Living the Dream - Dec. 3 - 13 - with photos Finished 3/09

[bbangel]

One of the great things about getting older is that you often have the power to re-visit the dreams of your childhood – and if you are very lucky - set about making them come true. I had always wanted to visit Disney World. There are a lot of reasons that that wasn’t possible when I was a kid. Now, I was able to turn my dream into a reality. And if possible, the reality of it was even sweeter than the dream. I hope you will read along as I write about my dream trip.

The People:

Me (The over planner): I have a love of all things Disney, which often causes people around me to ask “You’re how old?”

Mom: (Following the Leader): If I can make it happen, she will go along. She is going to be sixty this year, but you would never know it. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The Idea:

This is a trip that actually started with a trip to California. Both my mother and I are fans of the Angels, which is a long story and mostly off topic. Anyway, we hardly ever get to see them play except when we make the trip down to Seattle. Since we had always wanted to see them play at home, we decided to take a spring trip down to see them play a few games in Anaheim. Once the schedule came out we picked a series of games at the end of April, beginning of May. Then I casually mentioned that Disneyland happens to be in Anaheim, maybe we should go. She agreed that would be a great idea. So I planned out all of our days to include a mix of Disneyland and baseball (my two favourite things!) We had such a great time that when I suggested we try Disney World next my mom was keen. She said she would go along with whatever I planned. Music to my ears!

The Plan:

The original plan was to wait until sometime in 2007, maybe February. Then I found these wonderful boards, and you all got me wanting to see Christmas at the parks. And hmmmm, if we go in December I could be there for my birthday! Mom wasn’t so sure about the financial side of things but I was sure we could do it. So the planning began. Where to stay, where to eat, how to get there, how long should we go for? Oh, and of course how to pay for it!

So after doing a lot of research I managed to make a few decisions.
We managed to save enough AirMiles for the flights and then had to modify our dates based on when they could accommodate us. We stayed at Pop Century so we could be on-site and not completely break the bank. We were going for 10 days to get the most out of our time.

After much discussion and a lot more research, we decided to pay for the dining plan. My mom is really fond of sit down meals and we both liked the idea of knowing exactly how much to budget for without it restricting our choices once we are there. By the end of June we had the flights booked, the hotel reserved and our ADR’s made. Of course the ADR’s changed a couple of times after that, but by the end of summer things were firm.

Our touring schedule will be partly decided by where our reservations were and partly by activities we had planned. We decided to splurge and do one tour and go to MVMCP.

As mentioned above, I am an over-planner. I had a spreadsheet that detailed what we would be doing with each of our days. I purchased RideMax, so I had detailed plans for each park that we visited. It worked so well we had tons of extra time to just enjoy the Disney magic.

Throughout this trip report I will end the posts with a little bit of advice. Hopefully that advice will be as helpful to others as some of what I read when I was planning my trip.

The Advice:

1. Remember that you and your group are unique. Things that are very important to others may not be for you. Make your plans to suit your style, time and budget.

2. There is a ton of info out there to help you with your dining choices. What worked best for us was to look at the menus on allears and narrow the choices down from there.

3. This is important for fellow planners traveling with others. Remember that it is okay to let go of the schedule and be spontaneous on occasion. The schedules should be a guide not a bible.


Up next – Are we there yet? (post #9)

 

[natale1980]

you got me interested.

-nat

 

[pumba]

anxious to hear the rest.........restaurants are always an important part of our visit to the mouse......thanks for the beginning

 

[soupy11]

I love hearing about peoples first impressions of WDW.....so cool!

 

[bunnysmum]

This sounds a bit like me and my mom. We went last January to WDW with my 5 yr old dd. Had a blast! Really looking forward to hearing more about your trip, especially how RideMax worked for you. I just bought it too!

 

[blue_river]

Seems most of us on these boards are overplanners!

I'm looking forward to reading about your trip with your mom - what a wonderful memory for you to treasure

Subscribing

 

[bbangel]

Thanks everyone for tuning in and for the words of encouragement. I will have a new post up tonight.

 

[snowbell]

Great Report so far.... I should take your advice of not always doing everything you have planned.. Check out my report and you will see why?

