Just back from 9/7-9/13 visit

[Melissa R]

We got home last night from a GREAT visit. We both grew up going to WDW on family trips, but neither of us remember it ever being so empty! Here's a little info...

We went to Epcot on Mon 9/8, MK on Tues 9/9, AK and MGM on Wed 9/10, MK and Epcot on Thurs 9/11, and IOA on Fri 9/12.

The lines were SO short for almost all rides. Many times, we were allowed to stay on the ride because there was no line of new riders. (Only on rides where the loading and unloading is the same area, like Dumbo.) We usually were able to walk right on to these rides: Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Aladdin's carpets, Primevil Whirl, Triceratops Twirl, Dinosaur, Imagination, Maelstorm, Haunted Mansion. We had a short wait (about 5 minutes) for Astro Orbitors, Pirates, Test Track, Mission Space). Some rides had no line at one time but horrible lines at other times. For example, we walked right on to Peter Pan twice in a row, but then on our next MK day, it had a horrible line. Snow White had a long line on our first MK day, but then we walked right on it on our next MK day. Strangely, the longest line we saw was 20 minutes for the Land. Who waits 20 minutes for the Land??? ;-) Fastpass machines were not even uncovered except at Mission Space and Test Track.

We stayed at the AS Movies and usually walked up to the bus stop to find a bus waiting for us. Only twice did we have to wait, and then it was only 5 minutes.

We did child swap many times, and it always ran very smoothly at WDW. At IOA, there was one misunderstanding and the ride worker was very rude to me, but no big deal.

If anyone has any questions, I'd love to try to help!

 

[dvcgirl]

Thanks for the report Melissa R.!! I was hoping to hear that the crowds were light.

We leave on Tuesday afternoon!!! I can't wait!

 

[Melissa R]

Forgot to mention - we have a 6 year old and a 1 year old, so I can answer questions about the kids too.

We saw many characters and often did not have to wait in much of a line, if any. The character lines in Toon Town (like in the big tent) were very short and we never felt hurried. At one point, Pooh was by himself in England, so he wandered into the toy store there and played with my 1 year old. I was all teary eyed!

The kids stations in Epcot were great - better than they'd been the last time we went, although I felt like of the cast members from the foreign countries could have been more interested in what they were supposed to be doing.....sometimes we were interrupting little groups (mostly girls) of chatting cast members, and they seemed irritated that we were there. (I'll be writing a letter, it bothered me a lot.) We also did the Epcot Passport and made a pressed penny in each country.

 

[TexasErin]

It sounds like you had a great trip. Your post on MS has convinced me to let DD try it in December. My kids are about the same age as yours. When we go DD will have just turned 7 and DS will be almost 14 months old. Did you use a stroller for your 6 year old- if not how tired did he get?
Was your toddler afraid on any rides?
Erin

 

[danny1649]

Thanks for posting sounds like you had a great trip.How were lines at AK and MGM?

 

[Melissa R]

We did not use a stroller for DS6, and he did OK, but did complain about his feet a bit. However, I felt like we were all a little more tired than usual because of not waiting in lines. As strange as that sounds (because I feel like it is exhausting to just stand in a line), we found that the lack of lines gave us very little down time. We were all usually pretty tired by 4 or 5 pm (after getting to the parks at 9am openings), and DS6 never complained about heading back to the hotel at that point. Would he have wanted to stay longer if he had been in a stroller - maybe.....so if you don't want to have it be an issue, you might want a double stroller. (They're $15 to rent - ouch! - so if you think he's gonna need it and can bring your own, I'd do that!) Maybe you can take him power walking in the mall for a long day and see how he does.

Our DS1 didn't get afraid to the point of crying on any rides, but if we went on something that was dark, he usually held on to us a little tighter. He really did great the whole trip - fell asleep in the stroller every day for a good morning nap and was very tolerant of just sitting in the stroller and people watching while we did baby swap and waited for big brother to get off the big kids rides. He didn't like the characters at all, except for Mickey and Pooh who he thought were slightly less scary. (By the way, he turned 14 months on our trip, so he's almost exactly the same age as your little one. He also started walking the day we got to WDW - what magic!!)

