Just got home, My notes....

[Hutch]

We just finished unpacking from our trip. We arrived at CBR on Friday the 16th but did not go to any parks until Saturday. Saturday morning we got a "late" start and arrived at MK at about 9:00am. We entered the park and got right on the Train at the station. We got off at the Splash Mt stop. By 10:00 am we had ridden Splash MT, Big Thunder Mt Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, Small world and Dumbo and never used a Fast Pass.

We found the crowds very managable. We only Fast Passed Space MT and Buzz light year. The stand by time on both those rides were 35 minutes at the time but we didnt want to wait in the lines.

Heres a hint for AK. Get there for opening and take the Safari right away. The longer in the day it gets the further back into the shade the animals go. Oh yeah, We rode Kali river rapids three times in a row and never used a Fast Pass.

We found a Hidden Mickey in Dino land and I'm going to check the Hidden Mickey site to see if anybody else has found it. Its very clever.

Now, People are worried about Mission Space. Dont be. As for fit, I'm 6-1, 255lbs and I was fine. You really dont know your spinning and the ride is probably the best ride in the Park.

Rocking Roller coaster is a must. Very smooth and fast. We rode that three times in a row. My Daughter and I used two fast passes and stood in a 45 minute line for it.

Tower of Terror is killer!! They changed it so no two rides are alike..or so they say. Gotta do that one at least twice..we did it three times.

The biggest waits we had were for the Rockin coaster and Tower of Terror.

Had a blast and are now counting down until Thanksgiving o5 for the next visit..
Any other questions feel free to ask. I may be able to answer them while they are fresh in my 41 yo brain......

 

[GinaNJ415]

Just wondering if you had any PS scheduled for dining and if so did you still have a long wait to be seated?

 

[Hutch]

Yes, We did a dinner at Chef Mickeys and we were there 20 minutes early. They sat us 10 minutes before our seating time. No problem there.

We also did breakfast at the Poly and were seated right on our seating time. Lines were not bad as far as we saw.

 

[GinaNJ415]

We are not good at getting up really early and getting our butts out to the parks. This time of year do you think its going to be a problem? My kids are 2 1/2 & 3 1/2. Realistically they'd never make it a full day in any park so my thought is to let them sleep in the a.m. and get to the parks around 11:00. Do you think this is a bad idea? We are not staying on Disney property. We are staying at the Marriott Grande Vista Vacation Resort 8 miles away.
Any tips or strategies you have would be great! Thanks.

GINA

 

[Hutch]

I would do the early thing. My 4yo daughter was done by 12:00 noon too. My wife brought her back to the hotel and it was for the best. We tried to push her the first day and paid the price. She got UGLY.

Get to the park before opening and work from the back to the front. Use the train to get back there quickly. You'll get mot of the big rides done before the crowds get too bad. Be carefull with the Haunted Mansion, my 4yo was bothered by it.

 

[CanadaPT]

Hi Gina,
I'd say that the time you may have saved with the kids in the a.m. by sleeping in will be spent waiting in lines. If possible, maybe you could get up earlier, therefore letting you leave the parks halfway through the day for a nap and return later if the kids are up for it?

 

[Harambe]

Sounds like you had a good trip, Hutch! And you weren't bothered by Mission Space? Didn't feel closed in? It just looks so scary to me! LOL!

 

[Gluman11]

Nice work Hutch..................


I love hearing other people's details like that.........

 

[plutosgirl]

Hutch-

Wow, sounds like the perfect trip! I so can't wait to go. We are also staying at the CBR...how did you like it? What building were you in and how was the bus service?

I've heard a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. There are 8 of us going (2 families of 4) and we thought that it may be a nice "island vacation" from our "disney vacation" when the kids need a break.

Any info you can offer would be great!

Thanks I'm so excited

 

[GinaNJ415]

Thanks for your advice. Everybit has helped. Not only the discussion boards but all the other info on this awesome website!
Hopefully the crowds will be a bit reduced now since the Easter break...although some schools still have next week off in this area. Will try to be up and out to the parks at least by 10!

 

[Hutch]

We stayed at Trinidad North. It was a nice easy walk to Old Port Royale. We had a rentacar and drove to the parks most of the time. You are so close to Epcot and MGM, why wait for a Bus? We did use the bus system when my 4yo got tired, she and Mom would take the bus back to CBR and I'd drive back later with my 12yo.

The Bus queue is very full when the Parks close but we only waited through two buses and the wait between them was only 10 minutes or so.

Perfect trip? No, we had some trouble in Epcot on the test track but that story is in another thread.

Go to the parks before opening, work from the back to the front, Bring your own water and snacks and have a blast!

Mission Space, didnt bother My 12yo or I at all. Like I said, 6-1 and 255 and I was fine. You really shouldnt worry about it. Its a different, strange feeling but nothing that should bother you. I did however notice the "air sickness" bags that they have mounted on the console in front of each rider. We didnt need them.

 

[QuickGold]

Sounds like you had a great time. And I'm happy to see you've "discovered" Rock 'n' Roller Coaster & Tower of Terror