** NEWLY ADDED ARTICLE "HOW TO FIX-IT FELIX DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS" AT BOTTOM OF PAGE. CHECK IT OUT!
** DAYS 2 AND 3 DOWN BELOW
[end update]
As a proud Disney father and intrepid traveler I have decided to throw my hat into the trip reporting ring.
I kinda went overboard by building an entire website called The Rajah Report, but I thought I would share the magic here as well as there is such a great sense of community on these boards.
Here are the first two days, with more to follow. Enjoy!
-JB-
********
DAY 0: ALL TRAVEL AND NO PARKS MAKES JACK A DULL (AND UNMAGICAL) BOY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2013
This trip took me, a 32-year-old fun-loving concentrated ball of awesome, my 30-something superhero of a wife Anne, our nearly four year old princess Kenna, our 15 month old monster-in-training Jace (who is receiving perfect marks in his terror and destruction courses) and my parents, Disney-first-timers-since-the-late-80s Papa and Nana, all to WDW for seven nights.
This countdown calendar is obviously not Y2K compliant...
In our previous two trips down to Orlando we were fortunate enough to fly into the main airport (MCO) and utilize Disneys Magical Express, which is a transportation service that gets your checked baggage for you and gives you a relaxing and entertaining bus ride to the World, dropping you off at your resorts doorstep and delivering your luggage in your room shortly thereafter. The nice things about the service are you dont have to secure outside transportation, you dont have to wait at baggage claim nor haul your bags around at the airport, and you dont need a car seat for the kids. However, to qualify for DME, you need to 1) be staying at an official Disney resort, and 2) fly into Orlando International Airport.
This trip we opted for a new flight option: flying out of a closer small town airport (with free parking!) and into Orlando-STANFORD, thereby not being able to take advantage of the Magical Express. As we were going to be keeping to Walt Disney World the entire trip and have no problem using Disneys internal transportation, we opted to hire a car service to take us to and from the airport both ways as opposed to renting a car. But, before we get to that, lets start at the beginning
Once upon a time, in a land well, about 50 miles away, actually, was a mystical airport. And this airport only had about four magic carpets flying to it each day, so it was a pretty quiet airport, except when one of the magic carpets was about to come, and then the mean trolls and dragons who ran the airport made all the princes and princesses get into one long line to get tickets and check in their luggage, even if they had already magically checked in online, and thus everyone was very, very sad. The End.
Truthfully, it is what you would expect at a small town airport, with one counter serving 100+ flyers that all arrive at the same time, yet offers no separate counter or curb side baggage check for those who had already printing boarding passes online. This was not as big a deal for me as I still had to get a lap child ticket for Jace, but it would have been nice for the rest of our party to not have to wait and you would think that they could staff better when they have such a predictable crowd level.
On the plus side, security at this/these sized airports is always a breeze and even with the cattle call at check in we were at the gate with plenty of time to spare, which I used to allow Jace to run to his hearts content up and down the concourse in an attempt to wear him out and bring on sleepy time for the flight. Alas, twas all in vain, as even with him being tired and getting his usual knockout bottle of whole milk at wheels up (which I had to buy a paper cup of at the only restaurant in the airport), he remained a ball of unhappy energy for the duration of the two-hour flight.
"Rowdy and/or restless children may be checked at the jet ramp for storage underneath airplane."
Allegiant is a value airline and you can really feel it in the seat size. Well, lack thereof, that is. The airline offers some nice and fairly affordable snacks, and we left the gate early on both flights which was was a plus, but fighting a wiggling toddler in those confined spaces is all I can remember and will never do that again. His college fund will be a couple hundred bucks lighter next trip we take as he will be paying for his own darn seat. In the back. Between two strangers. Who dont take no gruff from no kids
The (only) flight to Orlando that day left pretty late at around 6pm Central time and touched down in Stanford right about 9pm local. We were a bit further from Disney than MCO would have put us, but flying into a smaller airport allowed us a quick exit, assisted by our new friends with Orlando Luxury Transportation, the car service we used.
I am not ashamed to admit it was pretty darned cool coming down the escalator in the main terminal and seeing our driver in his suit and tie with our name on a professional push-letter board. He was very pleasant, professional, and even though he was of Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern descent (which Im pretty sure is a hiring prerequisite for drivers of all types in Orlando) he spoke great English. Heck, he even held Jace while I hunted down our luggage! Best of all? You ready for it? Are you sure? His name was Orlando! How cool is that! I kid you not, it was right there on his name tag, either by birth or by loving adoption. Either way, it was a great omen for our trip.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the whole flying into Stanford and using a car service experience. Yes, the flight departure time and plane size werent ideal, but using the smaller airport and getting a private 12-person van (for just us 6) that included car seats, a grocery stop, and our first-ever ride through downtown Orlando (which has a really cool skyline and is absolutely beautiful at night) I think it worked out well, and - depending on the wait for the bus and ensuing stops of the Magical Express - might have actually been faster than flying into MCO at the same time. The cost of the value flight plus car service was almost exactly the same as using a major airline out of a metropolitan airport, but the smaller airport was closer and has free parking. All and all both routes have pros and cons, but financially were a wash.
