Just back from a week in the world. Questions?

[mickey0216]

Got back Friday afternoon from our stay at WDW. Arrived on the 20th, departed on the 26th.

A few comments:
- We had a good time, not a great time...
- Fabulous weather. A little cool Thursday nite and Friday morning, but perfect otherwise.
- Tony from Murray Hill Transportation did an excellent job picking us up and dropping us off at MCO.
- Stayed at ASMu. Mousekeeping (Brenda) did a very nice job for us. Don't remember hearing as much noise (toilets, shower, bath tub, people coming and going at 1-2 AM) in our 2 prior stays at ASSp.
- 4th visit over Thanksgiving week. The busiest that we've seen.
- MK was VERY busy the Sat afternoon/evening on the 20th.
- EC was pleasant on the 21st.
- By noon on the 22nd, AK was as packed as I have ever seen it. Also did MGM on the 22nd and benefitted from a "soft opening" for the Osbourne Lights. If the Christmas music, the lights and snow don't get you in the mood for Christmas - nothing will.
- MK was pretty busy by noon on the 23rd, EC was better that evening.
- On the 24th, DS16 and I played at Magnolia Golf Course. It is very nice course, and it was a beautiful day. I didn't play very well. DS played better than I, but did not score as well as he does on the HS Golf Team. Played 18 holes in 4 hours and 5 minutes. DW and DD19 saw Beauty and the Beast - loved it. Did "park clean up" that evening.
- Went to Downtown Disney on the 25th.
- Came home on the 26th.
- Love Mickey's Philharmagic. DW considers it the best attraction in all of WDW
- Stitch was okay. Not as bad as some make it out to be. It is clear it is a redo of Alien Encounter. Ignoring the obvious redo of the sargent behind the desk, some of the theming inside of the building still says "XS Tech" on them.
- Our family (DW, DD, DS and I) ate our way around the Worlds Showcase. We couldn't find Beaver Tails (Canada). We were told that they are no longer selling them. We had Turkey leg - tasted like ham to us. Also had Kaki Gori's (Japan), Funnel Cake and Sacrastain (France)
- Enjoyed dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe. Kristy was our waitress.
- Enjoyed lunch at Crystal Palace, so that DD could have her picture taken with Eeyore. Surprised to see DS spring out of his seat to get his picture taken with Tigger. Note: DS16 is 6'3", 195 pounds.

I am willing to answer questions...

 

[mom2rb]

How scary is Stitch's ride? My boys love Stitch but AE scared me. If it is almost the same I don't want to let them on it. They are six.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'd love to hear anything special about going to WDW Thanksgiving week. Hoping to convince DH for next year. Where did you eat? Anything special at resturaunts for the holiday? Did you see American Adventure show? If so, do you think it was more crowded because of holiday? I want to know what WDW did to celebrate Thnksgiving, not just "pre-Christmas". Did you see any Thanksgiving-themed decorations? Thanks.

 

[mickey0216]

mom2rb - IMO they removed the majority of the scary stuff. If your boys are affected by the lights going out and hearing brief loud noises, it might bother them. As with AE the harness pressed on your shoulders. In this case it is done in a humorous way as if Stitch is jumping on your shoulders.

Simba's Mom - I do not remember seeing any Thanksgiving decorations. Depending upon one's perspective... the good news - bad news of going to WDW Thanksgiving week is that it is ready for Christmas. All (or nearly all) of the Christmas decorations are up. The only thing that I know that we missed was the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Epcot. From a temperature and precipitation perspective, we love that time of the year. My "kids" swam 2 or 3 times. While we like to eat, we are not connoisseurs. With the exception of 50's Prime Time Cafe (2 NY Strip Steaks, Meatloaf and Grilled Chicken), the Buffet at the Crystal Palace (Flank Steak, Pork Tenderloin, Grilled Salmon, and much more), a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner at the Intermission Food Court, we ate salads, burgers, chicken strips, veggie wraps and similar fare wherever we were when we were hungry. While we visited the American Pavilion in the Worlds Showcase, we did not stay for the show as we saw it a few years ago.

 

[erinz]

Mickey0216: You said you had a good time, but not a great time. What could have been different to make it a great time?

 

[danny1649]

Thank you for sharing your report I enjoyed reading it.

 

[mickey0216]

erinz - I really can't put my finger on it.

I can remember being in the airport heading home on prior trips and feeling sad about going home. While I wasn't happy to leave, I was ready to go home this time...

Trying to come up with reasons why.
- The parks were open late, MK midnight most nights. This led parents to try to force their kids to be in the parks too long which led to tired cranky kids and less than happy parents. When people are returning to their rooms at 1-3 AM it would be nice if they were considerate of those who went to bed earlier with plans of taking advantage of Extra Magic Hour the next morning...
- Strollers. I have 2 grown up kids, and fully understand why parents take their kids to WDW. However, 6-8 year old Johnny shouldn't be pushing the stroller, he should be in it.
- People who decide that they need to cut in front of you, only to come to a complete stop within 5 seconds.
- Rude people. We rode Star Tours with a family/group of 10-15. 3 of the female children and 1 male adult need to understand that others were attempting to enjoy the attraction vs talking throughout the ride. While I have experienced Star Tours previously, I like to hear the exchanges between the pilot and others.
- Crowd size. We tend to go every 2-3 years. Ignoring our June 2002 trip, the crowds were larger than we've ever experienced in the past. Because of the crowds, the DW did not want to stay for any of the evening shows (Fantasmic, Illuminations, Wishes, SpectroMagic).

I realize that all of the above are petty to some degree, but it's the best that I can come up with. We experienced nearly everything that we wanted to see except the evening extravaganzas.

 

[llij]

Thanks for the report on your trip. Sorry to hear about some of the rude people......

But no more Beaver Tails! Say it ain't so!

 

[the kabuki]

MOM2RB: There is another thread on this board, or the park strategy board talking about how scary and intense the STITCH ride is. Best advice would be for you or another adult to ride first and judge for yourself.