JenInVirginia
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 21, 2008
- Messages
- 30
Very quick report on our trip Oct 31-November 4th. Trip was Me, DH, DS(11) and DS(8). Our last trip was four years ago. One of the things we were looking forward to on this trip is the boys trying out the more intense rides that they have not experienced before due to not being tall enough or brave enough on previous trips!
Our package for 4 nights at POP and 4-day park hoppers was about 95% paid for with Disney Visa reward points. (Weve been charging everything on the Disney Visa since our last trip in 2004!) Still had to pay out of pocket for airfare, rental car, and food, but the rewards points made this a much less expensive trip. No dining plan. We ate all counter service meals didnt want to waste time on sit down meals for such a short trip.
Pop Century. We were hardly ever in the room. On Saturday, we got back around 9pm after leaving at 7am and our room hadnt been made up. We were tired and didnt bother complaining. Next day, when we got back the room had been cleaned and they had left us tons of extra soaps, shampoos, and a few extra towels, I guess to make up for the day before.
Ate breakfast at the POP food court every day. The kids thought the waffles were great but gave the cinnamon rolls a big thumbs down. I had oatmeal which was good. Cant remember what DH ate The bananas cost $1 each!
The busses from POP were excellent. Never had to wait more than about 10 minutes for a bus.
Downtown Disney Halloween: The boys (8 and 11) had fun trick or treating. There didnt seem to be as much Halloween stuff going on at DTD as there was during our last trip in 2004, but we still had fun and since it was a short trip, this was our only chance to look around at the shops and for the boys to explore the Lego Store. Loved the huge Lego Jack Sparrow!
The Parks:
Saturday we did DHS EMH in the morning and later hopped to MK. We were first in line at the turnstiles and were right behind the Cast Members who were walking to Toy Story Mania. Got fast passes and then rode. We all loved it. Then went over to RnR Coaster which both boys tried for the first time! Older DS didnt like it but younger DS loved it and rode again later with DH.
Went over to Jedi Training and were in the front row but I think my boys were too big to be picked. He was picking all the really little kids. It was still a fun show to watch, but I definitely wouldnt have bothered going again just to try again to have the boys be picked, and they agreed.
We rode Star Tours, then back to TSM to use our fast passes, and got another fast pass while we were there. We also did One Mans Dream, Backlot Tour, Muppet Vision 3D, and the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show, not in that order. The only line that was more than 20 minutes was TSM.
After using our second set of fast passes for TSM, we hopped over to Magic Kingdom. We got fast passes for Space Mountain (50 minute standby wait) Buzz was a 5 minute wait! We did Stitch (older DS loved it, the rest of us not so much), Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (really cute!) , TTA, the speedway, and then went over to do Pirates, which was only a 10 minute wait. Then used our SM fastpasses. Again this was the first time for both boys, and they both loved it. We did a few more rides, I think Small World and Buzz again, and then called it a day.
People had been saying here that the crowds had been worse than previous years, but we didnt see it at all. We couldnt believe how short most of the lines were! Of course we had realistic expectations and made sure to do rides like TSM first thing in the morning, but for all but the most popular rides, there were practically no lines.
Sunday we started at Magic Kingdom and then hopped over to Epcot. We made rope drop again and headed straight to Space Mountain. The CM gave the kids some Mickey Dust to throw right at 9:00 am.
Space Mountain was having problems so we got fast passes and then did the Speedway again (older DS was very excited to be tall enough to drive his own car). Then Stitch again at older DSs request. Then Buzz again and we were lucky cause right when we went to check on Space Mountain it had just re-opened and we were able to go on twice in a row with no line, and then it was time for our fast passes so we went on a third time!
After that we did Peter Pan (longest wait of the whole trip around 30 minutes). Then Haunted Mansion (walked on). The boys had not been on this before - not brave enough on our 2004 trip, and both were a little nervous this time but they both went on. Older DS loved it. Younger DS was a little creeped out and didnt want to go on again.
Then we decided we had to get a brownie sundae (healthy lunch, I know, but hey, were at Disney World!) at the place in Fantasy Land and right when we finished ordering, it started to rain pretty hard. Luckily we were under cover so we stood there and ate our sundaes and by the time we were done it had almost stopped raining.