Alright, Ive gone on long enough without even arriving at Disney yet, which we did right around 10pm after making that quick stop for groceries (of the liquid variety, if you know what I mean! Huh? Do ya? Yeah, thats right!) Um, sorry. Papa just commandeered the keyboard for a moment there
So we checked into Saratoga Springs right around 10pm and the car service was nice enough to wait for Papa and I to do so so they could then take us over to our part of the resort (Saratoga Springs is a very large, sprawling resort). As we were staying in a two bedroom, we had the cast member at check-in separate the credit card attached to Papa and Nanas Keys to the World from Anne and Is, which was no problem at all and made the trip much easier. We tried to get selected to test-drive the new Magic Bands and Fastpass+, but obviously were not chosen. Reviews of the beta tests for this new technology are getting more positive as Disney continues to iron out the wrinkles, but we were fine going old school for this trip using KsTOW and paper Fastpasses.
Orlando and the other guy (he didn't give himself an easy, geographically-referential name so its his fault that I dont remember it) drove us around to the Paddock section and did most of the work carrying up the luggage and groceries. Again, they were a great experience for us overall.
Yep, Downtown Disney is that close.
After getting settled it and putting the younglings to bed, I sat back to revel in my superior planning and execution skills and patted myself on the back for a job well done. Thennnn I remembered that I had forgotten to pick up both our rented stroller AND the package of vital supplies that I had shipped earlier to the resort from bell services when we checked in. Oh well; you cant win em all. Papa and I took a quick stroll across the bridge to the Carriage House, got the stuff, and were offered a van ride back from one of the night bellman which was greatly appreciated. Family in bed by 11, Daddy by midnight, and the stage was set for our first full day of Disney Family Magic
DAY 1: CRYSTAL PRINCESSES! WAIT, THAT'S NOT RIGHT...
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2013
Even with the late arrival the night before and still being on Central Standard Time, we were able to get up and moving fairly early the next morning. I had read horror stories about the bus service at Saratoga Springs, but overall we found the buses to be pretty reliable and our first morning was no exception. We headed to the flagship theme park, Magic Kingdom, and were happy to arrive just after opening. We had some time left before our 9:50am Crystal Palace ADR (thats Advanced Dining Reservation for the uninitiated), so we made our way through the castle which is a treat as you find it closed to foot traffic due to shows more often than not and did our familys favorite first ride: Prince Charmings Carousel. Oddly, there was absolutely no line at one of the Magic Kingdoms premier attractions. (For all you newbies, that was a joke, and a bad one at that.) Kenna loves carousels, and for whatever reason we have always found ourselves doing this first thing upon arriving in WDW.
Our reservation was quickly approaching after disembarking from the pastel-covered stallions, so I ran ahead to grab Peter Pans Flight Fastpasses and then go check in at the Crystal Palace. As everyone else was making their way back, they happened upon Princess Tiana with no line, which was pretty cool. Kenna got to stop and chat with her a while and they got some good pictures. It is the random encounters like this that make WDW such a magical place.
"I want to be a princess when I grow up" is something she seriously says. A lot. Not sure how to plan for that kind of post-secondary education...
The Crystal Palace was just what we expected: a decent character buffet with Pooh and Friends in a pretty cool location, looking out over the hub and Cinderellas Castle. Character meals are the way to go, as you kill two birds with one stone: you get to fuel your body (even if sometimes the food tastes just like diesel fuel) and the kiddos get to have close-up interaction with Disney characters without waiting in line. In fact, the characters make their way around the restaurant to you, flipping the script and making the kids feel like the characters want to meet them, as opposed to the other way around. The resort is full of these meals, and I highly recommend them to families with small/medium/large children or just adults who like to meet their favorite Disney pals.
Please don't feed the bears.
As for financing these meals, on each of our trips we have elected to pay for and use the Disney Dining Plan. I wont go into all the variations and specifics, but basically you prepay for dining credits as opposed to paying/charging each individual meal. You are given an allotment of credits based on the length of your stay, and you use these for sit down table service meals (entrée, drink and desert), fast food(ish) meals (also entrée, drink and desert) and for snacks (i.e. smoothies, ice cream, popcorn, cupcakes, chips, etc.), depending on your particular plan. Whether you return a value on using the plan depends on how and where you use it. If you use your credits on the most expensive restaurants, entrées and snacks, you definitely save money in the end. However, if you only eat at the lower priced options, or didnt what to eat at that many places in general, the dining plan might not be for you. There are plenty of resources online to help you make your decision beforehand, including at the suggested websites on my Home Page and on the Link Page.
But for us, we dont cook our own meals, love the restaurants and especially love the character meals (which can get a bit pricey paying out-of-pocket), so we always elect for the Dining Plan, if for no other reason than an excuse to dine with our favorite Disney pals.
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too! Surprised you didn't know that.
So back to the fun After an enjoyable breakfast with our pals from the Hundred Acre Wood, we slowly headed through Adventureland and Liberty Square, just taking in all the ambience and detail that only Disney can provide and ended up in Old Fantasyland to use our Fastpasses for Peter Pan. This is a cool, suspended-from-the-ceiling dark ride that takes you out over London and Neverland that children and adults both enjoy. However, for some illogical reason the lines here get ridiculous and the queue is absolutely brutal, so be sure to ride it first thing or grab a Fastpass. After our flight we headed across the way to its a small world (yes, the name is in all lowercase and it drives me crazy too). This has traditionally been our second stop due to its proximity to the Carousel, but this trip it ended up our third after a few pit stops. The ride never fails to impress, and had Jace wide-eyed through the entire thing.
"I could totally take that little guy from France..."
