Just back w/some comments - Any questions?

luvdisney999

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Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
470
Hey everyone!

We just got back from a MAGICAL week at Disney World! This trip was just wonderful! :wizard:

The crowd levels were FANTASTIC! I remembered that the week between Jersey Week and Thanksgiving tends to be less crowded, but this was great. The lines for most attractions were really short. The one morning, Soarin’ was even a walk-on at 10:00 AM! (it was a little rainy, so that’s how I explain it, but still!) We left Saturday, but went to Magic Kingdom first. The crowds were definitely increasing that day because most attractions were 45-60 minutes by noon that day! The longest line we waited in was actually at POP to correct a room charge error – that line was about 60 minutes at 9:00 PM Friday night! :rolleyes:

POP is my favorite value resort and we always have a fantastic time there! I had requested the 1950’s and while the request wasn’t in their computer, I asked really nicely and they were able to accommodate us at check-in. I also sent bottled water to the resort through Staples (since you can’t fly with liquids anymore) and the box was ready and waiting at the front desk when we arrived. Magical Express took a little longer than usual, but the attendants were playing Disney trivia with us, so the time passed rather quickly. Overall, staying at Pop Century is just the BEST!!! :thumbsup2

The weather was sunny (for once!), since we always seem to catch the rainy weeks of Florida. It only rained through the night on Wednesday and into Thursday morning a little bit. We slept in a little and hit the parks around 10 AM and the weather had cleared! The temperatures were really COOL, though! We stayed most nights for the fireworks and were freezing by 8:00.

We saw the new Finding Nemo musical at Animal Kingdom! This show is really good and well worth the time. But it is long – maybe too long for little kids. The show is about 45 minutes long, but very well done. Animal Kingdom has always been our least favorite park, but this show is worth the visit now. Between this, Expedition Everest and the Safari, I am finding more and more to love about Animal Kingdom! :fish:

Also, the new Nemo ride at EPCOT is really great. We loved the theming while walking through the queue and would have done it again just for that! I’m not quite sure I’m thrilled about the name change, though. I’ve always known the pavilion as “The Living Seas” and don’t really think it should be totally Nemo. While I think the attractions are definitely an enhancement and I love them, it’s the name of the pavilion that I don’t agree with.

We met some of the nicest cast members on this trip. The one bus driver even went out of his way to help us get to breakfast the one day. We arrived at the bus stop just as an EPCOT bus was pulling up. I thought we should get on the bus and take the monorail to the Polynesian (we had ADRs for Kona for breakfast). After heading to EPCOT, the bus driver informed us that the monorail wasn’t running yet, but that he would take us over special. He even put the “Mickey Mouse” title on the bus to make us feel even more important! Note: I thought the monorail would start running at 7 AM, since EPCOT had EMH AM hours that day – am I wrong or was he? :confused3

The downside to our trip were our fellow tourists. We met some of the rudest people on this trip that I have ever seen! I have been to Disney World MANY times and work in customer service, so the way people act is nothing new to me. But on this trip, they were even more rude than ever! We went to a Beauty & the Beast show, for instance, in which we headed into the theatre 30 minutes before the show. We wanted a specific place to tape the show as a souvenir to bring home with us. We started talking with this nice couple next to us that were also video taping the show. Well, literally 30 seconds before the show was going to start, a small kid starts pushing her way past the couple and sits down next to me. There was 1 seat (you could even call it half a seat) between us. Well, her sister quickly follows her and sits down with the little girl on her lap. Ok, whatever. A second later, her mother appears and orders the row “Move down, I need to sit here too!” to the entire row! “She couldn’t see over there,” she “explains”. So the ½ a seat left, b/c the row had already squeezed together earlier to make extra room, couldn’t move anymore. So the woman proceeds to sit (almost) on top of the other couple. The girls are sitting pretty much on top of me and naturally, since the girls were young, they did not sit still. So now my video of the show is all bumpy (think “Blair Witch Project”) because of all the bumping. To make matters worse, they brought snacks into the theatre (which is fine, we do it all the time), but then proceeded to leave all the trash on the seat! I could not believe the arrogance of some people! :furious: Where were all of you guys? – I KNOW you would never act this way!