From there we did Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which had a 10 minute wait. Both boys loved it, and we went again right away. Then older DS and I did HM again while younger DS and DH did Splash. Then we met at Pirates (walk on), got fast passes for Jungle Cruise, spent some time on Tom Sawyer Island, and went back to Jungle Cruise. Our guide was great and older DS got to drive the boat!
Hopped over to Epcot and immediately went to Soarin to get fast passes (return time was around 8:30 pm). Then went back and did Spaceship Earth. This was one of older DSs favorite rides from our last trip. We all really liked the updates.
Then went to Mission Space. We all did the orange. First time for me and both boys. Again, older DS felt a little quesy afterward and younger DS was fine.
Cant remember if we did anything else in Future World, but we ended up in World Showcase, got McDonalds for the kids and then walked around. We saw the movie in Canada, and saw American Adventure both of which we had not seen before. (Usually we start in Mexico and by the time we get halfway around, were worn out! Im glad we went the other way around this time!) DH and I got some stuff from the F&W festival booths cheese soup, sushi, cant remember what else It was all good.
We went back to do Soarin with our fast passes. Right when we got onto the ride it had a minor glitch I was afraid they were going to evacuate us but after about 10 minutes they seemed to get it working again, but then we had to wait because a few people wanted to leave, I guess to not miss Illuminations? They finally got it going and it was great! When we came out we saw the last few fireworks, and started heading to the bus.
Sunday we did Animal Kingdom in the morning. Older DS didnt love Everest gave him a headache. But Im so proud of him for being brave enough to try everything. Younger DS thought it was cool. Then we did the Safari ride lots of animals out. We did Dinosaur, the Rapids ride, and saw the Finding Nemo show which was new since our 2004 trip. Loved it! We decided to skip the Lion King show because we had seen the Broadway show over the summer.
Only one complaint in AK. We went to get lunch at the Tamu Tamu place. We order 4 cheeseburger meals but the cashier only put in for 3, and we didnt realize this until we had gone around the corner to pick up our order. When DH told the guy we had ordered 4, he was told to get back in line to order another one. We would have been happy to pay for the extra meal but it was aggravating to have to wait in line again to order it when we had actually ordered the correct number the first time and the cashier had messed up!
After AK we hopped back over to the Studios. Fast Passes for TSM were gone but everything else had pretty short lines. We went to the Indiana Jones Stunt show, and I got picked to be an extra. Pretty fun! Did Star Tours again and I cant remember what else. Then older DS and I went to stand in line to get some food while younger DS and DH went to ride Rock&Roller Coaster one more time! When they got back, we went to get seats for Fantasmic.
Now, the last time we had seen Fanstasmic was our first ever trip when older DS was not quite 2 years old. We got there really late and had to stand in the back and I had to hold my 2-year-old DS for the whole time and he was really squirmy! So I vaguely remembered Fantasmic but I remembered more having to stand for so long with a squirmy toddler!
When we were walking in, one of the CMs was directing people to fill in the seats up front, so we ended up in the second row right in the center. Great seats but I didnt know that they were the mist seats. My younger DS kept handing me his glasses to wipe them off! But we all really enjoyed Fantasmic. It was great!
Our last day we spent at Epcot. We drove over so that we could head straight to the airport for our 3:40 flight. They werent letting any cars into the parking lot until 7:30 for an 8:00 EMH opening. We were surprised about that.
We did Soarin again and Test Track and then went back to Spaceship Earth and then to Mission Space again but this time older DS and I did the green. I thought it was going to be kind of lame but I was pleasantly surprised. It was still really good, and older DS didnt feel sick at all when we got off. Then we did Living with the Land and rode Soarin again with our fast passes. Lines were non-existent except for Soarin.
After that we went over to World Showcase, did the boat rides in Mexico and Norway, and grabbed some lunch in Mexico. Then it was time to make our way out to the parking lot to head to the airport.