As a quick aside, I will admit up front that this trip saw us experience few if any of the signature thrill rides at Disney such as Space Mountain, Aerosmiths Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, or A Too Big to Fail Automobile Company Presents: Test Track. Anne and I have experienced all of these in the past and love each one (well, Anne is more of a Pearl Jam girl, so she forgoes Rock n Roller out of band loyalty), but this trip was all about the kids and grandparents, so we felt no need to make them all wait for us to ride rides that we had just enjoyed 9 months earlier, cool as they are. So with that disclaimer, I understand if all you adrenaline junkies want to jump ship now. However, I may give a Top 10 list at the end of this report or in a separate article with a brief description of each ride or something, so maybe you should stick around. That, and to hear how I tried to sell Jace to the Storybook Circus. Twice.
Hey humans, I want to be part of your... Hey! What the?! Why are you sticking me on the front of this boat? What's the word I'm looking for...?
Anyway, we made our way over to the New Fantasyland, where Kenna attempted to emancipate herself and make it her new home, claiming she could make ends meet by cleaning up after the plastic elephants. Unfortunately for her, they were not hiring at the time. Besides, Disney only uses child labor to make their merchandise, not staff the parks... (Zing!) After a quick couple of rides on Goofys rollercoaster (her all time favorite ride) we took a spin on the Ariel This Name is So Long No One Can Remember It ride, as she is Kennas all time favorite princess. This ride is a must-do for all little girls, but it serves as one of Disneys miscues due to laziness and/or their belief that fans will love any ride based on a popular movie regardless of its quality. Even though it is a brand new ride in a time rife with state-of-the-art technology, the attraction consists of little more than ridding through a half-hearted diorama. And for an attraction based on a movie that takes place entirely on, under, and around water, why choose to the make the entire thing bone dry? Wouldnt making this a boat ride that incorporates water about a story set in water be one of the most obvious choices in the world?
It doesnt hold a torch to much older rides such as Pirates, Haunted Mansion, or even Winnie the Pooh. Its cute enough (I guess) and employs the movies great music and follows the story well, and as a plus it has a fun, richly-detailed queue that is much more enjoyable than the ride, but it is just a shame that a brand new, tent pole ride like this doesnt offer more for guests who arent pre-adolescent girls.
I told him the Mad Hater with his "DRINK ME" juice was bad news...
Next we headed down to Gastons Tavern (still in the New Fantasyland) for some LaFous Brew, which is an apple cider-like slushy with a toasted marshmallow top that is delicious and a great use of a Dining Plan snack credit (or twelve). Next up was the Hall of Presidents, mostly for Papa and Nana but also for me as I had yet to see it. Anne sat this one out as she hates federalism and powdered wigs. It was a cool show (double meaning!), and the kids sat well through it, especially after I told Kenna that those weren't real people up there, but robots! She spent the entire rest of the show warning everyone around us of the impending Cylon takeover.
Next we employed a delicate maneuver that would become our modus operandi: the Slot Back Z Route Afternoon Nap & Swim. With a couple of small children and a pair of grandparents who were far from park commandos, we wisely headed back to the resort almost every afternoon to relax and recharge. The weather was surprisingly warm (our two previous trips had been in late October and early December) and we werent quite prepared for the sticky heat. However, as any trip planning guide or website will tell you, this is a widely accepted and encouraged tactic, and one that they blatantly stole from us.
So we hopped a bus back to Saratoga Springs. A couple of quick words on our resort, our room, and our pool: Super. Awesome.
Saratoga Super Sprayers.
Okay, perhaps more than a couple of words are needed to fully describe the resort. First off, Saratoga is a loooooong way away from almost everything else on property, at least relatively speaking. It is right next door to Downtown Disney which was nice and well get to later but being tucked away in the far corner of Walt Disney World makes some people balk at staying there. However, I chose this resort almost solely on it's pool for the kids (its second, smaller feature pool, actually) and of course the price, which were outstanding and reasonable, respectively. As mentioned earlier, it is a sprawling property, with five different villages/sections, each with its own pool and bus stop. That means that each bus that comes in to the resort has to make five stops before it leaves, which can be a bit frustrating. However, having stayed at Caribbean Beach in our inaugural trip we were used to this slight inconvenience and never really though twice about it.
The property is beautiful, filled with ponds sporting towering fountains, rich landscaping, and part of the property even borders one of Disneys golf courses. Some have complained that the theming is a little bland, which truthfully in comparison to other Deluxe resorts it is, but overall it is peaceful, well-maintained, and being close to Downtown Disney gave us a chance to fully experience that part of WDW that we had only rushed through in the past.
Pretty sweet view from one of the quiet pools at the south end of Saratoga.
Unaware of how sparsely booked it would be in early September, I fretted for months leading up to the trip about getting a good room location. I would check, double check, and yes, even triple check that our online check-in included requests for Paddock Section and near pool, fearful that we would be stuck out in the boonies due to our late check in. As it turns out, I would wager that the resort wasnt more than 30% filled during our stay, and we get the exact area, even the exact building, that I wanted.
Being that we did probably greatly skews my opinion of our stay there. Anywhere else on the property and we might have been less impressed, but staying in the Paddock section right next to the pool and bus stop was ideal for us. Not only did we have the cool kid pool (with zero-entry, huge slide, and separate childrens water playground with small slides, dump-bucket thing, fountain/sprayers and water guns), but there is also a quick-service restaurant there, self-service soda machines for our resort mugs, and we were adjacent to the bridge that spans Willow Lake and takes you right to the heart of the resort for more fun and mayhem.
A handy (Manny?) bridge over Willow Lake.
