rhawkins31
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2011
- Messages
- 13
I did my first Disney vacation in 11 years last September to celebrate my bday, and the first one I've paid for!
I don't know how good a deal this was, but Will (friend since grade school) and I went for about $800 each. That included a flight from Manchester NH, five nights at All Star Music, the Regular Disney dining plan, 6 day pass to the parks and bus transport to and from the airport. Don't know how we could have done it much cheaper (though if anyone has any ideas, I want to go back next year).
First day we got the airport for a flight that took off at 6:30am. We got to All Star Music around 10:30 and I figured we'd probably end up waiting till 3pm for our room. To my shock it was ready then and there and off went to unpack, then to Epcot for our first day.
The park was not at all crowded. We were able to plow through all of Epcot minus a few rides by late afternoon. Lunch was a nice chicken and rice counter service meal at the place by Living with the Land (names are a bit off, I don't have my Disney travel book with me as I write this!) that was a surprising hit. Dinner was Teppan Edo, having been booked a few months earlier. We sat next to a regular Disney family, called the Keatons, and proceeded to annoy the heck out of them! It wasn't on purpose, Will was initially just trying to be friendly and by the time he had worked out they wanted to be left alone I had a few too many sakis in me and continued a conversation. We left Epcot around 10pm having done virtually the entire park.
Will has a weak stomach, so he had to do Soaring w his eyes closed. He handled Test Track though which shocked me. I didn't have the guts myself to the G Force version of Mission Space, but found the regular one pretty decent. It was my birthday that day and god, everyone wished me a happy birthday. I also cracked Donald Duck up. Before me he was mobbed by about 10 uncontrolled little children and nearly beaten up! When I showed up I smiled and said I was a little old for this but there was only one of me at least! He couldn't stop laughing at that.
Returned to the hotel for a very relaxing pool dip (here in MA pool season is......short) and crashed by about midnight, a long day since we left for the airport at 5am.
Next day was the Magic Kingdom. We basically did everything except Future World. I finally got to meet Mickey Mouse. Long story short he had been "out" every day in my previous 3 visits to the kingdom, starting way back in 88. Of the rides I adore Pirates and the Haunted Mansion the most, and it was nice to see the original Tikki birds back. Lunch was a great fried fish and chips at Columbia House, and dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. One odd thing though, we walked and walked and walked as you do at Disney. The heat wasn't too bad, I kept myself hydrated and took breaks. But despite all this effort I really never needed to eat much. I usually am a big eater but at Disney left a lot of food and it was all good.
At night it was Mickey's NSSHHP. The place was insanely packed! Will is not a crowd person so we left around 10pm. My own personal goal though was met. Captain Hook is my favorite Disney character and this was the only time of the year to meet him! And Will somehow picked the right line to meet the good Captain. We also met Frodo and amused him by acting more stuck up than him!
Originally day 3 was supposed to be Epcot day 2. But having mostly finished Epcot on day 1, we went to DHS instead. Unfortunately it was PACKED and the hottest day of the trip. I adore SW so the new ride was great (does the video change every day?) but Will couldn't do Twilight, Rock and roll Coaster (I didn't either) or Star Tours. Muppets is great, one of my personal favorites, and the new (to me) Toy Story ride was amazing. Just wish it was possible to do it more than 1 time in a day. Lunch was a GREAT burger at the commisary (oddly enough when I asked an employee there about an indoor lunch she had never heard of the place). We traveled to Animal Kingdom lodge for another great dinner at Bomas's. But again, my normal appetite was gone and I ate less than half of what I would have had normally.
For day 4 we decided to go back and do a late Epcot, not getting there till around 1pm. Unfortunately both meals were a bust. Lunch this time was the same place, but not as good. We did have some good drinks at the Rose and Crown pub, but dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh was not really my thing. I know I can plan it better next time, think I will do another resort dinner, use 2 meal credits this time and buy 1 dinner of my own. The highlight of the day was this bizarre family we encountered at the Maelstrom ride, after holding it up for 15 minutes to pick their seating order, they had a ferocious debate as to whether or not the exit and the entrance of the ride was the same place!!!
Our last full day was a second trip to the Magic Kingdom. Lunch was so so at Cosmic Ray's but Tomorrowland was great. Unfortunately at 3pm in started to rain. This made it impossible to do Splash Mountain again as the rain stayed until 7pm. We actually did the HM and Pirates 5 times each that day, looking for new things each time! Also when the HM ride slows WHY, WHY does a Disney employee have to tell you that. They have the host do that and it keeps the mood but the Disney employee saying the exact same thing ruins it! Dinner was the Crystal Palace, a great meal made perfect by Tigger acting like the happiest Tigger in the world to see me (I was a teacher once, and vaguely remember a student telling me his dream was to play Tigger at the MK so I wonder???????)
Our final day was at Animal Kingdom. It was pretty light so we finished up by around 1pm, traveled to Downtown Disney for a Captain Jack dinner farewell, got to the airport around 5 and back at NH at 11am thanks to some delays.
Overall a wonderful trip. I plan on going back fall of 2013 hopefully everything cept 7 Dwarfs is done by then. Think I would do the same hotel, as I am not a stay at the hotel person. One thing seems odd. Is it possible for a party to book 2 rooms near each other? OR would you be able to fit 4 adults (we need 2 bedrooms) in a family suite and that cost less?