Have a great trip. Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[Melissa R]

danny1649,

We started one day at AK, and instead of going to the safari first like EVERYONE else in the park, we headed to Dinoland first. We rode Primevil Whirl 3 times in a row - one time we got out of line and back in, but another time they said we could stay in our car because there was no one in line. We did Triceratops Twirl twice - stayed on this too because there was no line. We did Dinosaur three times with no lines. Walked on to the Kali River Rapids and the Safari with no lines also. Then we headed back to Dinoland and waited in line for about 10 minutes for Primevil Whirl.

At MGM, we only did the Playhouse Disney show (which was pretty crowded, but we got there just as they were closing the doors) and Star Tours (rode twice with no lines at all). Then we headed to the hotel for a rest. Went back at 8PM for Fantasmic, got seats in the section just to the left of center in the 5th row. By show time (8:30) the whole arena was filled except for the parts reserved for the people who do the dinner seating deal. Buses after Fantasmic were crowded, but they were sending plenty, so we didn't have to wait long to get on one and get to the hotel.

Hope this helps.

 

[bjakmom]

Melissa - how was the baby swap working? We'll be bringing our 5 month old DGrD, so we'll be taking turns at most rides - were they giving you a pass and letting you return, or were you walking to the loading or unloading zone and waiting there to ride? (there will be a group of us and I understand that they let some re-ride so you don't have to go alone - did you do that?)thanks - sounds like you timed things perfectly!!

 

[Melissa R]

bjakmom,

We only did baby swap on Mission Space and Test Track. We didn't bother with it on Primevil Whirl and Dinosaur because there were no lines, and I don't ride Splash Mountain, so that wasn't an issue. (Also we never made it to Tower of Terror, and Rockin Roller Coaster and Thunder Mountain were closed for rehab.) For Mission Space, my DS6 and DH went on the ride while I went to the exit (where there is a play area for kids and grown ups - inside past the gift shop). The CM at the exit gave me a Rider Swap pass when I asked for it. That allows up to three people to go to the FastPass line for reentry. At Test Track, the CM at the entrance to the line gave out the Rider Swap passes, which worked the same way.

Sorry I can't help with details on the other rides' swap procedures. We swapped at IOA, so if you're going there, let me know and I can give you the details for that.

 

[bartman539]

Glad to here about the crowds during your stay. I'm hoping that we will have the same luck for our trip in October.We will also be staying at ASMV's. DH,DW,DS4,DD2.

How was the size of the room?
How crowded was the resort?
Did you get to swim and what did you think of the pool?
Is it worth driving to any of the parks vs. taking the buses?

I'm sure that I'll probably have some more ???s.

 

[crazymomof4]

Originally posted by bartman539
Glad to here about the crowds during your stay. I'm hoping that we will have the same luck for our trip in October.

Ditto!

 

[TimeWarp]

Melissa - I am interested to know more about kidcot and the passport. Where do you purchase this passport? Is it about the size of a real passport and then the kids get it stamped? Are the kidcot stations for little ones? Mine are 10 & 11 - boys. Do you think it is something they would be interested in? Our last visit they collected flags at each country and we were looking for something different from Epcot this time. Thanks.

 

[Melissa R]

bartman539,

We thought the room size was fine. It was me, dh, ds6, and ds1, so we had the pack-n-play the hotel supplied in the room, plus the stroller (never folded up in the room), and a large cooler in addition to our bags. I do unpack when we get there, so the suitcases fit inside each other. I never felt like we were crowded at all. Yes, the rooms are smaller than your typical Holiday Inn type room, but it was fine for us.

We swam in both pools. We swam in the main Fantasia pool on a Sunday afternoon (and DSs played in the kiddie pool area too) and then on Friday night, we swam in the Mighty Ducks pool. Both pools were not crowded and we got chairs very close to where we were swimming. The Fantasia pool gets deeper more quickly than Mighty Ducks, so we hung out near the steps at that pool. The Mighty Ducks pool is a rectangle, and the depth of the pool is the same all the way across, so DS6 could play the whole length of the pool and be in the same depth of water (where he could touch easily and play easier than where it was a little deeper).

The resort didn't feel crowded to me, although the food court did get pretty busy every night around 8:30.

We always took the buses to the parks and never waited for more than 5 minutes for a bus to take us to the parks or take us back to the resort. Often, the bus was already sitting at the stop when we got there, so we got right on. We were very lucky!

Let me know if there's anything else!