The two-bedroom suite was nice enough, clean, and had a great balcony overlooking a fountain on the lake. (A quick note on the fountains: due to the intense noise our fountain made, it is my belief that they formed it by crashing an F-17 fighter jet nose down into the lake in order to use its hyper-decibel afterburners to propel the water high into the heavens. Seriously. Let your earwax built up a bit before the trip if you are going to be staying by one of those fountains.)
So in a nutshell the bus service was (mostly) fine, the pool awesome (the main pool is cool as well, as are the quiet pools at the remaining sections), the Artists Palette food court and gift shop were great (we didnt eat at the resorts table service restaurant, so cant report on that), and apart from a lumpy couch the room was more than adequate. Again, our room location within Saratoga had a big hand in our happiness, so just keep that in mind.
Back to the story we forced Jace into a nap, and prepared to go swimming when my wife realized she had failed to pack a bathing suit. Now, a mental error like this in a vacuum is no joking matter, but as I had received some grief for a minor miscalculation I had made upon us leaving for the airport the day before, I had a chance for some sweet revenge jabs. Whats that? Oh, it was nothing. Seriously, its not even important. Nope, not big deal. Ugh, fine We were just getting ready to turn onto the freeway on-ramp to head out of town when my feet felt weird on the peddles, and I realized that I might, might have still been wearing my house sandals, and that the only pair of tennis shoes I was planning on taking and wearing were sitting alone and abandoned on our living room floor. See, no biggie, right? Five minutes of backtracking (plus a half hour of Now, are you sure you got everything?) and we were right as rain.
But in this case, my wifes omission gave her an excuse to buy a spiffy new Disney swimsuit up at the gift shop, and a Mickey towel-wrap cover-up thing to boot. Hmmm perhaps this wasn't an accident at all.
So, with Jace sleeping and Papa catching up on SportsCenter, Anne, Kenna, Nana and I headed down to the Paddock Pool for our first dip and it went swimmingly. Get it?! Our little 3.5-year-old loved the big slide, and proudly climbed the stairs repeatedly with all of the teenagers for what seemed like hours on end. With frozen drinks from the bar and grill, a fun team of activity guides leading the pool partiers and plenty of available lounge space the stage was set for almost daily visits.
"I do believe that it belongs to me." "No friend, I'm sorry but I think that possession is mine on this one." "I hate to disappoint you both, old chaps, but I am quite certain that I have secured ownership of it for myself."
But we still had a busy night planned, as next up was dinner at Akerhaus in the Norway Pavilion out in Epcots World Showcase. Our ADR was at 8ish, but we arrived with plenty of time to hit the Seas with Nemo and Friends ride, which is a cool little attraction that shares a ride vehicle with the Little Mermaid in MK but thats where the similarities end. While still a passive, kid-centric scenic dark ride, Nemo employs lots of cool visual techniques, detailed and stylized scenes, and integration with real aquariums. I have no problem riding this one multiple times if the kiddos insist. Additionally, in the same area they have a very cool technology-driven interactive show with the sea turtle Crush, as well as a fun indoor learning/play area.
After Nemo we took our time heading over to Norway, finally entering the quaint Akerhaus (castle?) and waiting our turn to meet and take a pic with Belle. This is another character meal, and is not only a great way to meet a bunch of princesses, but the food is pretty decent and you get a free photo package of your party with Belle (at least it has always been Belle each time we have gone; not sure if they switch the photo princess out or not). Primarily because of the photo, this meal is very pricey out-of-pocket, but on the Dining Plan it is a wonderful use of a table service credit. We have eaten here all three trips, and little girls (and a lot of bashful young princes) always have a blast.
Maybe Yale offers a minor in Fairy Tale Royalty or something...
Additionally, the princesses are face characters, so they get to talk and interact with the kids when they visit your table, which can not only be more immersive for everyone but can also help break that shyness barrier that younger kids my encounter with the costumed characters. As for the food, they have an awesome seafood and anti-pesto salad bar that you get in addition to your entrée, which I would eat solely as my meal if given the choice. I had some enjoyable salmon, Nanas was really good, and the deserts are amazing. For what its worth, Annes beef tips gave her an upset tummy, so theres that. And as the alcohol-laced icing on top, Akerhaus and the entire Norway pavilion serves Carlsberg beer, my personal favorite. *hiccup* Score...
IllumiNations: Cool show, cool message, basically cool as cool can be...
We scheduled the dinner for that late so that we could walk out just as the Illuminations fireworks and light show was starting, which is exactly what happened (awwww, thank you, but please hold your applause til the end). Being a low-crowd day (and week, mostly), we grabbed a spot right in front of Norway just off the rail. This is a great show with a wonderful story portrayed on a giant earth/television accompanied by spectacular firework and laser shows (although the lasers werent as prominent this time; not sure why ) Annes tummy was still getting the best of her so we started walking towards Spaceship Earth and the exit just as the show was ending, and made pretty good time even with the post-Illuminations mass exodus crowd. We caught a quick bus and were back in the room a little before 10pm.
<Yet another aside> While there were a few times were we had to wait 15 minutes or so for a particular bus from Saratoga Springs, we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus going to the resort, no matter the time of day or from which park. I am not sure how this is possible logistically from a time-space continuum standpoint, but I suppose we might have just been extremely lucky. Or the miniature flux-capacitor I keep in my wallet started working again. Either way, it was nice to always walk out of a park to a waiting bus or one that rounded the bend promptly. <End aside>
With two parks, two character meals, and a full day of Disney fun under our belt we settled in with excitement on our minds yet tiredness in our bones for some much needed slumber...