But otherwise, great trip! You guys helped me out so much, so I’d like to return the favor. Any questions? :wave2:
 
Glad you had a good trip, I love Pop too!! Did you happen to notice what times they do the Nemo musical? I hear they do it 4 times a day, is that true? Thanks.
 
I'm so glad you had a good time. I only hope my trip in 14 days will have low crowds too. Sorry to hear about the rude people. I can't wait to see the new Nemo attractions too, my DD3 loves Nemo!
 
luvdisney999 said:
We met some of the nicest cast members on this trip. The one bus driver even went out of his way to help us get to breakfast the one day. We arrived at the bus stop just as an EPCOT bus was pulling up. I thought we should get on the bus and take the monorail to the Polynesian (we had ADRs for Kona for breakfast). After heading to EPCOT, the bus driver informed us that the monorail wasn’t running yet, but that he would take us over special. He even put the “Mickey Mouse” title on the bus to make us feel even more important! Note: I thought the monorail would start running at 7 AM, since EPCOT had EMH AM hours that day – am I wrong or was he? :confused3


Same thing with us! We got on the line for MGM (since it was shortest), and our plan was to get off there, take the bus to MK or TTC, then take the monorail to MK. We got on, and while waiting for the TTC bus, the AK bus said that he had no passengers, and would be happy to take us to the Contemporary. He put on the Mickey Mouse sign as well! It was great! Glad that you had a good trip.
 

Hi,
We were there the same time and I agree with all the points you made. Weather was great, except it got a little chilly towards the end of the week. Most bus drivers were great, but we did have one who could hardly speak English. It was very difficult to understand her, and she didn't seem to understand to much that was said to her. I also agree with you about the rude people, unfortunately. My husband actually overheard some people talking in front of him. They were talking about how they were using the wheelchair so that they wouldn't have to wait in lines. A few minutes later, the teenager in the chair got up and said he wanted to walk for a while. One of the other teenagers got in the chair. My husband told them how low and disgusting what they were doing was but they didn't seem to care. My DH wanted to report them to someone, but I didn't think Disney would confront them, so what's the point. Some people just have no class!!! :confused3
 
Well I heard on here certain show times before we left - I checked the boards the Friday that we left. When we went to Animal Kingdom, though, it was a new week - we went on Sunday. The show times were totally different. So I think that during soft openings, they change all the time.

But I do remember that on the day we were there, there were 3 shows. The first was 11:15 (the one we went to), 12:30, and 2:00ish (not sure the exact time on the last one). We were only staying until 12:30ish, since we had a lunch ADR at another park, so I only really remember the first 2.

Also, according to another Disney website, the show times are now being printed in the times guides that are distributed. It looks like they say 11:15, 12:45, 3:00, and 4:45. Not sure if that's 100% accurate, so I would check the times guide before you go. It takes a lot of time - the show is about 45 minutes long and you'll want to get there about 30 minutes in advance. We arrived about 15 minutes before the show, thinking no one would really know about it yet, and we were one of the last ones allowed into the theatre. It was totally full - and crowds were low! :fish: :fish: :fish:

Any other questions? :goodvibes
 
I LOVE to hear HAPPY TRIP REPORTS. The "I had a bad time" reports get so disappointing!

Sounds like you had a fabulous time. I loved the NEMO ride theming also! I didn't realize that the whole pavilion was renamed ... though on some level I did realize it was NEMO and FRIENDS but I still just thought LIVING SEAS! Anyway, I agree with you on that!

I was unable to catch the Nemo Musical but I thought about it being 45 minutes ... do I want to use up almost an hour of time for it since you have the seating time ... and getting out time to consider? DH and I really enjoy AK (more so than MGM) and I don't know if I will make this musical ... well maybe sometime!

Anyway ... thanks for the nice report and sorry you met up with rude people. They are everywhere unfortunately!
 
I am glad you had a nice trip.

