Just got back from WDW-- wanna go back again and again!

[sljhummingbird]

Went on the 8th and came back late last night (14th). Stayed at the Disney Institute (first time) and bought a six-day pass that allowed us to do just about everything. It was just us girls-- no men along this time since they really can't take the pace we set. We got up early every day and managed to get to all of the main parks and all of the popular shows and rides. We're exhausted! That fastpass system is great! I wish we could get more than one at a time though. Our trip was nearly perfect in every way. The only thing bad that happened was that the weather was so hot that we were miserable (which is not Disney's fault!) and going in and out of the air conditioning made one of us in our party sick with a cold. But that didn't occur 'til the last day so we managed to have lots and lots of fun before that. We've been to WDW many times before but we brought a friend of my daughter with us this time and it was her first time for WDW and flying on an airplane. It's always fun to experience 'first times' with someone. We'll probably start soon making plans for our next trip. I'm hoping for the cruise next time but we'll have to start saving our pennies as soon as we pay off this last trip. Maybe we'll even invite the guys next time!

If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer them for you!

 

[TBelle]

Sounds like a great trip, now you need to recover and start planning your next trip!! I know what you mean about bringing first timers-- always fun!! Thanks for posting! inkbounc

 

[snuggles]

The heat is awful during the summer months isnt it! We are used to it and its still rough on us. How was the Disney Institute? I would be interested in hearing more about it.

 

[sljhummingbird]

Since we were gone from dawn to approx. ten-thirty every night, I can't really say that we saw much of Disney Institute. DI is very quiet and relaxing. I appreciated that very much after full days of noise and crowds. The front desk staff indicated that they were only about 40% full at the time we were there but they said it was really the beginning of their busy season so they expected higher occupancy soon. I went out to enjoy the pool and hot tub after a long day to soak my feet and body and generally reinvigorate for the next day. It was quite nice-- had the place to myself (and my family) most nights. There were two pools nearby and a lake. Lots of rabbits, ducks, birds, herons, etc. running around.
We stayed in a bungalow. It was not very impressive but then I already knew that from reading these boards so I wasn't that disappointed. Knowing that I wasn't going to be there hardly at all, it didn't really bother me that there was no Disney-theme, or grand design to the place. It was clean, the beds were comfy, and it was quiet. Two double beds in a bedroom and one daybed in the living room. There was only one small bathroom though. That wasn't really very good for five women but we managed somehow. That's about the only thing I'd want to change about the DI bungalows. Of course if we wanted to pay more, we could have rented one of their bigger townhouses or treehouse villas. We'd rather spend our money at the parks. There was a small microwave and small refrigerator in the room. We bought a few things at the local Disney store by the front desk like milk, soda, donuts, and bagels. (Yes, it was expensive but not as expensive as eating Disney meals at the restaurants). The lady in the store gave us a pre-printed note with phone #'s of local places that would deliver pizza so we did that one night. We had brought many snacks with us.
The buses ran regularly to all parks-- never had any problems getting to where we wanted to go every day. It really is a great system that Disney has. We took buses, boats, and monorails. Our bustop was nearby so we didn't have to walk far. I assume this is true for most of the bungalows. The wait for the buses to arrive didn't seem too bad. This is really something that should be approached with a vacation mindset. While on vacation, chill out and don't expect the bus to be your personal limo. They come along every 20 minutes or so and once you get smart about it, you know when they'll arrive so you go out about 5 minutes before which reduces the wait time. After park closings, Disney is pretty good about sending buses to the parks closer than 20 minutes apart in order to get the guests back to their hotels.
I hope this is enough information about DI. If you want to know anything else, let me know!

 

[snuggles]

Thanks for answering. Sounds like a very relaxing place to be. Just what you needed after a long day in the parks.

 

[Eeyoregal]

Any especially memorable meals (good or bad)???

Thank you for posting!

 

[sljhummingbird]

We ate the following character meals;

MK - Crystal Palace for Breakfast buffet. Took pictures with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. Lots of food at the buffet. Cute kids buffet with waffles that had Mickey stamped on them. With PS, got right in on time maybe a little early. Loved it. Kids loved it. We've done this one before.

MK - Cindy's Royal Palace for dinner. First-time for this one. Castle is impressive. No characters (only if you're lucky enough to be there for breakfast), meals too fancy for our blood. Too expensive for my taste also. Menu order only. Nice to do once but I'll probably never do it again. Our waiter was a little stuffy for my taste also. Had PS - got in a little late but not too bad.

EPCOT - Garden Grille for lunch in the land. Rotating seats. Great all-you-can-eat lunch. All the great midwest stuff-- chicken, beef, mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes, french fries, veggies. It was great. Got to see Mickey, Chip n Dale, Goofy. We've done this one before.

MGM - Hollywood and Vine - First time for this one. Average buffet. Bought this as a dinner package for PS at Fantasmic show. It's ho-hum but hit the spot for hungry kids. Buffets seem to work best for families.

Polynesian Character Breakfast - first time for this one. Loved it. All-you-can-eat served at your table. Bacon, eggs, waffles, etc. Great food. Pictures with Polynesian Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. The characters do a conga line with the kids in the restaurant. Very cute.

We didn't eat in the DI restaurant. Looked at the menu and the kids didn't see anything they liked so we ordered pizzas to the room from Pizza Hut. That went over well!

All other meals were snacks or fast-food. Ate one meal at McDonalds in Downtown Disney. One of the kids got severe stomach pains and cramping afterwards. After an hour in the bathroom, she recovered. Don't know if it's connected or not but she didn't want to eat there again.

 

[glo]

WOW! It does sound like the bungalows at the DI are the place to be, if you want to stay on property, but want to be away from the hustle and bustle of it all. I am surprised though that it had omly one small bathroom. Go figure. It does seem like you had and awesome time! Thanks for posting!