***
More to come (and on the website).
-JB-
** DAYS 2 AND 3 DOWN BELOW
[end update]
As a proud Disney father and intrepid traveler I have decided to throw my hat into the trip reporting ring.
I kinda went overboard by building an entire website called The Rajah Report, but I thought I would share the magic here as well as there is such a great sense of community on these boards.
Here are the first two days, with more to follow. Enjoy!
-JB-
********
DAY 0: ALL TRAVEL AND NO PARKS MAKES JACK A DULL (AND UNMAGICAL) BOY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2013
This trip took me, a 32-year-old fun-loving concentrated ball of awesome, my 30-something superhero of a wife Anne, our nearly four year old princess Kenna, our 15 month old monster-in-training Jace (who is receiving perfect marks in his terror and destruction courses) and my parents, Disney-first-timers-since-the-late-80s Papa and Nana, all to WDW for seven nights.
This countdown calendar is obviously not Y2K compliant...
In our previous two trips down to Orlando we were fortunate enough to fly into the main airport (MCO) and utilize Disneys Magical Express, which is a transportation service that gets your checked baggage for you and gives you a relaxing and entertaining bus ride to the World, dropping you off at your resorts doorstep and delivering your luggage in your room shortly thereafter. The nice things about the service are you dont have to secure outside transportation, you dont have to wait at baggage claim nor haul your bags around at the airport, and you dont need a car seat for the kids. However, to qualify for DME, you need to 1) be staying at an official Disney resort, and 2) fly into Orlando International Airport.
This trip we opted for a new flight option: flying out of a closer small town airport (with free parking!) and into Orlando-STANFORD, thereby not being able to take advantage of the Magical Express. As we were going to be keeping to Walt Disney World the entire trip and have no problem using Disneys internal transportation, we opted to hire a car service to take us to and from the airport both ways as opposed to renting a car. But, before we get to that, lets start at the beginning
Once upon a time, in a land well, about 50 miles away, actually, was a mystical airport. And this airport only had about four magic carpets flying to it each day, so it was a pretty quiet airport, except when one of the magic carpets was about to come, and then the mean trolls and dragons who ran the airport made all the princes and princesses get into one long line to get tickets and check in their luggage, even if they had already magically checked in online, and thus everyone was very, very sad. The End.
Truthfully, it is what you would expect at a small town airport, with one counter serving 100+ flyers that all arrive at the same time, yet offers no separate counter or curb side baggage check for those who had already printing boarding passes online. This was not as big a deal for me as I still had to get a lap child ticket for Jace, but it would have been nice for the rest of our party to not have to wait and you would think that they could staff better when they have such a predictable crowd level.
On the plus side, security at this/these sized airports is always a breeze and even with the cattle call at check in we were at the gate with plenty of time to spare, which I used to allow Jace to run to his hearts content up and down the concourse in an attempt to wear him out and bring on sleepy time for the flight. Alas, twas all in vain, as even with him being tired and getting his usual knockout bottle of whole milk at wheels up (which I had to buy a paper cup of at the only restaurant in the airport), he remained a ball of unhappy energy for the duration of the two-hour flight.
"Rowdy and/or restless children may be checked at the jet ramp for storage underneath airplane."
Allegiant is a value airline and you can really feel it in the seat size. Well, lack thereof, that is. The airline offers some nice and fairly affordable snacks, and we left the gate early on both flights which was was a plus, but fighting a wiggling toddler in those confined spaces is all I can remember and will never do that again. His college fund will be a couple hundred bucks lighter next trip we take as he will be paying for his own darn seat. In the back. Between two strangers. Who dont take no gruff from no kids
The (only) flight to Orlando that day left pretty late at around 6pm Central time and touched down in Stanford right about 9pm local. We were a bit further from Disney than MCO would have put us, but flying into a smaller airport allowed us a quick exit, assisted by our new friends with Orlando Luxury Transportation, the car service we used.
I am not ashamed to admit it was pretty darned cool coming down the escalator in the main terminal and seeing our driver in his suit and tie with our name on a professional push-letter board. He was very pleasant, professional, and even though he was of Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern descent (which Im pretty sure is a hiring prerequisite for drivers of all types in Orlando) he spoke great English. Heck, he even held Jace while I hunted down our luggage! Best of all? You ready for it? Are you sure? His name was Orlando! How cool is that! I kid you not, it was right there on his name tag, either by birth or by loving adoption. Either way, it was a great omen for our trip.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the whole flying into Stanford and using a car service experience. Yes, the flight departure time and plane size werent ideal, but using the smaller airport and getting a private 12-person van (for just us 6) that included car seats, a grocery stop, and our first-ever ride through downtown Orlando (which has a really cool skyline and is absolutely beautiful at night) I think it worked out well, and - depending on the wait for the bus and ensuing stops of the Magical Express - might have actually been faster than flying into MCO at the same time. The cost of the value flight plus car service was almost exactly the same as using a major airline out of a metropolitan airport, but the smaller airport was closer and has free parking. All and all both routes have pros and cons, but financially were a wash.
Alright, Ive gone on long enough without even arriving at Disney yet, which we did right around 10pm after making that quick stop for groceries (of the liquid variety, if you know what I mean! Huh? Do ya? Yeah, thats right!) Um, sorry. Papa just commandeered the keyboard for a moment there
So we checked into Saratoga Springs right around 10pm and the car service was nice enough to wait for Papa and I to do so so they could then take us over to our part of the resort (Saratoga Springs is a very large, sprawling resort). As we were staying in a two bedroom, we had the cast member at check-in separate the credit card attached to Papa and Nanas Keys to the World from Anne and Is, which was no problem at all and made the trip much easier. We tried to get selected to test-drive the new Magic Bands and Fastpass+, but obviously were not chosen. Reviews of the beta tests for this new technology are getting more positive as Disney continues to iron out the wrinkles, but we were fine going old school for this trip using KsTOW and paper Fastpasses.
