DanMedix
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2006
- Messages
- 697
Well, I have to say that this trip, like the others, was definitely enjoyable. While I didn't have the energy to do a live trip report, there are a few points I'd like to make on the trip:
- POP.....as groovy as always. We ended up getting two rooms for the five of us, which really helped with the baby (and helped us maintain our sanity with the other kids too). It's so strange that even with two rooms, we paid less than we would have at AoA. Everything Pop's menu selections seemed a bit different to me, I don't know why. They just didn't seem all that appealing. The desserts, however, were on par as usual. My birthday cake was "The King", which I recommend. Speaking of AoA....
- AoA....we toured it. Well, I toured it a second time when our Littlest Princess got fussy one night, and I ended up taking a walking tour across Hourglass Lake with her in the stroller.
It seems cool. But the main pool area looks very crowded with the "Don't-Let-Anyone-Else-Swim-In-Our-Pool" fences up. The food court's selections didn't seem too appealing to my family.
- Crowds.....larger than I was hoping for. (I LOOSELY took TP's daily advice from their crowd calendar) Lots more Brazilian tour groups...and on a couple of days saw groups of (....I can't put this any more politically correct than this...) "Red Shirts" (in red shirts). Not just one or two, but multiple groups of at least a dozen people. I'm not hatin' - I'm just sayin' that it felt more like June than October at some points. Nothing inappropriate at all, just thought it was worth mentioning. On an unrelated note, I did note that many of the other guests were a bit on the rude side, moreso than in previous visits. (not the CM's, they were terrific!) I know that F&WF made the Epcot crowds thicker all the way around. On that note....
- F&WF.....I liked the selections. The Japanese hand roll was a particular fave of mine. I was also able to walk the kids through the former WoL pavillion, and show them where the older attractions used to be (snif snif). Not a great deal of drunkenness, but a couple of individuals that imbibe too much is always to be expected whenever anything like this takes place. Nothing too bad, tho.
- Going with a baby.......yes, you do need a different mindset while traveling with an infant. The Baby Care Centers are definitely a help. The CM's there are awesome, and very helpful. DW seemed to like MK's and Epcot's better than the others (the one in DHS seemed a bit cramped to her), but they were all suited to a mommy's (and baby's) needs. Rider Swap is a MUST! Also, all of the CM's in all of the parks were very accommodating, or at the very least understanding.
- MK....I didn't get to peek at the Belle/Gaston area, but our Littlest Princess seemed to like IASW a lot! The Move It, Shake It parade was kinda fun to watch while eating at Casey's (their BBQ dog is also a must-do). But a couple of things in the parade almost produced a bbq-dog-spit-take from me. There I was, eating, when I overhear the emcee of the parade announcing some of the characters. Mickey...yes...Minnie...yes...Frozone...sure....then I hear it... "THE RESCUE RANGERS - CHIP AND DALE!!!!"...
....say WHAT???? They advertised them as the Rescue Rangers?!?!?!!? Suh-WEEEET! I look up, to see BALOO in his TAILSPIN outfit! Could we be seeing a Disney Afternoon Revival????? (This thought was furthered by my seeing a DuckTales t-shirt!!)
(...ah-WOOOOO-ooh!)
- MNSSHP.....fun, of course, but not as fun as the previous party we'd been to back in '07. We got a sitter for this one for LP. (BTW, the sitter we got from Kids Night Out was awesome!! I'd recommend them) This one seemed a bit more crowded than the "sold out" one in '07, for some reason. One thing I noticed was that they were a little more restrained on their candy. One CM actually gave each person ONE box of RAISINS each. (I mean, really??) The trick-or-treat areas were also different. But, it was still a good time.
- DHS....I hadn't realized that now you have to sign up to be a part of Jedi Training Academy. Not a problem for me, as I know the logistical nightmare that the picking of random kids (the way it used to be) can be. But now, please be aware that at rope drop here, the mad dash splits - one part goes to TSMM, the other to the sign-up for JTA. We did the dash at rope drop one day, got there about 10 minutes after opening, and was told that they were then signing up for 4pm. Keep this in mind if you're wanting to do this.