 

[bbangel]

Getting from Vancouver to Orlando can be somewhat complex and expensive. We managed to save enough AirMiles to book our flights, but that meant we were somewhat at the mercy of the program. We flew overnight from Vancouver to Toronto, arriving there at about 6:30 am. We had a three hour layover that stretched into four when our plane was delayed leaving Toronto. We arrived at MCO at about 2pm. It was hot and humid when we got off the plane. (28 Celsius, no idea what that is in the old system) We were hot (being dressed in warmer clothes than Florida needed, tired (having not really slept on the plane, and I at least was emotionally drained (I’m terrified of flying and it takes a lot out of me) Thankfully, DME was a breeze and we didn’t even wait two minutes before we were on a bus to Pop in some lovely air conditioning.

Checking in took about ½ an hour. Our CM was earning her ears, but she was super nice and gave me my birthday button. She managed to accommodate some of my requests, so we were on the top floor facing away from the pool. Unfortunately, no lake view for us and we got stuck in building 8. Turned out not to be a bad thing. We could cut through the parking lot to get to Classic Hall and the bus stop and it was nice and quiet.

We changed into the cooler clothes we had in our carry-ons, had a snack and headed out to Downtown Disney. This was our longest bus wait of the trip at about ½ an hour, we had just missed a bus and weren’t used to timing our arrival at the bus stop yet. Downtown Disney was overwhelming. There was so much to look at and so much activity everywhere. We looked around for about an hour and did some shopping. I have to say I could have spent thousands just in the Christmas store. We didn’t try to see everything, because we knew we would be back later in the week.

We had reservations at Kona Café for 7pm, so we headed over there at about 6. We were a bit early for dinner so we had a chance to look around the hotel. It is beautifully done and I would love to stay there one day.

We were seated right on time and got lots of great advice from Amy our waitress. The food was great. I had the sticky wings, beef teriyaki, and the Kilauea torte. Mom had the Kona salad, shrimp and scallops and the chocolate macadamia nut dessert. Amy brought out a special happy birthday dessert for me as well. All was good but it was way too much food. There were enough wings to be an entrée. Cost would have been 87.33 without the plan, not including tip.

After dinner we went out to the Poly beach to see the pool area, take a walk on the beach and wait for the Electric Water Pageant. The beach sold me on the hotel. I would love to sit or walk out there every day after coming home from the parks. The parade started at 9 and I’m glad we decided to wait for it. We sat on a swing and enjoyed the lights and music show.

We hopped on the boat to MK to catch a bus back to Pop. We sort of followed the parade so we got to see the end of it again from on the water. Beautiful.

After we got back, Mom bought some water in the store and I left a message for Fire14 about the fridge swap we were making. Before turning in, I decorated our door and window with some Christmas clings and magnets.

Used two table services credits and one snack credit.

Advice:
1. When arriving after a long flight, it may be wise to have some down time instead of jumping right in to activity. Only you will know how travel affects you and your family. We were prepared to skip dinner and crash if that was what we needed. At this point in the trip there is always tomorrow.

2. If you can’t make it to Kona for dinner, try going for dessert and coffee. Their desserts are amazing.

3. If you have time, check out the EWP, especially if you are a fan of the Main Street Electrical Parade. It is a little out dated but still somehow magical.

Up next – An Expedition and dining under the sea (post 10)

 

[bbangel]

We were up early so we could be at Animal Kingdom for opening. First we got the fridge from Fire14 and her husband. While I was doing that, Mom ran down for her morning coffee. She bought the refillable mug and used it many times over the course of the week. I wouldn’t have used it enough to make it worthwhile, so I didn’t get one. I drank mostly water and refilled my bottle from the fountains. I carried Crystal Light with me to add a little flavour.

We got to AK just as they were dropping the rope and headed straight to Everest. We got fastpasses and then headed to Dinoland. We rode Dinosaur and then walked around taking pictures and soaking in atmosphere on our way back to ride Everest. I have to say I’m glad I rode it, but once a trip is enough. It was a very intense ride but I can’t pin my finger on why. It didn’t make us sick but we both felt a little disoriented when we went to get off. It passed quickly but we felt a little weird for a few minutes.