Orlando and the other guy (he didn't give himself an easy, geographically-referential name so its his fault that I dont remember it) drove us around to the Paddock section and did most of the work carrying up the luggage and groceries. Again, they were a great experience for us overall.
Yep, Downtown Disney is that close.
After getting settled it and putting the younglings to bed, I sat back to revel in my superior planning and execution skills and patted myself on the back for a job well done. Thennnn I remembered that I had forgotten to pick up both our rented stroller AND the package of vital supplies that I had shipped earlier to the resort from bell services when we checked in. Oh well; you cant win em all. Papa and I took a quick stroll across the bridge to the Carriage House, got the stuff, and were offered a van ride back from one of the night bellman which was greatly appreciated. Family in bed by 11, Daddy by midnight, and the stage was set for our first full day of Disney Family Magic
DAY 1: CRYSTAL PRINCESSES! WAIT, THAT'S NOT RIGHT...
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2013
Even with the late arrival the night before and still being on Central Standard Time, we were able to get up and moving fairly early the next morning. I had read horror stories about the bus service at Saratoga Springs, but overall we found the buses to be pretty reliable and our first morning was no exception. We headed to the flagship theme park, Magic Kingdom, and were happy to arrive just after opening. We had some time left before our 9:50am Crystal Palace ADR (thats Advanced Dining Reservation for the uninitiated), so we made our way through the castle which is a treat as you find it closed to foot traffic due to shows more often than not and did our familys favorite first ride: Prince Charmings Carousel. Oddly, there was absolutely no line at one of the Magic Kingdoms premier attractions. (For all you newbies, that was a joke, and a bad one at that.) Kenna loves carousels, and for whatever reason we have always found ourselves doing this first thing upon arriving in WDW.
Our reservation was quickly approaching after disembarking from the pastel-covered stallions, so I ran ahead to grab Peter Pans Flight Fastpasses and then go check in at the Crystal Palace. As everyone else was making their way back, they happened upon Princess Tiana with no line, which was pretty cool. Kenna got to stop and chat with her a while and they got some good pictures. It is the random encounters like this that make WDW such a magical place.
"I want to be a princess when I grow up" is something she seriously says. A lot. Not sure how to plan for that kind of post-secondary education...
The Crystal Palace was just what we expected: a decent character buffet with Pooh and Friends in a pretty cool location, looking out over the hub and Cinderellas Castle. Character meals are the way to go, as you kill two birds with one stone: you get to fuel your body (even if sometimes the food tastes just like diesel fuel) and the kiddos get to have close-up interaction with Disney characters without waiting in line. In fact, the characters make their way around the restaurant to you, flipping the script and making the kids feel like the characters want to meet them, as opposed to the other way around. The resort is full of these meals, and I highly recommend them to families with small/medium/large children or just adults who like to meet their favorite Disney pals.
Please don't feed the bears.
As for financing these meals, on each of our trips we have elected to pay for and use the Disney Dining Plan. I wont go into all the variations and specifics, but basically you prepay for dining credits as opposed to paying/charging each individual meal. You are given an allotment of credits based on the length of your stay, and you use these for sit down table service meals (entrée, drink and desert), fast food(ish) meals (also entrée, drink and desert) and for snacks (i.e. smoothies, ice cream, popcorn, cupcakes, chips, etc.), depending on your particular plan. Whether you return a value on using the plan depends on how and where you use it. If you use your credits on the most expensive restaurants, entrées and snacks, you definitely save money in the end. However, if you only eat at the lower priced options, or didnt what to eat at that many places in general, the dining plan might not be for you. There are plenty of resources online to help you make your decision beforehand, including at the suggested websites on my Home Page and on the Link Page.
But for us, we dont cook our own meals, love the restaurants and especially love the character meals (which can get a bit pricey paying out-of-pocket), so we always elect for the Dining Plan, if for no other reason than an excuse to dine with our favorite Disney pals.
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too! Surprised you didn't know that.
So back to the fun After an enjoyable breakfast with our pals from the Hundred Acre Wood, we slowly headed through Adventureland and Liberty Square, just taking in all the ambience and detail that only Disney can provide and ended up in Old Fantasyland to use our Fastpasses for Peter Pan. This is a cool, suspended-from-the-ceiling dark ride that takes you out over London and Neverland that children and adults both enjoy. However, for some illogical reason the lines here get ridiculous and the queue is absolutely brutal, so be sure to ride it first thing or grab a Fastpass. After our flight we headed across the way to its a small world (yes, the name is in all lowercase and it drives me crazy too). This has traditionally been our second stop due to its proximity to the Carousel, but this trip it ended up our third after a few pit stops. The ride never fails to impress, and had Jace wide-eyed through the entire thing.
"I could totally take that little guy from France..."
