Live From WDW, It's Simon's Fantabulicious Trip Report!

[safetymom]

Ask for Izzy or Dizzy Izzy as he likes to be called. He was a fantastic server at Artist Point.

 

[simonkodousek]

great report so far, love all the detail on the food and service.

yes, how was breakfast at roaring forks? we plan to do a few breakfasts/lunches there too.

thanks for sharing!

Breakfast at Roaring Forks is ridiculously hectic. First of all, the food court is no bigger than 350 sq. feet, and can accommodate a capacity of 60 people at a time. There are 728 rooms at the Wilderness Lodge of which about 90% are occupied. This should give you some idea of just how crowded it gets during peak meal times (9-10:30 AM, 11:30-1 PM, 5-9 PM.)

The food selection is varied enough, but there aren't nearly enough low-fat options. Service is pretty quick in the morning, but there could be a few more people wiping the counter tops, sweeping the floors, etc.

That said, this is heaven compared to Captain Cook's at the Polynesian, which is 10x slower, very dirty, and crawling with some of the nastiest CM's I've ever encountered.

On a scale from 1-10, I would rate Roaring Forks at either 7 or 8.

 

[simonkodousek]

Ask for Izzy or Dizzy Izzy as he likes to be called. He was a fantastic server at Artist Point.

Will do Kathy!

 

[Becx N Gav]

Great report so far You've taken some wonderful pictures too

I love WL - esp. as we got married there I can't wait to go back in Sept.

Sorry to hear about your experience on the plane, I know DH has a large build and finds the seats narrow. We're flying to the Netherlands with a low budget airline and hopefully we will get exit seats so DH can stretch his legs out, at least it's only an hour or so!

 

[basketlacey]

Loving the review so far Simon! Can't wait to read about today.

 

[disneyholic family]

outstanding report so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks for taking us along!!

and thanks for those wonderful pictures!!! especially of the WL....i LOVE that resort.....so beautiful....your pictures really capture it..

i'm really enjoying your report!!! (it's so well written - another reason i never write reports - it's embarrassing in comparison to reports like yours)...

 

[daneenm]

Wow Simon, great report so far! Can't wait for the rest.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Hmmmmm...if it wasn't your Mom letting you taste the Chardonnay, I'm afraid I'd have to fly right down there and give you a strong speaking-to, young man.

 

[simonkodousek]

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 - Hollywood Studios

I was having a lovely dream about Dole Whips and cruising down a deserted Main Street USA with a cooler full of them on a kaht, when I was suddenly interrupted by the "Yo, what up homie double G?!" from Alex, who was standing next to my bed, bending down so that his face was two inches from mine. After a quick peek of the grand courtyard of the Wilderness Lodge from the balcony, I took a quick shower and headed down to Roaring Forks to meet my family for breakfast.

The line wasn't half-bad for 9:30 AM, but the food court was still crowded as ever. I decided on a yogurt parfait with strawberries and a cup of coffee; at least this was lower in fat than the breakfast I had the previous day.

We sat outside on the patio; the weather was a comfortable 85 degrees with about 65% humidity. There was a breeze which definitely helped keep us cool. The patio is my favorite place to sit at Roaring Forks, not only because it is rarely crowded, but because you are always guaranteed entertainment with the ducks waddling around looking for food scraps, or sleeping in this case.

I also enjoy the wide open views of the Lodge.

Following breakfast, my dad, brother, and I went down to the marina to rent Sea Raycers. The price is $45.00 per boat for 60 minutes, which is fair IMO. After getting a quick demonstration of how to work the acceleration/deceleration lever, I jumped in to my boat, and my dad and brother got in to theirs.

Honestly, this is one of the best kept Disney secrets, especially for Disney fans. You not only get to cruise around Bay Lake, but also Seven Seas Lagoon, with larger-than-life views of the resorts and Cinderella's castle. Unfortunately you are not allowed to bring cameras or video recording devices on board the Sea Raycers, so you'll just have to rent one and see for yourself.

The boats themselves have a maximum speed of 23 MPH, but it feels a lot faster than it sounds. Even though my boat was heavy to the right because I was the only person on it, I was still able to take sharp turns without the fear of it flipping over.

For anyone interested in getting a great view of some of WDW's greatest landmarks (not to mention getting to see Discovery Island and River Country up close) this is a great buy. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to spend some time in a location other than a theme park.

Afterwards, we met up with my mom and took the bus over to Hollywood Studios to make our 12:30 PM lunch reservation at the Sci-Fi Drive-In Theater. My parents went to check in while Alex and I went to get FP's for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. As I expected, the FP times we got were not especially soon (between 5:00 and 6:00.)

On our walk over to Sci-Fi, I was astounded at just how crowded the park was. The walkways were packed with people, most of whom were tired, hot, and sleep-deprived.

We arrived at Sci-Fi just as a sassy older woman was leading my parents to our car and introducing them to the 50's.

Our last experience at Sci-Fi certainly wasn't the best, so I was more than anticipating a lousy meal with terrible service. Fortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong. We happened to have an excellent meal, and one of the best servers I have ever had, not only on Disney property, but also in any other restaurant I have been to. Tori was a blonde duplicate of Rachel Ray; she had the same happy-go-lucky, positive attitude, along with the kind, reassuring voice. She explained everything about the restaurant and menu to us in a way that didn't sound like a pre-recorded speil. I would definitely ask for her next time you're there.