We went back and rode the rest of the rides in Dinoland and then watched It’s Tough to be a Bug.

We then headed over to grab a fastpass for the Safari and then walked the Maharaja Jungle Trek and the Pangani Forest Trail. Both are very well done and we enjoyed the attention to detail. I had the feeling a lot of people missed these trails in AK because they aren’t rides, but they are not to be missed.

We had an early lunch at Tusker House. We shared the chicken meal with a coke and chocolate cake. Total if we weren’t on the plan would have been 14.56. This was more than enough for the two of us to share.

The Kilimanjaro Safari was a highlight of the day. The lion was pacing as we went buy and then he just stood there and roared. Awesome. Some of the animals were playing shy, so we were determined to come back and ride earlier in the morning, when more of the animals were likely to be active.

After the Safari we took the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. There wasn’t much there if you weren’t into reptiles and petting zoos. There was a CM demonstrating a trained goat, but we weren’t that excited. This is something we would probably skip if we went again.

We headed back and caught the Flights of Wonder show. Wow. Words can’t describe. A must see. It never ceases to amaze me the things wild animals can be trained to do.

We then raced across the park to see the last showing of Finding Nemo. The new musical is okay but not outstanding. I did like the bit with Nemo hiding in the bubbles, but it got old quickly. Mom hadn’t seen the movie so she had nothing to compare it to and enjoyed it.

We got out of the show just in time for the Jammin’ Jingle Parade. We didn’t have the best of views coming that late, but we could see fairly well. This was a nice quick parade with the main characters and a little added AK flare.

We headed back to Pop to change for dinner at the Coral Reef. We went to Epcot a little early to do some gawking. I’ve seen Space Ship Earth in pictures all my life, but somehow, that first view still takes your breath away. Even though we had spent the day in AK, walking into Epcot I had my, “I’m finally here” moment.

We headed to the Seas and rode the new Nemo ride, which was nice. I would love to know how they manage the effects for this. We also went to chat with Crush, which was one of our favourite things in California Adventure. Dude! Definitely better with a good audience but still fun.

Then off to our dinner under the sea. We were seated almost 15 minutes early, which stunned us since there were so many people waiting. Maybe they didn’t have ADR’s? We had a table right next to the glass and it was awesome. Loved the atmosphere. Mom liked the sharks and rays and I loved the sea turtle. It would have been nice if the fish guide was a little easier to follow. We couldn’t identify most of the fish. But maybe that was just us. Our waiter was a little brusque, but I think that was mainly because it was so busy.

I had Caesar salad, chicken and the butterscotch crème brulee. Mom had the green salad, salmon and the chocolate wave. I got a happy birthday chocolate piece with my dessert. The food was lovely. Total cost of this meal would have been 96.27, not including tip. This was our favourite meal of the trip!

It had really cooled off when we left the Coral Reef, so we decided to head back to the hotel instead of walking around anymore. I made a quick stop at Everything Pop to pick up my purchases from Downtown Disney the day before. We used that service a lot and found it very handy.

Used two table service, one counter service and one snack credit.

Advice:
1. Don’t miss the trails and great attention to detail in AK. This park is definitely about more than rides!

2. Sharing counter service meals is a great way to go, especially for those that don’t eat as much. Most counter service places had combo meals that were more than big enough for two.

3. Make ADR’s even if you think it is too much planning. Nothing worse than being hungry and having to wait or finding no place to eat.

Next up – The Future awaits (post 13)

 

[dopeyprincesses]

I'm so happy that you got to live your dream!!! Love how detailed you are about your meals! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

[bbangel]

I'm so happy that you got to live your dream!!! Love how detailed you are about your meals! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

Thanks for reading. I'm loving how I can relive the trip as I write and go through photos.

 

[bbangel]

Today we were spending the early part of the day at Epcot and then heading to the Magic Kingdom for the Christmas party that night. I was nearly vibrating I was so excited. We got a later start this morning, since Epcot opens a bit later. We had breakfast in Everything Pop. Mom had a breakfast platter and I had a bagel and cream cheese. We used one snack credit and one counter service credit. The total would have been about 8 dollars.