As a quick aside, I will admit up front that this trip saw us experience few if any of the signature thrill rides at Disney such as Space Mountain, Aerosmiths Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, or A Too Big to Fail Automobile Company Presents: Test Track. Anne and I have experienced all of these in the past and love each one (well, Anne is more of a Pearl Jam girl, so she forgoes Rock n Roller out of band loyalty), but this trip was all about the kids and grandparents, so we felt no need to make them all wait for us to ride rides that we had just enjoyed 9 months earlier, cool as they are. So with that disclaimer, I understand if all you adrenaline junkies want to jump ship now. However, I may give a Top 10 list at the end of this report or in a separate article with a brief description of each ride or something, so maybe you should stick around. That, and to hear how I tried to sell Jace to the Storybook Circus. Twice.
Hey humans, I want to be part of your... Hey! What the?! Why are you sticking me on the front of this boat? What's the word I'm looking for...?
Anyway, we made our way over to the New Fantasyland, where Kenna attempted to emancipate herself and make it her new home, claiming she could make ends meet by cleaning up after the plastic elephants. Unfortunately for her, they were not hiring at the time. Besides, Disney only uses child labor to make their merchandise, not staff the parks... (Zing!) After a quick couple of rides on Goofys rollercoaster (her all time favorite ride) we took a spin on the Ariel This Name is So Long No One Can Remember It ride, as she is Kennas all time favorite princess. This ride is a must-do for all little girls, but it serves as one of Disneys miscues due to laziness and/or their belief that fans will love any ride based on a popular movie regardless of its quality. Even though it is a brand new ride in a time rife with state-of-the-art technology, the attraction consists of little more than ridding through a half-hearted diorama. And for an attraction based on a movie that takes place entirely on, under, and around water, why choose to the make the entire thing bone dry? Wouldnt making this a boat ride that incorporates water about a story set in water be one of the most obvious choices in the world?
It doesnt hold a torch to much older rides such as Pirates, Haunted Mansion, or even Winnie the Pooh. Its cute enough (I guess) and employs the movies great music and follows the story well, and as a plus it has a fun, richly-detailed queue that is much more enjoyable than the ride, but it is just a shame that a brand new, tent pole ride like this doesnt offer more for guests who arent pre-adolescent girls.
I told him the Mad Hater with his "DRINK ME" juice was bad news...
Next we headed down to Gastons Tavern (still in the New Fantasyland) for some LaFous Brew, which is an apple cider-like slushy with a toasted marshmallow top that is delicious and a great use of a Dining Plan snack credit (or twelve). Next up was the Hall of Presidents, mostly for Papa and Nana but also for me as I had yet to see it. Anne sat this one out as she hates federalism and powdered wigs. It was a cool show (double meaning!), and the kids sat well through it, especially after I told Kenna that those weren't real people up there, but robots! She spent the entire rest of the show warning everyone around us of the impending Cylon takeover.
Next we employed a delicate maneuver that would become our modus operandi: the Slot Back Z Route Afternoon Nap & Swim. With a couple of small children and a pair of grandparents who were far from park commandos, we wisely headed back to the resort almost every afternoon to relax and recharge. The weather was surprisingly warm (our two previous trips had been in late October and early December) and we werent quite prepared for the sticky heat. However, as any trip planning guide or website will tell you, this is a widely accepted and encouraged tactic, and one that they blatantly stole from us.
So we hopped a bus back to Saratoga Springs. A couple of quick words on our resort, our room, and our pool: Super. Awesome.
Saratoga Super Sprayers.
Okay, perhaps more than a couple of words are needed to fully describe the resort. First off, Saratoga is a loooooong way away from almost everything else on property, at least relatively speaking. It is right next door to Downtown Disney which was nice and well get to later but being tucked away in the far corner of Walt Disney World makes some people balk at staying there. However, I chose this resort almost solely on it's pool for the kids (its second, smaller feature pool, actually) and of course the price, which were outstanding and reasonable, respectively. As mentioned earlier, it is a sprawling property, with five different villages/sections, each with its own pool and bus stop. That means that each bus that comes in to the resort has to make five stops before it leaves, which can be a bit frustrating. However, having stayed at Caribbean Beach in our inaugural trip we were used to this slight inconvenience and never really though twice about it.
The property is beautiful, filled with ponds sporting towering fountains, rich landscaping, and part of the property even borders one of Disneys golf courses. Some have complained that the theming is a little bland, which truthfully in comparison to other Deluxe resorts it is, but overall it is peaceful, well-maintained, and being close to Downtown Disney gave us a chance to fully experience that part of WDW that we had only rushed through in the past.
Pretty sweet view from one of the quiet pools at the south end of Saratoga.
Unaware of how sparsely booked it would be in early September, I fretted for months leading up to the trip about getting a good room location. I would check, double check, and yes, even triple check that our online check-in included requests for Paddock Section and near pool, fearful that we would be stuck out in the boonies due to our late check in. As it turns out, I would wager that the resort wasnt more than 30% filled during our stay, and we get the exact area, even the exact building, that I wanted.
Being that we did probably greatly skews my opinion of our stay there. Anywhere else on the property and we might have been less impressed, but staying in the Paddock section right next to the pool and bus stop was ideal for us. Not only did we have the cool kid pool (with zero-entry, huge slide, and separate childrens water playground with small slides, dump-bucket thing, fountain/sprayers and water guns), but there is also a quick-service restaurant there, self-service soda machines for our resort mugs, and we were adjacent to the bridge that spans Willow Lake and takes you right to the heart of the resort for more fun and mayhem.
A handy (Manny?) bridge over Willow Lake.
The two-bedroom suite was nice enough, clean, and had a great balcony overlooking a fountain on the lake. (A quick note on the fountains: due to the intense noise our fountain made, it is my belief that they formed it by crashing an F-17 fighter jet nose down into the lake in order to use its hyper-decibel afterburners to propel the water high into the heavens. Seriously. Let your earwax built up a bit before the trip if you are going to be staying by one of those fountains.)