 

[Melissa R]

TimeWarp,

I think the passport is the size and basic look of a real passport - I don't have a real one, so I"m not sure! I bought it at one of the little gift stations on the path from Future World to the countries, although I think all the countries' gift shops and carts also sold them. Each country has a two page spread, and there are 5 stickers to stick on there showing pictures of their pavillion plus a larger sticker showing their flag (in the shape of a Mickey head, of course). There is a little section for each country that is labeled "notes" where you can have a CM from that country write a note. Often, they write it in their native language, and if the country is known for something, they put that - like in Italy, they wrote in Italian, "Home of pizza." In countries like Morocco, Japan, and China, they also write your child's name in that language, and in China they put a stamp for the year your child was born in (my son was born in the Year of the Ox). They all also stamp the page with a Mickey stamp with their country's name on it.

The Kidcot stations are now set up (mostly) in a gift shop, which is better than years ago when it was out in the heat!. At the child's first station, they decorate a mask on a stick, and then at each country, the CM adds a little paper shape to hang on the mask. For example, in Norway, there's a boat, in Mexico, there's a pyramid, etc. There is also a compass shaped paper with the names of all the countries on it, and the CM signs their name on it too.

Whether or not your kids would like it at their ages, I don't know, but I did see bigger kids doing them. (I also saw parents who seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit!) We made sure to do it all (plus made a pressed penny at each country) because my son was missing a week of school, so we were trying to do some educational things, plus we wanted to have something for him to bring back to school to show everyone. He really enjoyed it a lot.

Have fun!

 

[MontyMontyMOnty]

Hi!

Our babies must have very close birthdays--my daughter just turned 14 months this week also! (the 13th)

Were you able to take the baby on many rides? How did he do in AK? I am curious about the safari and the walk through exhibits, I don't know if they will hold her interest! I am 17weeks pg, so many of the rides that are off limits for baby are off limits for me too, so baby swap is not much of an issue for us!

Our dd is just learning to walk--i.e. 5-9 steps, then crawling, but climbing constantly! Did you find any nice areas for the baby to safely stretch his legs a bit? I was hoping to find a little play area, etc. (We have been to WDW at leat 3x a year for the last 7 years, but this is our first trip with Sarah, and I never noticed baby and kids things before!)

How did your toddler do in resteraunts/ Did he have any favorites/non favorites, and did some seem more kid-friendly than others?

Thanks for posting, adn glad to hear you had such a great trip!

Samantha

 

[therealgoofy]

What were the waits like at IOA on the Friday that you went? We'll be there in 2 Fridays and have been wondering about that. Sounds like you had a great trip!


tRG

 

[Melissa R]

MontyMontyMOnty,

Yes, they're very close - my son was born on July 10th. He also started to walk consistantly the day we got there. (he had been taking a step here or there at home but waited to really walk for Mickey!) He was still pretty content to ride in the stroller most of the time, but we did let him out to roam whenever we could. The parks were so empty that we could pretty much let him out anywhere....sometimes in shops, sometimes outside a ride, etc. There are a few play areas - Dinoland in AK has a play area, and ToonTown does too. The exit part of Mission Space (which you can get to by going through the gift shop) has a nice area with a little tunnel for toddlers and nice spongy flooring for those falls.

As far as rides, he never got scared to the point of being really upset on anything. He rode Small World, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Spaceship Earth, Imagination, the Land, Norway's Maelstorm, the Safari, and Triceratops Twirl. (I think that's about it.) Any parts of rides that were really dark for an extended period of time made him hold on to us a little tighter, but that was it.

We did the walk through parts of AK and he slept for quite a bit of it. If I remember correctly, he also slept through a few countries in Epcot. He LOVED the Pkayhouse Disney show - that was his highlight I think.

As far as restaurants, we did mostly counter service, and I usually just had him share one of our meals. (He's VERY picky, so his favorite food today is his most hated food tomorrow.....I hated to spend any money buying him food that he might not eat.) One place that we did go that I wasn't happy with was the Rainforest Cafe. The prices were was too high for the food - I got a cheeseburger and potato chips for just under $10. The kids' meals were $6 each and didn't come with a drink for that price. I thought that it was way too expensive for regular restaurant food. Just my opinion, though.

Let me know if there's anything else I can answer!

 

[Melissa R]

therealgoofy,

Wait times as IOA weren't bad at all. We walked onto the Hulk, Spiderman, The Lost Unicorn, Jurassic Park, and Dudley Do Right. The Dueling Dragons was a walkon at one point in the day but about 10-15 minute wait earlier that day. The Cat in the Hat was a walkon once but later on was posted as 10 minute wait. Red Fish Blue Fish was about a 10 minute wait.