- Epcot ....yes, Soarin' does need a new video (or perhaps just the old one in HD?). I was able to get my mitts on some of the 30 yr anniversary swag, which I was very thankful for.
- AK.....a nice way to celebrate my birthday. I highly recommend the character breakfast at Tusker House. The characters spent some decent time for pics (even with the baby!), and the food and atmosphere were great (....ok, I don't know exactly what the mango-chutney-salsa stuff was, and I wasn't expecting it to have onions in it, but it was AWESOME atop a Mickey Waffle (...hey, Chef don't judge...) )
- WDW transportation......my two cents worth on transportation is this: If you're traveling with an infant, it may be worth it to drive yourselves around, if you have a vehicle....and can get yourself around using their signage. (it's really not that difficult). We saved ourselves the hassle of lugging the stroller and baby onto the buses. (And this is where being a AAA member helped...coughcoughDIAMONDPARKINGcoughcough) The monorails were usually packed, but manageable.
- DDP......the biggest problem we had was with our DS (who is 9). He usually eats the same food and portions that the rest of us have (well, not the baby, but...you know what I mean). Much of the stuff on the kids' menu just wasn't appealing to him (there's only so much you can take of Crustables and chicken nuggets). We ended up paying out of pocket for adult menu items for him much of the time, leaving us with unused kids' TS and QS credits. Yeah, yeah, this was OUR choice, and we could have called him an "adult" when we booked it (thereby raising our ticket prices too). But, it's just something else to consider when booking. Other than this, the portions were big, as usual. I just wish we could have gotten an appetizer instead of the dessert each time.
A good time was had by all, of course. Even LP enjoyed herself, with all the exciting new visuals, sounds, smells, etc (..and she got a taste of Sci-Fi's chocolate shake, which she loved!). We've already lightly discussed our next trip. But, by then LP will be older, and oldest DD will be in high school! (..dang I feel old...)
- POP.....as groovy as always. We ended up getting two rooms for the five of us, which really helped with the baby (and helped us maintain our sanity with the other kids too). It's so strange that even with two rooms, we paid less than we would have at AoA. Everything Pop's menu selections seemed a bit different to me, I don't know why. They just didn't seem all that appealing. The desserts, however, were on par as usual. My birthday cake was "The King", which I recommend. Speaking of AoA....
- AoA....we toured it. Well, I toured it a second time when our Littlest Princess got fussy one night, and I ended up taking a walking tour across Hourglass Lake with her in the stroller.
It seems cool. But the main pool area looks very crowded with the "Don't-Let-Anyone-Else-Swim-In-Our-Pool" fences up. The food court's selections didn't seem too appealing to my family. - Crowds.....larger than I was hoping for. (I LOOSELY took TP's daily advice from their crowd calendar) Lots more Brazilian tour groups...and on a couple of days saw groups of (....I can't put this any more politically correct than this...) "Red Shirts" (in red shirts). Not just one or two, but multiple groups of at least a dozen people. I'm not hatin' - I'm just sayin' that it felt more like June than October at some points. Nothing inappropriate at all, just thought it was worth mentioning. On an unrelated note, I did note that many of the other guests were a bit on the rude side, moreso than in previous visits. (not the CM's, they were terrific!) I know that F&WF made the Epcot crowds thicker all the way around. On that note....
- F&WF.....I liked the selections. The Japanese hand roll was a particular fave of mine. I was also able to walk the kids through the former WoL pavillion, and show them where the older attractions used to be (snif snif). Not a great deal of drunkenness, but a couple of individuals that imbibe too much is always to be expected whenever anything like this takes place. Nothing too bad, tho.
- Going with a baby.......yes, you do need a different mindset while traveling with an infant. The Baby Care Centers are definitely a help. The CM's there are awesome, and very helpful. DW seemed to like MK's and Epcot's better than the others (the one in DHS seemed a bit cramped to her), but they were all suited to a mommy's (and baby's) needs. Rider Swap is a MUST! Also, all of the CM's in all of the parks were very accommodating, or at the very least understanding.