So in a nutshell the bus service was (mostly) fine, the pool awesome (the main pool is cool as well, as are the quiet pools at the remaining sections), the Artists Palette food court and gift shop were great (we didnt eat at the resorts table service restaurant, so cant report on that), and apart from a lumpy couch the room was more than adequate. Again, our room location within Saratoga had a big hand in our happiness, so just keep that in mind.
Back to the story we forced Jace into a nap, and prepared to go swimming when my wife realized she had failed to pack a bathing suit. Now, a mental error like this in a vacuum is no joking matter, but as I had received some grief for a minor miscalculation I had made upon us leaving for the airport the day before, I had a chance for some sweet revenge jabs. Whats that? Oh, it was nothing. Seriously, its not even important. Nope, not big deal. Ugh, fine We were just getting ready to turn onto the freeway on-ramp to head out of town when my feet felt weird on the peddles, and I realized that I might, might have still been wearing my house sandals, and that the only pair of tennis shoes I was planning on taking and wearing were sitting alone and abandoned on our living room floor. See, no biggie, right? Five minutes of backtracking (plus a half hour of Now, are you sure you got everything?) and we were right as rain.
But in this case, my wifes omission gave her an excuse to buy a spiffy new Disney swimsuit up at the gift shop, and a Mickey towel-wrap cover-up thing to boot. Hmmm perhaps this wasn't an accident at all.
So, with Jace sleeping and Papa catching up on SportsCenter, Anne, Kenna, Nana and I headed down to the Paddock Pool for our first dip and it went swimmingly. Get it?! Our little 3.5-year-old loved the big slide, and proudly climbed the stairs repeatedly with all of the teenagers for what seemed like hours on end. With frozen drinks from the bar and grill, a fun team of activity guides leading the pool partiers and plenty of available lounge space the stage was set for almost daily visits.
"I do believe that it belongs to me." "No friend, I'm sorry but I think that possession is mine on this one." "I hate to disappoint you both, old chaps, but I am quite certain that I have secured ownership of it for myself."
But we still had a busy night planned, as next up was dinner at Akerhaus in the Norway Pavilion out in Epcots World Showcase. Our ADR was at 8ish, but we arrived with plenty of time to hit the Seas with Nemo and Friends ride, which is a cool little attraction that shares a ride vehicle with the Little Mermaid in MK but thats where the similarities end. While still a passive, kid-centric scenic dark ride, Nemo employs lots of cool visual techniques, detailed and stylized scenes, and integration with real aquariums. I have no problem riding this one multiple times if the kiddos insist. Additionally, in the same area they have a very cool technology-driven interactive show with the sea turtle Crush, as well as a fun indoor learning/play area.
After Nemo we took our time heading over to Norway, finally entering the quaint Akerhaus (castle?) and waiting our turn to meet and take a pic with Belle. This is another character meal, and is not only a great way to meet a bunch of princesses, but the food is pretty decent and you get a free photo package of your party with Belle (at least it has always been Belle each time we have gone; not sure if they switch the photo princess out or not). Primarily because of the photo, this meal is very pricey out-of-pocket, but on the Dining Plan it is a wonderful use of a table service credit. We have eaten here all three trips, and little girls (and a lot of bashful young princes) always have a blast.
Maybe Yale offers a minor in Fairy Tale Royalty or something...
Additionally, the princesses are face characters, so they get to talk and interact with the kids when they visit your table, which can not only be more immersive for everyone but can also help break that shyness barrier that younger kids my encounter with the costumed characters. As for the food, they have an awesome seafood and anti-pesto salad bar that you get in addition to your entrée, which I would eat solely as my meal if given the choice. I had some enjoyable salmon, Nanas was really good, and the deserts are amazing. For what its worth, Annes beef tips gave her an upset tummy, so theres that. And as the alcohol-laced icing on top, Akerhaus and the entire Norway pavilion serves Carlsberg beer, my personal favorite. *hiccup* Score...
IllumiNations: Cool show, cool message, basically cool as cool can be...
We scheduled the dinner for that late so that we could walk out just as the Illuminations fireworks and light show was starting, which is exactly what happened (awwww, thank you, but please hold your applause til the end). Being a low-crowd day (and week, mostly), we grabbed a spot right in front of Norway just off the rail. This is a great show with a wonderful story portrayed on a giant earth/television accompanied by spectacular firework and laser shows (although the lasers werent as prominent this time; not sure why ) Annes tummy was still getting the best of her so we started walking towards Spaceship Earth and the exit just as the show was ending, and made pretty good time even with the post-Illuminations mass exodus crowd. We caught a quick bus and were back in the room a little before 10pm.
<Yet another aside> While there were a few times were we had to wait 15 minutes or so for a particular bus from Saratoga Springs, we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus going to the resort, no matter the time of day or from which park. I am not sure how this is possible logistically from a time-space continuum standpoint, but I suppose we might have just been extremely lucky. Or the miniature flux-capacitor I keep in my wallet started working again. Either way, it was nice to always walk out of a park to a waiting bus or one that rounded the bend promptly. <End aside>
With two parks, two character meals, and a full day of Disney fun under our belt we settled in with excitement on our minds yet tiredness in our bones for some much needed slumber...
***
More to come (and on the website).
-JB-
I thought that was an obvious DHS project, and heaven knows DHS needs it more!