We also did baby swap there - let me know if you need the details.

Have fun!

 

[frannn]

We are taking DD1 in a few weeks and have a few dilemmas. Maybe your experience can help! DD will be turning 1 right before this trip, and we will celebrate her birthday throughout. The Dr gave us a choice of either staying on the formula (Similac Advance) or switching over to milk (and Parmalot). I would hate to drag as much powdered formula as we would need for our two week trip (not all WDW), and this formula is not as easy to find as regular Similac (although we could use the reg in a pinch). If we go to milk, we would have the non fridge/hot park issue, which we could partially solve with parmalot in thejuice box size (1.69/3)
What did you do-did you keep DS on milk on a set schedule? Did you find you needed baby food at all? What did you bring him to snack on/drink? What toys did you bring for him in the room/park? I am concerned that I am bringing too much "stuff" for DD because she has a duffel that is as big as a large sized luggage, a tremendously large diaper bag, and part of another large duffel. I packed extra pants because I am afraid it'll get chilly in the evenings. What did you feel was useful of what you brought, and what did you feel was just taking up space in the luggage? Did you take a full size stroller him? Thanks!

 

[Melissa R]

frannn,

Our DS turned 14 months on the trip, so we had already switched over to cow's milk. I actually called the pediatrician before our trip to double check what his daily milk intake should be, and I was surprised....he only needs 12-16 oz a day. (No wonder he was having such belly aches - I was overdoing the milk and irritating his intestines!!) This made it easier - he just had milk at breakfast and dinner and before bed and the rest of the day we gave him either juice or water to make sure he was well hydrated. We have an electric cooler (so it's basically like a little refrigerator), so we kept milk in the room and used that most of the time - I think I bought milk at just a few meals when we were away from the hotel.

I wouldn't recommend switching to milk on your trip as you don't ever know how their tummies will handle it. However, if you have your dr's ok, you could always try switching now to make sure the transition will go smoothly and then be on milk for your trip. I had to start DS on milk a week early because we were going to be going away and I wanted him to have already been established with milk before we left.

I did bring a little bit of baby food because he still doesn't like how raw fruits feel in his mouth. However, he ate off of our plates for everything else. The snacks I brought were little containers of apple sauce, cheerios, crackers, and little cookies (hey, everyone deserves treats at WDW!). He and I also split an ice cream bar one day....don't forget a spare bib if you're gonna do this!!

As far as toys, I only packed a few for the car, and I never even brought them into the room. I did pack a small stuffed animal that is in his bed at home, but he never seemed interested in it. He was usually happy enough in the room to just be out of the stroller and walking (which he started to do the day we got there!). I figure that he spent so much time in the stroller while in the parks, that just being out of it was fun for him, so he wasn't interested in toys. I wouldn't bring too many toys - you can always pick up a new small toy along the way if she seems to need something. I never carried any toys with me into the parks, and he never seemed to need one. When he got bored, he was usually entertained by either a snack or by holding on to our water bottles.

I also brought one pair of long pants in case we had a cool evening, but we didn't use it. I did bring a spare outfit in my backpack every day when we went to the parks just in case we got rained on or in case his diaper leaked, but we were lucky and neither one happened. I also carried a thing of baby tylenol with me every day (he had been teething) just in case he seemed extra cranky and also had Mylicon (gas drops) with me in case the greasy foods we seemed to always be eating got to him - but I never used either medicine. I carried an extra pacifier because he's definitely dependent on it at nap time and at cranky times. By the way, we never had a problem with him taking his nap in the stroller. We did bring our regular stroller which reclines, has a canopy, and a large basket underneath. I wouldn't have wanted to have to use the rental strollers for him as I think they look uncomfortable for his age.

I also suggest keeping track for a week or so of how many diapers you typically use in a week so you can pack accordingly (if you were planning to bring them with you). We drove, so I had room in the car and brought a ton of diapers because I forget to watch how many he typically used in a week.....I had lots of extra to bring back home, but that was better than having to buy them at full price (I bought them on sale) or worse yet, having to buy them at the inflated Disney prices! I did make sure to carry extra with me every day just in case - didn't want to have to buy in the parks.

Let me know if you have any other questions!