My mom, dad, and brother ordered Coke's with either cherry or vanilla flavor which all got rave reviews. I, however, ordered an Oreo milkshake, which was spectacular. It was obviously freshly made, and had a very powerful Oreo taste.

As an entree, I had the beef and bleu salad, which was basically a wedge of iceberg lettuce with bleu cheese dressing, onions, tomatoes, and peppers, and about 8 oz. of steak, which I ordered well-done. This was so good, and without a doubt, something that I would make a special trip to get again. The wedge of lettuce definitely won against loose greens, as it was denser and more filling. The steak was cooked perfectly, and had no fat around the edges. The bleu cheese dressing was superb, and although not as good as the kind at Big River Grille, was still something to rave about.

For dessert, I had the chocolate and peanut butter cake. It was very good, although the peanut butter in the center was very low-quality and somewhat hard. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which was spectacular.

After lunch, we decided to hit the Great Movie Ride which had a 30 minute wait. This has always been one of my favorite attractions, but it is beginning to show its age.

Afterwards, I decided to do a little solo touring and my parents and brother decided to see the Lights, Motors, Action! stunt show. I headed over to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and rode it in the single-riders line, which had a 20-ish minute wait.

I then got a FP for ToT, which had a return time of 5:45 - 6:45 PM. I decided to see if I could get on Toy Story Mania, but it had a wait time of 130 minutes!

No thanks! I spent about 20 minutes walking through One Man's Dream, which was very cool and inspiring. I highly recommend this to any Disney fans!

I met up with my parents and brother at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and took Alex on for his first time with FP's. He was freaking out, and screamed "Stop The Ride!" just as our car took off. Not surprisingly, he had such a good time that he rode in the single riders line three more times!

I, however, headed over to ToT for my FP time. ToT is no longer one of my favorite attractions, mainly because there aren't nearly enough big drops. We went up to the top of the building, dropped about 5 stories, went to the middle, and spent the next 30 seconds going up and down over 2 stories. This was not nearly what I remember or expected.

I rode RnR one final time in the single riders line, and we left the park around 6:45 PM. It looked as if it was about to rain, but luckily, there was only a 10 minute wait for a bus back to the Lodge.

Once we arrived, it began pouring.

We had dinner at Roaring Forks, and I took Alex swimming around 9:30 PM when the rain had stopped.

Overall, it was a great day!

 

[simonkodousek]

Hmmmmm...if it wasn't your Mom letting you taste the Chardonnay, I'm afraid I'd have to fly right down there and give you a strong speaking-to, young man.

I don't drink Mindy! How many times must we go over this? I sip...

 

[cathie1327]

Loving the trip report!!!!

I am really very shocked that TSM had such a long wait, considering it's been there over a year, I just thought the wait would eventually go down. Guess I was wrong!!!!

Glad to see you are having a wonderful time, and thanks for sharing it all with us.

 

[aspen37]

Another great update, Simon! I can't wait to read the next installment.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Great update. sounds like a fun day at the parks.

 

[connie1042]

I am on board. I love the live trip reports. I swore I would never fly suncountry again, after a flight to California for Minnesota. I have restless leg syndrome and I was going crazy on that plane.The seat was fine, I just could not move my legs anywhere. I ended up taking 2 of my pills for this and by the time we got to where we were going at 4 am., I was not in good shape.

 

[AnninIowa]

Ask for Izzy or Dizzy Izzy as he likes to be called. He was a fantastic server at Artist Point.

This is funny to hear, as on the WDW Today Podcast, they had dinner there and said Izzy was one of the WORST servers they've ever had! Interesting to hear different perspectives.

 

[AnninIowa]

Glad to hear you and your mom liked Big River Grille! It is one of my dad and my favorites, too. We love the food - the homemade potato chips are so good! - and we love to sit outside and look out over the lake. Plus it's great that you can just walk up - no ADR to worry about!

 

[auroralark]

I'm loving your report so far! Can't wait to read more!

 

[HawkeyeMickey77]

Great updates! Waiting anxiously for the next one!

 

[Becx N Gav]

I don't drink Mindy! How many times must we go over this? I sip...

Good for you (I am assuming you are under 21?) - I think it's better when young people get to try a little of thiers parents drinks rather than go mad at a party or whatever. I know I was put off most alcoholic drinks by the taste and really wasn't too bothered about getting drunk at every oppertunity (unlike some of my peers). The drinking age in Europe is generally 16 and children are brought up with alcohol as a drink at dinner rather than it being hidden mysterious thing - I know that they certainly have less binge drinking than the UK and I would have thought less liver and heart disease than here too.

Great update - I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds the ducks as interesting as some attractions I love watching them, esp. the little fluffy ones

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Simon: I'm loving your trip report and your photos. I think WL is my favorite resort that I've stayed in. Enjoy. Please tell Ranger Stan I said hello - he may know me as "Dave from the podcast".

Thanks for the great trip report. So what do you think about Roaring Forks?

Boy you really didn't like Roaring Forks did you Kathy?

Simon, did you go to Artist Point yet? I've never been there either, and would like to go sometime. I have to agree with you about "One Man's Dream" in Hollywood Studios. I really like that attraction too. My girls loved it, and really liked learning more about Walt Disney. Plus, it was a nice, cool, uncrowded place to be in the summer time.