We left for Epcot at about 8:30. We got a fast pass for Test Track and headed into Innoventions East. We designed a robot and came in third place in the race. I think we would have done better if we weren’t laughing so hard that it made it hard to keep running. Afterwards we built our free plastic robots. This is one of those things that when I got it home I wondered why I packed it around with me. What am I supposed to do with it? I guess I'll have to find a little boy to give it to.

Test Track had gone down so we rode Mission Space. We decided to do the Green side. There was a kid who was about 11 on our ride who shouted at the person with them when he didn’t push the buttons on time. “Do you want us all to die?” or something to that affect. I don’t think he was really scared but it sure made us laugh afterwards. For those who aren’t sure about whether to try this ride. It was a little like being in any other simulator ride. If you can make it through them, you shouldn’t have any trouble. I’m not a big fan of simulator rides as I have trouble with the moving images, but I’m glad I did this one.

Test Track had re-opened when we got out, so we headed over to do that. The stand by line was almost 60 minutes and I really don’t understand why anyone would wait in a line that long. We were on the ride in less than 10 minutes with our fast pass. We kept meaning to come back and ride this one again, but somehow we never made it back. We were both a little disgusted with the blatant marketing at the exit. Disney might try and sell me stuff but this was a little over the top.

We trekked over to the Land to have lunch in Seasons. We shared a turkey sandwich and a chocolate croissant. The CM’s in the bakery section gave me a free cookie when they saw my birthday button. Very nice. I have to say this was one of the best sandwiches I've had in awhile. Nice and fresh. This meal was about 10 dollars.

We watched the Circle of Life film before we left the Land and headed over to meet Figment and Journey into our Imaginations. I loved Figment! This section of the park seemed to be less crowded. I took the time to take some pictures. I loved how every time you turned around there seemed to be something great to take a picture of.

It was a little warm out so we headed over to Club Cool for some refreshment. I got my mom to taste the Beverly, but she actually liked it! I was a little disappointed and she couldn’t figure out why. We took a look through Mouse Gears, but resisted the temptation to buy anything.

The Wonders of Life Pavilion wasn’t on the park map, but we eventually found it and went to check out the exhibits. We saw Body Wars and the Making of Me. As I mentioned my brain doesn’t deal with simulators very well so after Body Wars we decided to forgo Cranium Command. I really wish these things didn't make me feel ill. We headed over to see Universe of Energy. I think my mom may have had a little nap at this point.

It was now early afternoon and we decided to go back to the hotel to get ready for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Used two counter service and one snack credit.


The Advice:

1. Don’t skip Innoventions if you’ve never been before. There are a lot of exhibits that are a lot of fun if you allow yourself the time. The nice thing is you can spend as little or as much time as you want here. It’s a great place to get out of the sun and wait for a fast pass time for instance.

2. A lot of people missed the Wonders of Life because it was marked on the new maps. Do a little research before hand so you know what might be open but not well advertised and be prepared to ask more than one CM as not all of them were aware it was open.


Up next – A gentleman flirts with mom (post 18)

 

[Gregory]

Great trip report. Every post leaves me wanting to read the next one.

 

[blue_river]

Happy Belated Birthday!!

I was afraid to try Mission Space but maybe it isn't so bad? What did you like about it?

 

[bbangel]

Great trip report. Every post leaves me wanting to read the next one.

Thanks for joining!

 

[bbangel]

Happy Belated Birthday!!

I was afraid to try Mission Space but maybe it isn't so bad? What did you like about it?

When I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. Only problem is I'm terrified of flying. What I liked about Mission Space was it gave you the feeling of going into space without having to fly. I don't think I could do the Orange side, but if I can do the Green side, just about anyone can. Try it once and if you don't like it you don't have to go again.

 

[bbangel]

After a brief rest at the hotel, were we also collected some warmer clothing for the evening ahead, we headed to MK. By this point I could barely contain my excitement. The good thing is a skipping adult at WDW barely draws any attention!

