CJK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2001
- Messages
- 7,595
Could this be our last of 14 days already??? I remember before our trip thinking that two weeks was such a long time to be in WDW! Today we were meeting with another set of friends who also have annual passes. They wanted to hit the MK so who am I to argue? 
I was excited to go there today because the Haunted Mansion was set to open. Dh and I arrived an hour before we were to meet our friends so we detoured towards the haunted mansion. YEAH! It was open. We walked right in. I'm not sure if I could really tell a difference since the rehab, but maybe the stretch room was quieter? We enjoyed this ride as much as always. We got into the ride so quickly, that I didn't have time to really see the new tombstone outside. Another time I guess. We had time to go on Peter Pan and IASW before going back to City Hall to meet our friends.
What a difference in crowds from Saturday to Sunday. We practically walked on everything! We went on the HM again followed by a walk-on to Splash Mountain. There was a 5 minute line for Thunder Mountain next. We didn't even need to use fast pass today. One of my friends loves the Jungle Cruise so we went on it next. We had such a great guide this time. He joked that his training for this ride included being one of the dolls in IASW first. His parents are so proud! By now it was lunch time so we went back to Pinnochio's. I'm so used to having to spend some time searching for a table but there was no need this time. Lots of empty seats.
After lunch, we wandered over to Tomorrowland and went on Space Mountain with only a 5 minute wait. We went on the TTA next followed by Winnie the Pooh. Our friends had never been on it before. They thought it was really cute and loved the Tigger bouncy part of the ride. For fun we went over to Goofy's Barnstormer next. I've always had a soft spot for Goofy! Much to dh's dismay, we went on the teacups next! I haven't been on this one for a good 15yrs! I'm glad we learned the tip that it's best to just keep looking at each other so as to not get sick! LOL We just laughed all the way through. When it was over, it was fun watching some of us try to walk! Memories of college days!
We still hadn't done the pirates so we walked over there where we found our first hidden mickey in the ride. I'm determined to find more on a future trip. We walked back to main street to go to the bakery for a cookie. I didn't want anything to eat just now so while they waited in line, I stayed outside and watched the strolling singers. Anyone know their official name? It's a quartet. They're so good! I could have listened to them for a long time but I guess they have to keep moving. We found a table and sat and ate cookies and reminisced. We got talking about taking a cruise next year. Hmmmm. Now THAT'S a good idea!
Our friends had to get back home so we hugged good-bye and dh and I headed to MGM for the rest of the afternoon. We were just in time to catch the Hunchback of Notre Dame show again. I'm so glad we went to see it for a second time this trip. I still didn't know it was closing. When the show finished, the crowd went wild and gave them a standing ovation. I'm going to miss this show a lot.
We went to Four for a Dollar next but after sitting for a few minutes, it was rained out. It was amazing to see how much rain comes in onto the stage in the theatre. They tried to get the water cleaned up, but it kept getting worse. We debated whether we should stay for BATB (it would still go on, but delayed), but decided against it. We went on ToT and RNC again (twice each) and decided to head back to the hotel.
We had dinner at the hotel and went back to our room to pack. Now this must be the worst part of vacationing! The rain had gone by now so we decided to have one last swim at the pool. It was a little cool outside, but the pool temperature was heavenly. We tried to savour the swim as long as possible, but finally tiredness persevered and we went back to the room for sleep. Up at 6:30am for our 7:15am Mears shuttle pick-up. We got to the airport with lots of time to spare and of course as usual, dh and I were chosen to have our suitcases AND carry-ons searched through. We had a pretty good flight back and were back in Toronto by 1:10pm. There's no denying it now - we're back in reality!
Final thoughts:
All in all, we had a fabulous trip. The crowds were terrific except for Saturdays. Having two weeks was luxury for us. We were able to enjoy the parks at a slower pace. The shorter hours generally didn't bother us except for the MK closing at 6 on most nights. I missed seeing more of the MK at night. Disney transportation served us pretty well except during late hours. It was a drag getting from restaurants at other hotels or the boardwalk back to our hotel late at night. I think that if finances allow on future trips, we'd like to rent a car. On a whole, CM's were fantastic and really added to the magic. We didn't see any problems with cleanliness during the trip which we had heard had been a problem. There were lots of renovations going on but that's just part of the package when you go in the off season.
