mickeymom629
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2002
- Messages
- 2,578
The secret is arriving early to the parks! I know it's not really a secret, but it's not easy to do on a vacation. I managed to get everyone to MGM on Monday by 8:30 (it was already open!) and to MK the following day at 7 a.m.!
They thanked me later! Oh! Beware! Buses don't start until 7 or 7:30, so after we waited at bus stop at 6:15 and I worried about us wasting time, we all piled in our van and drove to MK and we arrived about 7 and the park had already opened.
We just returned yesterday from 5 nights at OKW and have to say that it was truly a "magical" trip. The weather was great! We (myself, DH, DS17, DS15, DD13, DS11, a friend 17 who has never been) went with my sister's family (DS almost 5 and DD almost 3) who've never taken their kids and their last trip was right after AK opened.
Easter Sunday: checked into OKW (about 2 p.m.) and drove our van to AK until our 2 bdrm. villa was ready (sister's studio was ready and they went to DTD for the p.m.). DH and I traded in our MYW passes that we were going to use this coming summer for AP's and got the DVC discount (Guest Relations at AK). Safari was a walk on! We saw sooo many animals (awake and close!)! I finally saw the parade. Lion King, KRR (not me), Dinorama, Dinosaur! with FP from another trip when it had broken down).
Pool, showers, sleep.
Monday: Caught MGM bus immediately--had to make a run for it! Got to MGM by 8:30 and it was already opened! We split up into two groups--thrill seekers went to RNRC and ToT (DH has his own system and they got to go on RRC twice, ToT once and again later with a FP). The rest of us went to Mermaid (Ursula scared my neice (almost 3)and she cried--not the last time! Then Playhouse Disney. Met others at Great Movie Ride. We did the HISTK playground while the others did Backlot Tours. Met at Muppets. Lunch at Pizza Planet. Some did Star Tours, Indiana Jones, we all did Animation and saw Incredibles characters. DH ran to get everyone a FP for the new Stunt Car Show (?) and then we went to our p.s. at H&V (Fantasmic! dinner pkg.) at 3:30 ***I had called for my DDE card (since I bought my AP yesterday) from my cell phone after Animation Tour and they faxed my membership to the MGM Guest Relations. I picked it up when family did Star Tours****. Got my DDE discount at H&V using the faxed confirmation. Buffet was great!
Went to Stunt Car Show with our FP and that was great! Fantasmic after that (6:30 for the 7:30 show) and we sat in the right section, up at the top, on the far left near the rope. Unfortunately, the projector for the movies on the water broke and so we had to watch the middle water section.
Sleep.
Wednesday we went to Epcot and saw Crush and that was so cute! I won't go into detail about our day, but we stayed for Illuminations. We also saw Chinese Acrobats, DS11 and my little neice and nephew got candies from the lady in Japan! That was very lucky! Two other mothers were compaining that their daughters didn't get one. Saw the acrobat who uses chairs in France. I just love those shows in Epcot! Missed the Jammitors and Off Kilter this trip though. Epcot was more crowded than I expected and it opened earlier than 9!
Thursday was Typhoon Lagoon for DH, DS15 and DS11. Our friend had to take Mears to airport unexpectedly for a funeral in Mass. early this morning. Myself and DD and DS went to MK to meet up with my sister's family at 11 (definitely jam packed with people by then!). They had done Chef Mickey's. They had to catch a plane later today for home. It was so crowded that we really didn't try to see anything much. The CM's were saying that yesterday was worse! Boy, am I glad we all had gotten there early on Tuesday! HM line was down a path toward River Boat! We have never seen that before! DH said TL was very crowded, but they had a blast on the new slides and could have stayed until close, but they returned at 6.
Drove to Polynesian for dinner for the first time at Ohana. We had hardly any wait for our p.s. at 7:20, but there was at least one irate father who had waited for 30 minutes already for his p.s. at 6:50. We had Edward and sat near the back window where the waiters come out (I had request Main dining and window when I checked in). We got two trays of appetizers almost immediately and Edward and Chris? came with skewers many times and still asked if we wanted more. Even picky DS17 enjoyed it. Saw Wishes with soundtrack after check was paid. I tipped well above 20% after our great time here with Edward. (the members of our family who had gone to TL took monorail to MK to put hoppers into turnstyle so that we could all go to EMH at Epcot). We drove to Epcot for EMH in pouring rain---the first of this trip! Since we were in the van, we had our ponchos! Yeah! the weather did not even call for rain, so most people were running for the exits soaking wet! We sat in van until lightening stopped, but the rain didn't. Living Seas was not open as I had hoped. I did UoE and Mexico. Others did MS and TT. We all did SE. It went by very quickly.
