! (Same Day Priority Seating)

Donald's Prehistoric Breakfast (AK) - character breakfast with a large and delicious assortment of breakfast foods. DS says the hashbrowns are "exceptional"! (walk in)

House of Blues (DTD) - Good food, fast service, great strawberry dacquaris! Daughter loved the spicy calamari and boys split an order of ribs. (walk in)

Coral Reef (Epcot) - Last meal of the vacation. Kids enjoyed the grilled chicken, fries and fresh green beans (they don't like fish). Excellent Lobster bisque, DH had tuna and I had shrimp over noodles. Very good, but found menu to be limited. (Same Day priority seating)

Can't wait to go again! Bye the way, the funnel cakes are delicious (calorie free - of course!!)