Thanks everyone for reading our trip report. It was my first effort and was lots of fun to do. It was like re-living the trip all over again. Now that I'm finished..........maybe it's time to plan our next trip!!!!!! 
I was excited to go there today because the Haunted Mansion was set to open. Dh and I arrived an hour before we were to meet our friends so we detoured towards the haunted mansion. YEAH! It was open. We walked right in. I'm not sure if I could really tell a difference since the rehab, but maybe the stretch room was quieter? We enjoyed this ride as much as always. We got into the ride so quickly, that I didn't have time to really see the new tombstone outside. Another time I guess. We had time to go on Peter Pan and IASW before going back to City Hall to meet our friends.What a difference in crowds from Saturday to Sunday. We practically walked on everything! We went on the HM again followed by a walk-on to Splash Mountain. There was a 5 minute line for Thunder Mountain next. We didn't even need to use fast pass today. One of my friends loves the Jungle Cruise so we went on it next. We had such a great guide this time. He joked that his training for this ride included being one of the dolls in IASW first. His parents are so proud!
By now it was lunch time so we went back to Pinnochio's. I'm so used to having to spend some time searching for a table but there was no need this time. Lots of empty seats.After lunch, we wandered over to Tomorrowland and went on Space Mountain with only a 5 minute wait. We went on the TTA next followed by Winnie the Pooh. Our friends had never been on it before. They thought it was really cute and loved the Tigger bouncy part of the ride. For fun we went over to Goofy's Barnstormer next. I've always had a soft spot for Goofy! Much to dh's dismay, we went on the teacups next! I haven't been on this one for a good 15yrs! I'm glad we learned the tip that it's best to just keep looking at each other so as to not get sick! LOL We just laughed all the way through. When it was over, it was fun watching some of us try to walk! Memories of college days!
We still hadn't done the pirates so we walked over there where we found our first hidden mickey in the ride. I'm determined to find more on a future trip. We walked back to main street to go to the bakery for a cookie. I didn't want anything to eat just now so while they waited in line, I stayed outside and watched the strolling singers. Anyone know their official name? It's a quartet. They're so good! I could have listened to them for a long time but I guess they have to keep moving. We found a table and sat and ate cookies and reminisced. We got talking about taking a cruise next year. Hmmmm. Now THAT'S a good idea!
Our friends had to get back home so we hugged good-bye and dh and I headed to MGM for the rest of the afternoon. We were just in time to catch the Hunchback of Notre Dame show again. I'm so glad we went to see it for a second time this trip. I still didn't know it was closing. When the show finished, the crowd went wild and gave them a standing ovation. I'm going to miss this show a lot.
We went to Four for a Dollar next but after sitting for a few minutes, it was rained out. It was amazing to see how much rain comes in onto the stage in the theatre. They tried to get the water cleaned up, but it kept getting worse. We debated whether we should stay for BATB (it would still go on, but delayed), but decided against it. We went on ToT and RNC again (twice each) and decided to head back to the hotel.We had dinner at the hotel and went back to our room to pack. Now this must be the worst part of vacationing! The rain had gone by now so we decided to have one last swim at the pool. It was a little cool outside, but the pool temperature was heavenly. We tried to savour the swim as long as possible, but finally tiredness persevered and we went back to the room for sleep. Up at 6:30am for our 7:15am Mears shuttle pick-up. We got to the airport with lots of time to spare and of course as usual, dh and I were chosen to have our suitcases AND carry-ons searched through. We had a pretty good flight back and were back in Toronto by 1:10pm. There's no denying it now - we're back in reality!
Final thoughts:
All in all, we had a fabulous trip. The crowds were terrific except for Saturdays. Having two weeks was luxury for us. We were able to enjoy the parks at a slower pace. The shorter hours generally didn't bother us except for the MK closing at 6 on most nights. I missed seeing more of the MK at night. Disney transportation served us pretty well except during late hours. It was a drag getting from restaurants at other hotels or the boardwalk back to our hotel late at night. I think that if finances allow on future trips, we'd like to rent a car. On a whole, CM's were fantastic and really added to the magic. We didn't see any problems with cleanliness during the trip which we had heard had been a problem. There were lots of renovations going on but that's just part of the package when you go in the off season.
Thanks everyone for reading our trip report. It was my first effort and was lots of fun to do. It was like re-living the trip all over again. Now that I'm finished..........maybe it's time to plan our next trip!!!!!!