Drove home on Friday.
Tips: Arrive early!
They thanked me later! Oh! Beware! Buses don't start until 7 or 7:30, so after we waited at bus stop at 6:15 and I worried about us wasting time, we all piled in our van and drove to MK and we arrived about 7 and the park had already opened.
We just returned yesterday from 5 nights at OKW and have to say that it was truly a "magical" trip. The weather was great! We (myself, DH, DS17, DS15, DD13, DS11, a friend 17 who has never been) went with my sister's family (DS almost 5 and DD almost 3) who've never taken their kids and their last trip was right after AK opened.
Easter Sunday: checked into OKW (about 2 p.m.) and drove our van to AK until our 2 bdrm. villa was ready (sister's studio was ready and they went to DTD for the p.m.). DH and I traded in our MYW passes that we were going to use this coming summer for AP's and got the DVC discount (Guest Relations at AK). Safari was a walk on! We saw sooo many animals (awake and close!)! I finally saw the parade. Lion King, KRR (not me), Dinorama, Dinosaur! with FP from another trip when it had broken down).
Pool, showers, sleep.
Monday: Caught MGM bus immediately--had to make a run for it! Got to MGM by 8:30 and it was already opened! We split up into two groups--thrill seekers went to RNRC and ToT (DH has his own system and they got to go on RRC twice, ToT once and again later with a FP). The rest of us went to Mermaid (Ursula scared my neice (almost 3)and she cried--not the last time! Then Playhouse Disney. Met others at Great Movie Ride. We did the HISTK playground while the others did Backlot Tours. Met at Muppets. Lunch at Pizza Planet. Some did Star Tours, Indiana Jones, we all did Animation and saw Incredibles characters. DH ran to get everyone a FP for the new Stunt Car Show (?) and then we went to our p.s. at H&V (Fantasmic! dinner pkg.) at 3:30 ***I had called for my DDE card (since I bought my AP yesterday) from my cell phone after Animation Tour and they faxed my membership to the MGM Guest Relations. I picked it up when family did Star Tours****. Got my DDE discount at H&V using the faxed confirmation. Buffet was great!
Went to Stunt Car Show with our FP and that was great! Fantasmic after that (6:30 for the 7:30 show) and we sat in the right section, up at the top, on the far left near the rope. Unfortunately, the projector for the movies on the water broke and so we had to watch the middle water section.
Sleep.
Wednesday we went to Epcot and saw Crush and that was so cute! I won't go into detail about our day, but we stayed for Illuminations. We also saw Chinese Acrobats, DS11 and my little neice and nephew got candies from the lady in Japan! That was very lucky! Two other mothers were compaining that their daughters didn't get one. Saw the acrobat who uses chairs in France. I just love those shows in Epcot! Missed the Jammitors and Off Kilter this trip though. Epcot was more crowded than I expected and it opened earlier than 9!
Thursday was Typhoon Lagoon for DH, DS15 and DS11. Our friend had to take Mears to airport unexpectedly for a funeral in Mass. early this morning. Myself and DD and DS went to MK to meet up with my sister's family at 11 (definitely jam packed with people by then!). They had done Chef Mickey's. They had to catch a plane later today for home. It was so crowded that we really didn't try to see anything much. The CM's were saying that yesterday was worse! Boy, am I glad we all had gotten there early on Tuesday! HM line was down a path toward River Boat! We have never seen that before! DH said TL was very crowded, but they had a blast on the new slides and could have stayed until close, but they returned at 6.
Drove to Polynesian for dinner for the first time at Ohana. We had hardly any wait for our p.s. at 7:20, but there was at least one irate father who had waited for 30 minutes already for his p.s. at 6:50. We had Edward and sat near the back window where the waiters come out (I had request Main dining and window when I checked in). We got two trays of appetizers almost immediately and Edward and Chris? came with skewers many times and still asked if we wanted more. Even picky DS17 enjoyed it. Saw Wishes with soundtrack after check was paid. I tipped well above 20% after our great time here with Edward. (the members of our family who had gone to TL took monorail to MK to put hoppers into turnstyle so that we could all go to EMH at Epcot). We drove to Epcot for EMH in pouring rain---the first of this trip! Since we were in the van, we had our ponchos! Yeah! the weather did not even call for rain, so most people were running for the exits soaking wet! We sat in van until lightening stopped, but the rain didn't. Living Seas was not open as I had hoped. I did UoE and Mexico. Others did MS and TT. We all did SE. It went by very quickly.
Drove home on Friday.
Tips: Arrive early!
We will definitely be there at opening!!