Summary:
Great Trip! Highlights were : The kids trying every roller coaster and Haunted Mansion! All the new rides we hadnt done before. Older DS getting to drive the Jungle Cruise boat. Me getting to be in the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. The lack of long lines for most rides!
Thanks if youve managed to make it this far!
Our package for 4 nights at POP and 4-day park hoppers was about 95% paid for with Disney Visa reward points. (Weve been charging everything on the Disney Visa since our last trip in 2004!) Still had to pay out of pocket for airfare, rental car, and food, but the rewards points made this a much less expensive trip. No dining plan. We ate all counter service meals didnt want to waste time on sit down meals for such a short trip.
Pop Century. We were hardly ever in the room. On Saturday, we got back around 9pm after leaving at 7am and our room hadnt been made up. We were tired and didnt bother complaining. Next day, when we got back the room had been cleaned and they had left us tons of extra soaps, shampoos, and a few extra towels, I guess to make up for the day before.
Ate breakfast at the POP food court every day. The kids thought the waffles were great but gave the cinnamon rolls a big thumbs down. I had oatmeal which was good. Cant remember what DH ate The bananas cost $1 each!
The busses from POP were excellent. Never had to wait more than about 10 minutes for a bus.
Downtown Disney Halloween: The boys (8 and 11) had fun trick or treating. There didnt seem to be as much Halloween stuff going on at DTD as there was during our last trip in 2004, but we still had fun and since it was a short trip, this was our only chance to look around at the shops and for the boys to explore the Lego Store. Loved the huge Lego Jack Sparrow!
The Parks:
Saturday we did DHS EMH in the morning and later hopped to MK. We were first in line at the turnstiles and were right behind the Cast Members who were walking to Toy Story Mania. Got fast passes and then rode. We all loved it. Then went over to RnR Coaster which both boys tried for the first time! Older DS didnt like it but younger DS loved it and rode again later with DH.
Went over to Jedi Training and were in the front row but I think my boys were too big to be picked. He was picking all the really little kids. It was still a fun show to watch, but I definitely wouldnt have bothered going again just to try again to have the boys be picked, and they agreed.
We rode Star Tours, then back to TSM to use our fast passes, and got another fast pass while we were there. We also did One Mans Dream, Backlot Tour, Muppet Vision 3D, and the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show, not in that order. The only line that was more than 20 minutes was TSM.
After using our second set of fast passes for TSM, we hopped over to Magic Kingdom. We got fast passes for Space Mountain (50 minute standby wait) Buzz was a 5 minute wait! We did Stitch (older DS loved it, the rest of us not so much), Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (really cute!) , TTA, the speedway, and then went over to do Pirates, which was only a 10 minute wait. Then used our SM fastpasses. Again this was the first time for both boys, and they both loved it. We did a few more rides, I think Small World and Buzz again, and then called it a day.
People had been saying here that the crowds had been worse than previous years, but we didnt see it at all. We couldnt believe how short most of the lines were! Of course we had realistic expectations and made sure to do rides like TSM first thing in the morning, but for all but the most popular rides, there were practically no lines.
Sunday we started at Magic Kingdom and then hopped over to Epcot. We made rope drop again and headed straight to Space Mountain. The CM gave the kids some Mickey Dust to throw right at 9:00 am.
Space Mountain was having problems so we got fast passes and then did the Speedway again (older DS was very excited to be tall enough to drive his own car). Then Stitch again at older DSs request. Then Buzz again and we were lucky cause right when we went to check on Space Mountain it had just re-opened and we were able to go on twice in a row with no line, and then it was time for our fast passes so we went on a third time!
After that we did Peter Pan (longest wait of the whole trip around 30 minutes). Then Haunted Mansion (walked on). The boys had not been on this before - not brave enough on our 2004 trip, and both were a little nervous this time but they both went on. Older DS loved it. Younger DS was a little creeped out and didnt want to go on again.
Then we decided we had to get a brownie sundae (healthy lunch, I know, but hey, were at Disney World!) at the place in Fantasy Land and right when we finished ordering, it started to rain pretty hard. Luckily we were under cover so we stood there and ate our sundaes and by the time we were done it had almost stopped raining.