We are never going to be able to teach other people manners. I try to remember that people feel that they are are the center of the world. We are all egocentric somewhat (you have to be to survive), must some people just take it too far.

Now I know if I get there early and get a good seat I need to squish up against any groups that come near me. I really can't stand people who get to things late and want a good seat in first come first serve.

Before I had a kid I would go to movies by myself a lot. I prefer not to sit by people. If I got to the show early, and had a good seat, people would always sit right next to me (even if there were seats available elsewhere). I learned to either accept it, or sit in a bad seat.

My example is different, but usuauly the people who sat next to me arrived after the movie started.

I've been late to shows, and unless the theatre is empty, I sually end up in the front row side. It's my fault.
 
We were also just there - 9th - 16th. We had a really nice driver. When the park emptied out the line for our hotel POR was huge but the line for it's sister hotel POFQ was empty and a bus was there. So we hopped on intending to walk from FQ to Riverside. By the time we got to FQ our 5 yr old was asleep and we didn't have a stroller. Now that walk looked LONG!! We asked him nicely if he could swing us over to Riverside and he did. We left him a tip which he didn't even want to take but I insisted. Nice guy!!
 
I'm glad you had a nice time! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. :goodvibes

I have a quick question about your water delivery from Staples. I'm just wondering when we should place our order. When did you order it?
 
I'd order it about 3-4 days before your arrival.

I checked on Staples website and found out delivery was 2 days (it may be different in some areas, though). I figured that it arriving the day before would be best just in case it got delayed and b/c we were arriving early. The box was right there ready to be shipped.

I would also recommend calling Staples directly. I wasn't able to do it on-line (my computer issues), so I called them instead. I told the rep. my situation and she explained exactly what info. she needed to make it go smoother. You'll want to include your name (obviously) and your check-in date.

It really is easy and well worth it! :thumbsup2
 
The rude woman you desribed sounds like alot of people we encountered on our September trip. Some people have alot of nerve, how rude! Anyway glad the rest of your stay was great. :)
 
would it be Festival of the Lion King or the new Nemo? (we've never seen either)

Thanks!
 
I LOVE KangaFan's question! :love:

That is a TOUGH TOUGH one!! I would really try hard to see both of them - they are both two of the best stage shows I've ever seen (Beauty and the Beast at Disney-MGM is still my all-time favorite). But I would really try to see both. If you see nothing else at Animal Kingdom, I would say the safari and these two shows would be top of the list. :fish:

Otherwise, I guess it depends which movie you like better. Both are top-quality shows! I am leaning a little bit more towards Finding Nemo, personally, but that may be because I have seen Festival of the Lion King many times before and I am thrilled at the new Nemo musical. But I would pick whichever movie you liked the best! :thumbsup2

I probably didn't help, but I tried! :teeth:
 
luvdisney999 said:
I LOVE KangaFan's question! :love:

That is a TOUGH TOUGH one!! I would really try hard to see both of them - they are both two of the best stage shows I've ever seen (Beauty and the Beast at Disney-MGM is still my all-time favorite). But I would really try to see both. If you see nothing else at Animal Kingdom, I would say the safari and these two shows would be top of the list. :fish:

Otherwise, I guess it depends which movie you like better. Both are top-quality shows! I am leaning a little bit more towards Finding Nemo, personally, but that may be because I have seen Festival of the Lion King many times before and I am thrilled at the new Nemo musical. But I would pick whichever movie you liked the best! :thumbsup2

I probably didn't help, but I tried! :teeth:

We only have 1 AK day scheduled right now, maybe we'll have to go back 1 afternoon just for the other show--I think DMIL & myself are the only ones who would go for 2 stage shows in one day that didn't blow something up. ;)
Thanks for your advice!
 
luvdisney999 said:
Hey everyone!