- MK....I didn't get to peek at the Belle/Gaston area, but our Littlest Princess seemed to like IASW a lot! The Move It, Shake It parade was kinda fun to watch while eating at Casey's (their BBQ dog is also a must-do). But a couple of things in the parade almost produced a bbq-dog-spit-take from me. There I was, eating, when I overhear the emcee of the parade announcing some of the characters. Mickey...yes...Minnie...yes...Frozone...sure....then I hear it... "THE RESCUE RANGERS - CHIP AND DALE!!!!"...
....say WHAT???? They advertised them as the Rescue Rangers?!?!?!!? Suh-WEEEET! I look up, to see BALOO in his TAILSPIN outfit! Could we be seeing a Disney Afternoon Revival????? (This thought was furthered by my seeing a DuckTales t-shirt!!)
(...ah-WOOOOO-ooh!)
- MNSSHP.....fun, of course, but not as fun as the previous party we'd been to back in '07. We got a sitter for this one for LP. (BTW, the sitter we got from Kids Night Out was awesome!! I'd recommend them) This one seemed a bit more crowded than the "sold out" one in '07, for some reason. One thing I noticed was that they were a little more restrained on their candy. One CM actually gave each person ONE box of RAISINS each. (I mean, really??) The trick-or-treat areas were also different. But, it was still a good time.
- DHS....I hadn't realized that now you have to sign up to be a part of Jedi Training Academy. Not a problem for me, as I know the logistical nightmare that the picking of random kids (the way it used to be) can be. But now, please be aware that at rope drop here, the mad dash splits - one part goes to TSMM, the other to the sign-up for JTA. We did the dash at rope drop one day, got there about 10 minutes after opening, and was told that they were then signing up for 4pm. Keep this in mind if you're wanting to do this.
- Epcot ....yes, Soarin' does need a new video (or perhaps just the old one in HD?). I was able to get my mitts on some of the 30 yr anniversary swag, which I was very thankful for.
- AK.....a nice way to celebrate my birthday. I highly recommend the character breakfast at Tusker House. The characters spent some decent time for pics (even with the baby!), and the food and atmosphere were great (....ok, I don't know exactly what the mango-chutney-salsa stuff was, and I wasn't expecting it to have onions in it, but it was AWESOME atop a Mickey Waffle (...hey, Chef don't judge...) )
- WDW transportation......my two cents worth on transportation is this: If you're traveling with an infant, it may be worth it to drive yourselves around, if you have a vehicle....and can get yourself around using their signage. (it's really not that difficult). We saved ourselves the hassle of lugging the stroller and baby onto the buses. (And this is where being a AAA member helped...coughcoughDIAMONDPARKINGcoughcough) The monorails were usually packed, but manageable.
- DDP......the biggest problem we had was with our DS (who is 9). He usually eats the same food and portions that the rest of us have (well, not the baby, but...you know what I mean). Much of the stuff on the kids' menu just wasn't appealing to him (there's only so much you can take of Crustables and chicken nuggets). We ended up paying out of pocket for adult menu items for him much of the time, leaving us with unused kids' TS and QS credits. Yeah, yeah, this was OUR choice, and we could have called him an "adult" when we booked it (thereby raising our ticket prices too). But, it's just something else to consider when booking. Other than this, the portions were big, as usual. I just wish we could have gotten an appetizer instead of the dessert each time.
A good time was had by all, of course. Even LP enjoyed herself, with all the exciting new visuals, sounds, smells, etc (..and she got a taste of Sci-Fi's chocolate shake, which she loved!). We've already lightly discussed our next trip. But, by then LP will be older, and oldest DD will be in high school! (..dang I feel old...)
I was, like, picturing myself, sitting there, mind wanderin', half listenin' to the emcee. I was with you! Mickey....Goofy....Frozone.....RESCUE RANGERS!??!?!?! I would have had the same reaction as you!! Rescue Rangers?!?!!? Seriously? Duck Tales, too?????? That would be cool, man.....
Now I know I'm not the only one who LOVES these cartoons!!!! Disney definately needs to bring these back, because ALL of the shows that are on now, except Disney Junior, are TERRIBLE!!!
I am SO on board with that!!!