From there we did Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which had a 10 minute wait. Both boys loved it, and we went again right away. Then older DS and I did HM again while younger DS and DH did Splash. Then we met at Pirates (walk on), got fast passes for Jungle Cruise, spent some time on Tom Sawyer Island, and went back to Jungle Cruise. Our guide was great and older DS got to drive the boat!
Hopped over to Epcot and immediately went to Soarin to get fast passes (return time was around 8:30 pm). Then went back and did Spaceship Earth. This was one of older DSs favorite rides from our last trip. We all really liked the updates.
Then went to Mission Space. We all did the orange. First time for me and both boys. Again, older DS felt a little quesy afterward and younger DS was fine.
Cant remember if we did anything else in Future World, but we ended up in World Showcase, got McDonalds for the kids and then walked around. We saw the movie in Canada, and saw American Adventure both of which we had not seen before. (Usually we start in Mexico and by the time we get halfway around, were worn out! Im glad we went the other way around this time!) DH and I got some stuff from the F&W festival booths cheese soup, sushi, cant remember what else It was all good.
We went back to do Soarin with our fast passes. Right when we got onto the ride it had a minor glitch I was afraid they were going to evacuate us but after about 10 minutes they seemed to get it working again, but then we had to wait because a few people wanted to leave, I guess to not miss Illuminations? They finally got it going and it was great! When we came out we saw the last few fireworks, and started heading to the bus.
Sunday we did Animal Kingdom in the morning. Older DS didnt love Everest gave him a headache. But Im so proud of him for being brave enough to try everything. Younger DS thought it was cool. Then we did the Safari ride lots of animals out. We did Dinosaur, the Rapids ride, and saw the Finding Nemo show which was new since our 2004 trip. Loved it! We decided to skip the Lion King show because we had seen the Broadway show over the summer.
Only one complaint in AK. We went to get lunch at the Tamu Tamu place. We order 4 cheeseburger meals but the cashier only put in for 3, and we didnt realize this until we had gone around the corner to pick up our order. When DH told the guy we had ordered 4, he was told to get back in line to order another one. We would have been happy to pay for the extra meal but it was aggravating to have to wait in line again to order it when we had actually ordered the correct number the first time and the cashier had messed up!
After AK we hopped back over to the Studios. Fast Passes for TSM were gone but everything else had pretty short lines. We went to the Indiana Jones Stunt show, and I got picked to be an extra. Pretty fun! Did Star Tours again and I cant remember what else. Then older DS and I went to stand in line to get some food while younger DS and DH went to ride Rock&Roller Coaster one more time! When they got back, we went to get seats for Fantasmic.
Now, the last time we had seen Fanstasmic was our first ever trip when older DS was not quite 2 years old. We got there really late and had to stand in the back and I had to hold my 2-year-old DS for the whole time and he was really squirmy! So I vaguely remembered Fantasmic but I remembered more having to stand for so long with a squirmy toddler!
When we were walking in, one of the CMs was directing people to fill in the seats up front, so we ended up in the second row right in the center. Great seats but I didnt know that they were the mist seats. My younger DS kept handing me his glasses to wipe them off! But we all really enjoyed Fantasmic. It was great!
Our last day we spent at Epcot. We drove over so that we could head straight to the airport for our 3:40 flight. They werent letting any cars into the parking lot until 7:30 for an 8:00 EMH opening. We were surprised about that.
We did Soarin again and Test Track and then went back to Spaceship Earth and then to Mission Space again but this time older DS and I did the green. I thought it was going to be kind of lame but I was pleasantly surprised. It was still really good, and older DS didnt feel sick at all when we got off. Then we did Living with the Land and rode Soarin again with our fast passes. Lines were non-existent except for Soarin.
After that we went over to World Showcase, did the boat rides in Mexico and Norway, and grabbed some lunch in Mexico. Then it was time to make our way out to the parking lot to head to the airport.
Summary:
Great Trip! Highlights were : The kids trying every roller coaster and Haunted Mansion! All the new rides we hadnt done before. Older DS getting to drive the Jungle Cruise boat. Me getting to be in the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. The lack of long lines for most rides!
Thanks if youve managed to make it this far!
