cuteblonde68
Disney Princess at heart
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2014
- Messages
- 2
Started planning our trip for family of 4, 2 adults, 2 kids (6 and 2) in late October. Mapped out park and dining for each day and planned attractions accordingly. Booked dining reservations the first week of January. Didn't book/purchase tickets and resort until February 6th. Our magic bands and info pack arrived 8 days after purchase. We used the Disney dining plan, and memory maker (well worth the advance purchase price, we wound up with 400+ photos to download, magic shots are great!). We wanted to stay at Coronado Springs Resort, but by the time I booked tickets there were no rooms available. It almost worked out better for us to end up going for the cheaper rooms at Pop, because we didn't spend any time there. We literally slept, showered, filled resort mugs, and that was it. Pop Century is my least favorite of the resorts we've stayed at. It just doesn't have the ambiance, the "magic". It's a great deal for the money though. Castmembers and Mousekeeping were excellent, as always.
Day 1: Pop Century/Ohana. We arrived on Sunday and didn't go to any parks since we had 4 day FL resident tickets. Arriving on Sunday afternoon, we hit the Orlando outlets character warehouse, checked into Pop, spent time touring the resort, and also toured Art of Animation Resort. I booked a dinner reservation at Ohana, since we'd eaten lunch at home and then driven straight down after. The Polynesian is so beautiful, I love it. Hubby and I have stayed in the past, when we didn't have any kids with us. Ohana, once again was wonderful! It's hands down our favorite Disney restaurant. We were seated within 5 minutes of arrival with a reservation at 5:45. The food was absolutely delicious, everything was brought steaming, and we had plenty to share. Since my daughter is under 3, she didn't receive dining credits (this did not turn out to be a problem for us at any meal, she shared a bit of everyone's food and none of us ever complained of not having enough). Hubby can not get enough of it, and every time we go, he says we should just eat dinner there the entire trip. Hit the pool at Pop for about an hour after dinner, and walked out to hourglass lake to enjoy the breeze. Filled our resort mugs and settled down to get up early.
Day 2: Monday Magic Kingdom. We arrived at rope drop and headed directly to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train because we had a 9am FP. apparently there were technical issues with the ride so it was shut down, and we headed over to Princess fairy tale hall. Wait time for on Meet Anna/Elsa was 240 minutes! SKIP. We went ahead with the rest of our plan for Fantasyland, used fastpasses for Peter Pan's flight. Waited in line for nothing longer than 15-20 minutes other than Winne the Pooh, even with the interactive line kids were still getting a bit stir crazy towards the end. Ate lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus. We sat at the windows overlooking It's a small world. Kids loved that, they people watched and ate. Returned to 7DMT later in the day, because the ride opened 10 minutes before our Fast Pass window was over, we missed getting on without waiting in line. Hubby and son waited 60 minutes while the little diva and I shopped Castle Couture and rode the carousel. We did no fireworks or parades the first day. Managed to get in all of the attractions in Fantasyland comfortably and without rush. I'd booked dinner for Crystal Palace, so we headed over for a 7:45 reservation. We were told they were behind and waited on the porch with probably 60 other people. At about 8:05, little diva decided enough was enough and proceeded to have her one and only meltdown of the trip to entertain all of the other waiting parties. A cast member promptly came out, tray of snickerdoodle cookies in tow. Meltdown over, but we were not called to be seated until 8:40! We used the DDP, so I wasn't worried about cost, but I will say I was not terribly impressed with Crystal Palace, and you're paying for the experience, not the food. If you're paying cash, unless your little one MUST meet Pooh and friends, reconsider. Although the kids did enjoy watching fireworks from the windows while they ate, the view was not ideal. Upon leaving, we watched the Wishes show on the castle from the gardens just in front. Kids were exhausted and we left to resort as soon as Wishes ended.