We had reservations as Crystal Palace for 5:30. We made it to the park by a little bit after 5. The Dapper Dans were being serenaded by a choral group near Casey’s. They had amazing voices and I think the Dans got a big kick out of it. I took the opportunity to take some pictures around the castle and Main Street on our way to check in for dinner. I got a great shot of Walt decorating the tree. It was a good thing I got the shot on this night because the tree was moved the next day.

Crystal Palace looked chaotic but was in reality quite controlled. We were seated right on time. There were streamers on our table for my birthday and two tables nearby also had people celebrating. It made for a very fun atmosphere. Tigger came around right away, but in all the excitement I forgot to get his autograph! I was a little sad at that because I had planned to collect them all and do something special with them. We took turns going to grab food, which was all very good. Eeyore, Piglet and Pooh came along in fairly quick succession. I remembered to get all their autographs but was still a little bummed about not getting Tigger’s. Wishes went off as we were eating and we had a pretty good view from the windows. Then, while I was grabbing dessert, one of the character handlers asked my mom if we had seen everyone. Mom mentioned my problem with Tigger and he came back and gave me his autograph and clowned around a bit. By this time the restaurant was nearly empty as it was closing early for the party. Shortly after this our waitress brought me a birthday cupcake and a card signed by all the characters. Eeyore and Piglet came up and they all “sang” Happy Birthday to me. This had been our first character meal ever and it more than lived up to expectations. Total cost would have been 59.62 without tip.

We headed out to join the party a little bit before 7. There were carolers singing in Liberty Square so we listened to them for awhile.

Pinocchio and Geppetto were having dance party in Ariel’s Grotto. As we passed by Geppetto spotted my mom and crossed the dance floor. He kissed her hands and flirted a bit. She went bright red, it was great.

We also saw Belle in her Christmas dress, with the Beast, Pooh and Eeyore in there Christmas gear and Donald at his tree farm.

We went and saw Twas the Night Before Christmas. The show was great, but I wish people hadn’t tried to take so many flash pictures. It was constant throughout the performance and very annoying.

Heading back through Fantasyland we rode Peter Pan’s flight, my favourite ride. By then it was almost 9 so we headed to the castle to see the fireworks. We got a great spot for Holiday Wishes. It’s a good show, but not as good as the Disneyland fireworks we had seen in April. Mom went and grabbed hot chocolate and cookies while I held our spots for the next show in front of the castle. Yum, those cookies are great. I’m going to have to see if I can find the recipe.

The show in front of the castle had some similarities to Twas the Night, but also was worth seeing. We stayed where we were to see the parade. I was very surprised at how long it was. I wish I had a video camera for this and some of the shows.

We headed out of the park shortly after Santa made his way down Main Street. We both enjoyed the party very much. It was a little costly but worth it if you enjoyed all the special touches throughout the park. It wouldn’t have been worth it if all we wanted to do was ride more rides.

Used two table service credits.

The Advice:

1. Don’t hesitate to do a character meal if you are an all adult party. We had a great time and were not the only childless people in the restaurant. You will not be out of place at all. Go and have fun.

2. MVMCP has a lot to offer. There are a lot of unique character greeting opportunities, a lot of special entertainment and those yummy cookies. If what you want is extra time for rides and lower crowds, you will likely regret spending the extra money.


Up next – It’s a jolly holiday with Mary (post 22)

 

[bbangel]

This sounds a bit like me and my mom. We went last January to WDW with my 5 yr old dd. Had a blast! Really looking forward to hearing more about your trip, especially how RideMax worked for you. I just bought it too!

I thought I should give you a quick review of my RideMax experience, since it isn't really covered in my trip report. I think it works great. I like that you can choose what you want to see, when you want to start, stop and take a break etc. We found it to be quite accurate on estimated wait times. There were a few times when it meant a bit more walking, but I would rather do that then wait in a line for an hour. It was great knowing we could fit everything we wanted to do into a day.

The only park we had problems in was MGM. Many of the shows are not including in the options and it was a little hard to plan around them.

I recommend it, especially for anyone who hasn't been before or wants to get a lot done in a short amount of time.

 

[tkd lisa]

I'm enjoying this report! Christmas is so magical at the World.