Live from Disney World it's Karen's latest trip! Entire trip posted!

[goofymom23]

Good trip report. I enjoyed it.

 

[luvdsny]

Karen, Karen, Karen...you make me laugh. That was truly a great day and night....my favorite during our trip. It was great to finally meet you. And yes, I realized that although you think you love Scotty more than I , you are still a really great person. Thanks for a super time at Jellyrolls.....hope to see you in December.

 

[Makeminemusic]

Rolls, that was an awesome trip report! You could be my wing man (girl) at WDW anytime!!

 

[TLinden16]

I still have one day to go, but I didn't do all that much.

 

[goofy4tink]

I was talking with the little brat on IM last night, and I was encouraging her.

Now about those bottle caps...

 

[TLinden16]

Day 8--Friday, May 19, 2006

Unfortunately it was here. The most dreaded day of just about any vacation. The last day when you have to get ready to go home, and return to the craziness of day to day life. Leaving Disney World is always difficult to me, but being a DVC member, I know that I will always be back again real soon.

I only had a few short hours left at Disney World, so I got up early, and finished packing. I checked in for Magical Express, and stored my carry on luggage. And I was off to the Magic Kingdom.

As I entered the gates of the Magic Kingdom, I slowly made my way up Main Street and took a left into Fronteirland. My soul reason for going to the Magic Kingdom was to get another ride on Splash Mountain. I just didn’t get to ride my favorite attraction enough this trip. I figured I’d try to get a couple rides in, but I got so wet the first time around, I decided I would just make it my last time this trip. I hate going on a plane smelling like Splash Mountain.

I had a blast on Splash Mountain. I had a great group in my log. Everyone was clapping and singing along, and if you have ever ridden Splash Mountain with me, you know that I clap and sing along throughout the ride. So, it was a lot of fun riding with people who love it almost as much as me.

After Splash Mountain, I browsed around in a few shops. Along the way, I ran into one of the Country Bears, Wendall. I knew I had to have my picture taken with him to make Goofy4Tink jealous. I told him how much we loved his show, especially the song about Buford.

I then left the Magic Kingdom, and jumped on the monorail to go to Epcot. I was going to go on Test Track, but when I got in line, it just stopped. Apparently Test Track was experiencing technical difficulties (Shocker, I know--Test Track NEVER has technical difficulties).

I spent a bit of time browsing around in some shops, and just enjoying the view around the World Showcase. I never tire of looking at the World Showcase--it’s so stunning. I also took some extra time to look at the topiaries and take pictures of some of my favorites.

I then went to Nine Dragons for lunch. I really love Nine Dragons. I have always gotten great food there. I started off with sweet and spicy cucumber salad and pot stickers. The sweet and spicy cucumber salad was very tasty with a slight kick, and chilled to the perfect temperature. The pot stickers were excellent, although a bit less cooked than they normally are when I’ve had them at Nine Dragons. For my entrée I got General Tso’s chicken, which was very tasty and all white meat. I really love the General Tso’s chicken at Nine Dragons. Although I wasn’t really hungry, I had some ginger ice cream for dessert, since it was included on the meal plan. Although I love Nine Dragons, it isn’t as good of a value for the meal plan as some of the other restaurants, but it was still a great meal.

After lunch, I slowly walked back to the Boardwalk to catch Magical Express back to the airport. The driver was about 15 minutes late on the pick up. It was a driver in training, and he was slow as molasses driving the bus. He was just inching along slowly. After a slow stop at the Caribbean Beach Resort, we were slowly on our way to Orlando International Airport. I don’t think the driver went above 40 the entire ride, including on the highway.

Finally at the airport, I made my way to security, and made my way to the gate. I have to say that the American Airlines terminal at Orlando International Airport is by far the most unorganized mess I have ever encountered at an airport! It was complete chaos! There were hundreds of passengers lingering around, and not nearly enough seating at the gates. The staff did a horrible job of loading the planes, and just seemed clueless. I don’t think I’ll ever fly American to Orlando again.

Our flight left about 30 minutes late, and was uneventful. It arrived in Boston about 20 minutes late. It was good to be back in my hometown again, but I do miss Disney World in my bar.