Day 3: Tuesday Animal Kingdom. I booked fastpasses for Kali river rapids, Expedition Everest, and finding Nemo. At rope drop, we walked in, took pictures in front of the tree of life, and casually made our way back to Kilimanjaro Safari. Wait for standby was only about 20 minutes, it was enjoyable, although our "tour guide" stopped at the wrong place for the hippos, and then proceeded to drive right past where they were actually at. The rest of the animals were very close to the path and the giraffes and zebras you could almost reach out and touch. We headed on to EE, and because we were using rider switch, ended up riding 3 times each. Hubby used his FP, when I went to use my RS, the cast member informed me the line was probably shorter in single rider line. I had 3 people in front of me, so I pocketed my rider switch. When I got off, I immediately used my FP, and hubby got a RS. He also used the single rider line, so we both had rider switch passes for later in the day. Kali was walk on in the FP line and we enjoyed it although the ride seemed short. Standby waiting for this is probably very disappointing. We handed off our rider switch to a nice elderly couple we met in front of the snack cart. We went on to our FP for Nemo. I must say it was spectacular and one of the highlights of AK. We exited just in time for Flights of Wonder. Headed back to Yak and Yeti for lunch. I had the couscous wrap. It was very good, but seemed dry. We watched the dancing just in front of the restaurant as we ate and the kids had a blast. On to Dinoland. Spent some time at the dig site while Dad rode Dinosaur, and then went to Primeval Whirl, which is the best ride in Dinoland in my opinion. Upon leaving we headed to the trails around the tree of life, and happened upon Pocahontas. She was absolutely wonderful. My son was fascinated with her. Little diva kept asking to brush her hair and she said certainly, and asked her if she'd like to come back next week to explore the river and find berries. Eventually we found the entrance to It's Tough to be a bug. So nice walking through and seeing all of the animals hidden in the tree as you pass. We didn't wait long, but once the show started, it was all manner of craziness. Son (6) kept saying it was creepy and cold in there, and little diva wouldn't keep her 3 glasses on at all. At one point you are blasted with air, and then water shoots out, BOTH kids absolutely lost it. Full tears from each, and terrified screaming from the princess. We had to leave. I must say my kids are pretty go with the flow, and not scared of the dark, or much else. For some reason, this was the tipping point. I might not ever get why. They both rode Haunted Mansion and Pirates the next day without incident. We used our leftover RS and rode EE once more each. It was almost sunset, and we didn't have enough time for Festival of the lion King, so we got a few more pics in front of the tree of life and the bridge to Asia with Everest in the background. Since we had reservations for Rainforest Cafe, we skipped over Rafiki's planet watch all together. Killed time until dinner shopping and taking pics of the kids making animal poses. No incident with dinner at Rainforest Cafe, but I do think I enjoy DTD location more. I was slightly disappointed at the massive renovation going on. It took away a lot of the atmosphere of the park, with the wooden fence around every turn. I also wanted to try Flame Tree BBQ, since we'd eaten Yak and Yeti before. All in all, it was an enjoyable day, and we will probably skip AK next trip, but since neither of the kiddos have been, it was a must do this time.
Day 4: Wednesday Magic Kingdom. Once again, arrived at rope drop, and headed directly through the Castle to PFTH. Wait: 115 minutes. No. Went over to Liberty Square to use our FP for Haunted Mansion, and got to loading, the ride was down for 30 minutes. Once we left, we decided to skip the river boat, and Hall of Presidents and walked through Fantasyland toward Tomorrowland. To my surprise, Under the Sea was open! It was supposed to be closed for renovations for the entire week. So we hopped into the standby line. Little diva loved it and sang and danced the whole ride. We also intended to meet Ariel, but standby was 60 minutes, beyond FP window for Space mountain, so skipped it and never made it back. We hit stamdby for TL speedway, and then used the RS technique with Space. The kids enjoyed the move it shake it dance party and people mover with each of us while the other parent rode. Before Monsters Inc., we met Stitch and Buzz. Went to grab FP for Space ranger spin, only to find it closed for refurbishment (never saw this on any of the calendars, I believe it was switched with refurb of Big Thunder, because it was open when it was scheduled to be closed). Had lunch at Cosmic Ray's, met Merida (an hour long wait), rode the Mad tea Party. Rode Astro orbiter, and while in line, checked wait time for Anna/Elsa to find 45 minutes standby! We booked it over there and the sign did in fact read 45 minutes. Awesome! NOT AWESOME. We actually waited an hour and 30 minutes. By the time we got into the room, little diva was so exhausted from going stir crazy in the line, it was almost like she was a zombie. She definitely enjoyed it, but the waiting was a nightmare. The line was cramped, hot, and crowded. Everyone's kids were going nuts. We had activities in the backpack, but being in one place for so long and no change of scenery really did them in. We got out of there just in time for the electrical parade and basically ran for Frontierland to get a decent spot. Bought the kits light toys, a space spinner, and Tink star wand that lit up red and green, and snacks for the parade. Once that was over, we wandered back, and noticed another girl with the same light toy, except hers had blue lights also. We asked the cast member with the cart if it was supposed to have blue. She said oh, yes! And then handed us another one, no questions asked. By then, since it was time, the castle was fully roped off and we couldn't get to the front for Celebrate the Magic. So, we sat down next to the carousel, and watched from behind the castle. I do not recommend this at all!! The accent fireworks shoot from right above the castle to your left, and the large fireworks are to the right above Beast's castle/7DMT, so you are basically sitting in between the two. We didn't use a dinner reservation this night since we had used it on Sunday at Ohana. After leaving the park, we drove through McDonald's and returned to the resort.