We just got back from a MAGICAL week at Disney World! This trip was just wonderful! :wizard:

The crowd levels were FANTASTIC! I remembered that the week between Jersey Week and Thanksgiving tends to be less crowded, but this was great. The lines for most attractions were really short. The one morning, Soarin’ was even a walk-on at 10:00 AM! (it was a little rainy, so that’s how I explain it, but still!) We left Saturday, but went to Magic Kingdom first. The crowds were definitely increasing that day because most attractions were 45-60 minutes by noon that day! The longest line we waited in was actually at POP to correct a room charge error – that line was about 60 minutes at 9:00 PM Friday night! :rolleyes:

POP is my favorite value resort and we always have a fantastic time there! I had requested the 1950’s and while the request wasn’t in their computer, I asked really nicely and they were able to accommodate us at check-in. I also sent bottled water to the resort through Staples (since you can’t fly with liquids anymore) and the box was ready and waiting at the front desk when we arrived. Magical Express took a little longer than usual, but the attendants were playing Disney trivia with us, so the time passed rather quickly. Overall, staying at Pop Century is just the BEST!!! :thumbsup2

The weather was sunny (for once!), since we always seem to catch the rainy weeks of Florida. It only rained through the night on Wednesday and into Thursday morning a little bit. We slept in a little and hit the parks around 10 AM and the weather had cleared! The temperatures were really COOL, though! We stayed most nights for the fireworks and were freezing by 8:00.

We saw the new Finding Nemo musical at Animal Kingdom! This show is really good and well worth the time. But it is long – maybe too long for little kids. The show is about 45 minutes long, but very well done. Animal Kingdom has always been our least favorite park, but this show is worth the visit now. Between this, Expedition Everest and the Safari, I am finding more and more to love about Animal Kingdom! :fish:

Also, the new Nemo ride at EPCOT is really great. We loved the theming while walking through the queue and would have done it again just for that! I’m not quite sure I’m thrilled about the name change, though. I’ve always known the pavilion as “The Living Seas” and don’t really think it should be totally Nemo. While I think the attractions are definitely an enhancement and I love them, it’s the name of the pavilion that I don’t agree with.

We met some of the nicest cast members on this trip. The one bus driver even went out of his way to help us get to breakfast the one day. We arrived at the bus stop just as an EPCOT bus was pulling up. I thought we should get on the bus and take the monorail to the Polynesian (we had ADRs for Kona for breakfast). After heading to EPCOT, the bus driver informed us that the monorail wasn’t running yet, but that he would take us over special. He even put the “Mickey Mouse” title on the bus to make us feel even more important! Note: I thought the monorail would start running at 7 AM, since EPCOT had EMH AM hours that day – am I wrong or was he? :confused3

The downside to our trip were our fellow tourists. We met some of the rudest people on this trip that I have ever seen! I have been to Disney World MANY times and work in customer service, so the way people act is nothing new to me. But on this trip, they were even more rude than ever! We went to a Beauty & the Beast show, for instance, in which we headed into the theatre 30 minutes before the show. We wanted a specific place to tape the show as a souvenir to bring home with us. We started talking with this nice couple next to us that were also video taping the show. Well, literally 30 seconds before the show was going to start, a small kid starts pushing her way past the couple and sits down next to me. There was 1 seat (you could even call it half a seat) between us. Well, her sister quickly follows her and sits down with the little girl on her lap. Ok, whatever. A second later, her mother appears and orders the row “Move down, I need to sit here too!” to the entire row! “She couldn’t see over there,” she “explains”. So the ½ a seat left, b/c the row had already squeezed together earlier to make extra room, couldn’t move anymore. So the woman proceeds to sit (almost) on top of the other couple. The girls are sitting pretty much on top of me and naturally, since the girls were young, they did not sit still. So now my video of the show is all bumpy (think “Blair Witch Project”) because of all the bumping. To make matters worse, they brought snacks into the theatre (which is fine, we do it all the time), but then proceeded to leave all the trash on the seat! I could not believe the arrogance of some people! :furious: Where were all of you guys? – I KNOW you would never act this way!

But otherwise, great trip! You guys helped me out so much, so I’d like to return the favor. Any questions? :wave2:
Wow, the only time we were able to walk on Soarin' was after Labor day in September.
 


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