 

[TLinden16]

Afterthoughts

Crowds--This is the third year in a row that I’ve gone to Disney World in May, and I have to say that the crowds were a significantly larger than I recall them being the past two years. The lines for the most popular rides got long early, and stayed long throughout the day. Thank God for fast pass--that’s all I’ll say.

Animal Kingdom Lodge--I really enjoyed my stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but I don’t think I would stay there again (unless I take my animal loving niece there) because of the distance it was from everything else. The bus rides just seemed to take forever. Maybe it’s just because I’m used to staying in Epcot area resorts or the Port Orleans French Quarter, where I’ve always had excellent transportation. Mara didn’t seem big enough to handle the size of the resort--the lines were long when I went in.

Magical Express--I was a bit disappointed by Magical Express this trip. Maybe I just lucked out with my service the previous trips, but this time it just seemed to take forever both ways. I also was frustrated by the route to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had to go to Pop and Coronado before getting to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Now, I will readily admit I’m a resort snob, and when I stay Deluxe, I have high expectations. To me, it would make a lot more sense to reverse the route (and they did when Goofy4Tink took Magical Express to Pop). Disney wants people to spend more and more money on their vacations--so why not give the folks staying at the lower level resorts the chance to see the nicer resorts--maybe it will inspire them to upgrade their next trip. And I’m sure that they don’t want people to downgrade from a deluxe to a value on their next trip.

Jellyrolls--As always, Jellyrolls was the highlight of my trip. I can’t say enough wonderful things about the pianomen, especially Ray and Scotty. These guys work so hard, and they are so great at what they do. Even when there is a dead crowd, these guys put so much into their performances to make sure everyone is having fun. I continue to be amazed by the repertoire of the pianomen. I’ve only seen them be stumped a handful of times. The only negative thing I can really say about Jellyrolls is that they really need to make the place smoke free to enhance the enjoyment of all guests (and so some folks who can’t go because of the smoke can go enjoy it), and also for the health and well-being of the staff, who have to breath in that second hand smoke night after night. Smokers are used to being told they can’t smoke places. I’m sure there are more people who do not go to Jellyrolls because of the smoke than there are people who go there because they can smoke there.

Disney Dining Plan--I loved, loved, loved, the Disney Dining Plan. It was great to have meals pre-paid, and I definitely got my money’s worth out of it. I just liked knowing that I would spend $37.99 per day for food. Made budgeting a lot easier, and I didn’t have to worry about overspending.. Most of my sit down meals were above the cost of the plan, so it was like getting a counter service and snack for free. On my five night trip, I would guess the dining plan saved me about $100. I will admit that I probably wouldn’t have had many desserts or appetizers if I was paying, but overall, it was an excellent value.

 

[travelin' tigger]

Everyone was clapping and singing along, and if you have ever ridden Splash Mountain with me, you know that I clap and sing along throughout the ride.

Now every time I ride Splash I think of you singing and clapping through the WHOLE ride!!

The driver was about 15 minutes late on the pick up. It was a driver in training, and he was slow as molasses driving the bus. He was just inching along slowly. After a slow stop at the Caribbean Beach Resort, we were slowly on our way to Orlando International Airport. I don’t think the driver went above 40 the entire ride, including on the highway.

I think I had the same driver - he was HORRIBLE!! I made it to the airport with just over an hour til my flight - cutting it a little to close for my taste at MCO!!! ME picked me up at BCV, then off to BWV and CBR where there were MANY people loading. I agree that the deluxes should be 1st, on down to the mods then values.

 

[JRS]

I'm a long time lurker. I enjoyed your trip report but I have some questions I've been dying to ask: 1. What is the mileage thing at the end of each day? 2. Did you really like Jellyrolls? I've heard so many bad things about it. We've never been, but are thinking about trying it on our next trip. 3. How did you get two fastpasses for Everest at the same time? I don't quite understand how that works.

Thanks for your report!

 

[TLinden16]

Welcome to the DIS, JRS!

1. What is the mileage thing at the end of each day?

I wear a pedometer on my trip, and I started keeping track of how many miles I walk each day. I misplaced my mileage notes by the time I got home, so I stopped it.