Day 5: Thursday Magic Kindgdom. *We had originally intended to use this day for Epcot, since the Flower and Garden festival was going on. Considering the kids had never been to Disney, and we really wanted them to experience everything in MK, we altered. Since the kids weren't in bed until 11:30 (!!!) We slept in an made it to ME around 9:45. I had FP for Splash, but we missed the window and were pleasantly surprised to find our FP was changed to any selection for any time. It was opened at 10:15, so we booked them for it after using FP for Pirates and Jungle Cruise. We were at Splash by 10:45. After this we had no problem booking FP one by one for everything in Frontierland and Adventureland. Caught the Jack Sparrow pirate show and my son was called up for pirate training. THIS was his highlight of the day. We had lunch at Pecos Bill's (SUPER crowded) walked through Tom Sawyer's Island, and went to stake out for Festival of Fantasy parade. We were there by 2:20 for 3 pm. Parade time and it was insanity. We finally found a spot near Country Bear Jamboree. Some very rude people (about 5) pushed their way to the front and then proceeded to stand and lean into the street over the ropes so they could video parade. Since we were sitting, it obstructed a lot of our view, even though we were right in the very front by the street. Next we went to Enchanted tiki birds, the kids loved it. I read many reviews of parents saying their children were terrified. I thought it was completely tame. Bright and cheery, and not all like the scene we had at Tough to be a Bug. We finished up every ride/attraction in those areas by 5pm. Longest wait of the day: Dole whip at Aloha Isle. So very worth it though. Someone bumped my son as soon as we stepped out of line, his cup flipped upside down, and the girl promptly ran out with another for him before we could even turn around. We decided to ride our favorites again, and had no problem booking FP for Space Mountain, 7 DMT, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion this late in the day. We hit Emporium on our way out thinking we could purchase one of the wooden rifles my son had seen in Frontierland, but they didn't have it for sale there. We had 8:15 reservations for 1900 Park Fare, so we had to leave and couldn't make it back to Frontierland through all of the parade/firework mess in time. The Grand Floridian is gorgeous, even if you only book dinner there, take some time to tour around! I was much more pleased with the buffet here than at Crystal Palace. Instead of having the same selections on both sides, and entrée in the center, there were different items on each side. We were very pleased with the food and selection. It was a bit hectic, because if you were getting food while the characters came to your table, you had to request for them to come back. The character interaction with Lady Tremaine, Anastacia, and Drusilla was fabulous. They spent about 5 minutes each at our table. Cinderella and Prince Charming were both very short worded, and quick to take photos and move on. Although this was the character interaction I was looking forward to the most, it ended up being the most disappointing. Another thing we didn't like was the seating arrangement we were given. The restaurant is a large square, buffet on the left side, "ballroom floor" in the center, with another small rectangle section toward the back, with 10 tables lining the left and right walls, and a large aisle down the middle. It almost seems as if it's supposed to be a private dining area. Anyone seated in the main section has full view of the "ballroom floor". However if you are seated in the back section, even if you are the first tables, you can not see anything going on in the main room without standing at the entrance to the area which is only about 4-5 for wide. Cinderella and Prince Charming are announced, waltz during dinner, and other things are going on that are like a show for everyone to see, we missed everything but the waltz, due to our seating. Upon leaving, we rushed back to MK to hunt down the wooden rifle in Frontierland, only to find out the kiosks back there are shut down an hour before park closing. So we waded back through masses of people watching Celebrate, and headed to Town Hall, aka customer service. While my husband waited in line, I walked over to browse the shops. My little princess picked up and dropped a mug, which I tried to pay for multiple times, and was refused with nothing but smiles. The cast member asked me if I'd seen the lovely wall of glass ornaments, and did I think I was the first this had happened to. Well, no. But I'd like to pay for the mug. Absolutely not. She then proceeded to give my daughter a plastic mug, free of charge! So while I was having an exceptional experience with customer service, my husband was not. He was basically told since the kiosk was closed, there was nothing they could do. All the kiosks operate separately. He asked if they would have someone bring one to the front for us, but they said no, that it would cause problems with inventory and sales reports, etc. So, after another 4 cast members, 20 minutes of back and forth, trying anything we could think of, we left without one. Lesson learned: if you like it, buy it when you see it! We didn't see a drop of rain, the weather was gorgeous all week. Crowd level was projected at 5-6, but I would say we had level 3 crowds. Also, I read a lot of reviews recommending going back to the hotel for naps. We did not do this, my kids were fine. We took a stroller and a backpack. We used Mio, and got ice water from quick service. I forgot to mention, but we grabbed breakfast (scones, muffins, turnovers, fresh fruit) and Starbucks coffee each morning from Main Street Bakery, the pastries were superb. All in all, our trip was absolutely fantastic. I love memory maker, and the dining plan, I will definitely purchase both on all future trips. I am still very admirable of Disney's dedication to running the "happiest place on Earth" and their commitment to providing the highest level of customer service possible.