I don't know how good a deal this was, but Will (friend since grade school) and I went for about $800 each. That included a flight from Manchester NH, five nights at All Star Music, the Regular Disney dining plan, 6 day pass to the parks and bus transport to and from the airport. Don't know how we could have done it much cheaper (though if anyone has any ideas, I want to go back next year).
First day we got the airport for a flight that took off at 6:30am. We got to All Star Music around 10:30 and I figured we'd probably end up waiting till 3pm for our room. To my shock it was ready then and there and off went to unpack, then to Epcot for our first day.
The park was not at all crowded. We were able to plow through all of Epcot minus a few rides by late afternoon. Lunch was a nice chicken and rice counter service meal at the place by Living with the Land (names are a bit off, I don't have my Disney travel book with me as I write this!) that was a surprising hit. Dinner was Teppan Edo, having been booked a few months earlier. We sat next to a regular Disney family, called the Keatons, and proceeded to annoy the heck out of them! It wasn't on purpose, Will was initially just trying to be friendly and by the time he had worked out they wanted to be left alone I had a few too many sakis in me and continued a conversation. We left Epcot around 10pm having done virtually the entire park.
Will has a weak stomach, so he had to do Soaring w his eyes closed. He handled Test Track though which shocked me. I didn't have the guts myself to the G Force version of Mission Space, but found the regular one pretty decent. It was my birthday that day and god, everyone wished me a happy birthday. I also cracked Donald Duck up. Before me he was mobbed by about 10 uncontrolled little children and nearly beaten up! When I showed up I smiled and said I was a little old for this but there was only one of me at least! He couldn't stop laughing at that.
Returned to the hotel for a very relaxing pool dip (here in MA pool season is......short) and crashed by about midnight, a long day since we left for the airport at 5am.
Next day was the Magic Kingdom. We basically did everything except Future World. I finally got to meet Mickey Mouse. Long story short he had been "out" every day in my previous 3 visits to the kingdom, starting way back in 88. Of the rides I adore Pirates and the Haunted Mansion the most, and it was nice to see the original Tikki birds back. Lunch was a great fried fish and chips at Columbia House, and dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. One odd thing though, we walked and walked and walked as you do at Disney. The heat wasn't too bad, I kept myself hydrated and took breaks. But despite all this effort I really never needed to eat much. I usually am a big eater but at Disney left a lot of food and it was all good.
At night it was Mickey's NSSHHP. The place was insanely packed! Will is not a crowd person so we left around 10pm. My own personal goal though was met. Captain Hook is my favorite Disney character and this was the only time of the year to meet him! And Will somehow picked the right line to meet the good Captain. We also met Frodo and amused him by acting more stuck up than him!
Originally day 3 was supposed to be Epcot day 2. But having mostly finished Epcot on day 1, we went to DHS instead. Unfortunately it was PACKED and the hottest day of the trip. I adore SW so the new ride was great (does the video change every day?) but Will couldn't do Twilight, Rock and roll Coaster (I didn't either) or Star Tours. Muppets is great, one of my personal favorites, and the new (to me) Toy Story ride was amazing. Just wish it was possible to do it more than 1 time in a day. Lunch was a GREAT burger at the commisary (oddly enough when I asked an employee there about an indoor lunch she had never heard of the place). We traveled to Animal Kingdom lodge for another great dinner at Bomas's. But again, my normal appetite was gone and I ate less than half of what I would have had normally.
For day 4 we decided to go back and do a late Epcot, not getting there till around 1pm. Unfortunately both meals were a bust. Lunch this time was the same place, but not as good. We did have some good drinks at the Rose and Crown pub, but dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh was not really my thing. I know I can plan it better next time, think I will do another resort dinner, use 2 meal credits this time and buy 1 dinner of my own. The highlight of the day was this bizarre family we encountered at the Maelstrom ride, after holding it up for 15 minutes to pick their seating order, they had a ferocious debate as to whether or not the exit and the entrance of the ride was the same place!!!
Our last full day was a second trip to the Magic Kingdom. Lunch was so so at Cosmic Ray's but Tomorrowland was great. Unfortunately at 3pm in started to rain. This made it impossible to do Splash Mountain again as the rain stayed until 7pm. We actually did the HM and Pirates 5 times each that day, looking for new things each time! Also when the HM ride slows WHY, WHY does a Disney employee have to tell you that. They have the host do that and it keeps the mood but the Disney employee saying the exact same thing ruins it! Dinner was the Crystal Palace, a great meal made perfect by Tigger acting like the happiest Tigger in the world to see me (I was a teacher once, and vaguely remember a student telling me his dream was to play Tigger at the MK so I wonder???????)
Our final day was at Animal Kingdom. It was pretty light so we finished up by around 1pm, traveled to Downtown Disney for a Captain Jack dinner farewell, got to the airport around 5 and back at NH at 11am thanks to some delays.
Overall a wonderful trip. I plan on going back fall of 2013 hopefully everything cept 7 Dwarfs is done by then. Think I would do the same hotel, as I am not a stay at the hotel person. One thing seems odd. Is it possible for a party to book 2 rooms near each other? OR would you be able to fit 4 adults (we need 2 bedrooms) in a family suite and that cost less?