2. Did you really like Jellyrolls?

I absolutely love Jellyrolls. It's loads of fun. The piano players are fantastic, and I find it a great way to unwind and have a great time after touring the parks all days. The only bad thing I can say about it is that they allow smoking there. If you go, tell them Karen from Boston sent you

3. How did you get two fastpasses for Everest at the same time?

Generally, at most fast pass attractions, they will let you use a fast pass after the time on the fast pass. They might not let you use it if it is very busy. I grabbed on early in the morning, and when I was eligible to get another, I grabbed another so my friend would be able to ride with me. It might not always work, but Disney does usually allow you to use a fast time after the "official" time (but not before). We've done this several times at other rides--Splash, Space, Soarin', Maelstrom.

 

[LuvsM]

I have never been to Disney and came here to learn tips from the pros. You seem to know so much!

I love your comment about corrupting kids! How funny you are!

What makes this piano bar so special? I mean, couldn't one frequent this type of establishment anywhere in the states? Are there characters there that dance? Like Goofy? Or Pluto? Can I bring my children? They do after all stay up late. Can one reserve a table? How did you keep getting all those tables up front? How do they all know you? How many times have you been?

Wow! So many questions! And you were so thorough in your report. It seems you have quite the eye for detail.

I love this board! I think it will enhance my Disney experience when we go for our first time in 2010! Thanks so much.

 

[TLinden16]

Welcome to the DIS, LuvsM! I hope you enjoy the boards, and that you will fully explore all of the boards here on the DIS. You can get the answers to all of your questions.

What makes this piano bar so special are the extremely talented group of piano players that work there. They are just so much fun to watch, and they know so many songs. The know every thing from Billy Joel and Elton John, to tons of country songs about horses and losing your girl. The piano players are the only characters that dance around in the bar.

Children can not go into the bar. It's 21 plus.

I've been to other piano bars in New York (very low key and boring), Dallas (way too raunchy for my tastes), and Boston (fun, but not as magical as Jellyrolls).

Anyone who gets there early can pick a table in the front row. If you are there by 8:30 or 9:00, you can easily get a front table.

I've gotten to know the piano players just by going to the bar so much. I've been going there since 1997, but in the past three years, I've gone about 30 times.

I hope I answered all your questions

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. I love hearing of your experiences. It helps me to feel I've shared even though I didn't go.

 

[TLinden16]

Thanks, Lily. I kept on screaming "Lily where are you?" but you never revealed yourself. I had a great time, but you know I would have had more fun if you were there

 

[OhMari]

Hey Karen, thanks for the last comments of your thoughts. Can't wait to go to JellyRolls when I go to BWV next April. Did I ever tell you I can play piano?

Marisa

 

[Seven of Nine]

Karen, it's so nice to see that you can go to WDW all alone and still have a great time. I am planning a solo trip myself in the fall.

You should actually thank 1000happyhaunts. I would never have even read your trip report if I hadn't read that one first. It got me hooked on trip reports. But I'm so glad I did.

I'll stop by Jelly Rolls when I go. And I'll be sure to tell them Karen from Boston sent me!

 

[Jennifer48]

I quickly became concerned for my family back home, as the reports on the Weather Channel announced that there were many evacuations in Peabody and Lowell, Massachusetts, where two of my sisters and one of my brothers live.

That's me! Although we didn't have to evacuate, I did have a difficult time getting to work. I live on one side of the Merrimack and work is on the other side. Fun, fun.

Ok back to reading your fun report!

BTW, I think its cool how you met up with so many DISers!

 

[jazzgirl]

Just wanted to say that I love your trip reports Karen! I've been a reader on these boards for a long time, just getting info that has been posted already. I've just recently decided to become an actual poster. We're going for Thanksgiving this year and of all the years we've been going to WDW, we've yet to hit Jellyrolls. I think we'll give it a try this year!

 

[LYNSUE]

Oh, Karen I was so disappointed to learn that our May trips overlapped by two full days and I didn't know. If I had known, I would have been at Jellyrolls Wednesday or Thrusday night. I really would like to meet you. Nine Dragons is one of my favorite WS restaurants. We could have met for lunch on Friday. I will be sure to do more posting before I go next time.

Our next trip is planned for October with two of the nights at BWV. I read that you will be going again, but not until December. I can't believe you will really wait that long. Maybe we can meet up next May.

PS: I really enjoy your trip reports.

 

[budbeerlady]

Sounds like a great trip. I also want to check out Jelly Rolls now!