Day 1: Pop Century/Ohana. We arrived on Sunday and didn't go to any parks since we had 4 day FL resident tickets. Arriving on Sunday afternoon, we hit the Orlando outlets character warehouse, checked into Pop, spent time touring the resort, and also toured Art of Animation Resort. I booked a dinner reservation at Ohana, since we'd eaten lunch at home and then driven straight down after. The Polynesian is so beautiful, I love it. Hubby and I have stayed in the past, when we didn't have any kids with us. Ohana, once again was wonderful! It's hands down our favorite Disney restaurant. We were seated within 5 minutes of arrival with a reservation at 5:45. The food was absolutely delicious, everything was brought steaming, and we had plenty to share. Since my daughter is under 3, she didn't receive dining credits (this did not turn out to be a problem for us at any meal, she shared a bit of everyone's food and none of us ever complained of not having enough). Hubby can not get enough of it, and every time we go, he says we should just eat dinner there the entire trip. Hit the pool at Pop for about an hour after dinner, and walked out to hourglass lake to enjoy the breeze. Filled our resort mugs and settled down to get up early.
Day 2: Monday Magic Kingdom. We arrived at rope drop and headed directly to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train because we had a 9am FP. apparently there were technical issues with the ride so it was shut down, and we headed over to Princess fairy tale hall. Wait time for on Meet Anna/Elsa was 240 minutes! SKIP. We went ahead with the rest of our plan for Fantasyland, used fastpasses for Peter Pan's flight. Waited in line for nothing longer than 15-20 minutes other than Winne the Pooh, even with the interactive line kids were still getting a bit stir crazy towards the end. Ate lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus. We sat at the windows overlooking It's a small world. Kids loved that, they people watched and ate. Returned to 7DMT later in the day, because the ride opened 10 minutes before our Fast Pass window was over, we missed getting on without waiting in line. Hubby and son waited 60 minutes while the little diva and I shopped Castle Couture and rode the carousel. We did no fireworks or parades the first day. Managed to get in all of the attractions in Fantasyland comfortably and without rush. I'd booked dinner for Crystal Palace, so we headed over for a 7:45 reservation. We were told they were behind and waited on the porch with probably 60 other people. At about 8:05, little diva decided enough was enough and proceeded to have her one and only meltdown of the trip to entertain all of the other waiting parties. A cast member promptly came out, tray of snickerdoodle cookies in tow. Meltdown over, but we were not called to be seated until 8:40! We used the DDP, so I wasn't worried about cost, but I will say I was not terribly impressed with Crystal Palace, and you're paying for the experience, not the food. If you're paying cash, unless your little one MUST meet Pooh and friends, reconsider. Although the kids did enjoy watching fireworks from the windows while they ate, the view was not ideal. Upon leaving, we watched the Wishes show on the castle from the gardens just in front. Kids were exhausted and we left to resort as soon as Wishes ended.
Day 3: Tuesday Animal Kingdom. I booked fastpasses for Kali river rapids, Expedition Everest, and finding Nemo. At rope drop, we walked in, took pictures in front of the tree of life, and casually made our way back to Kilimanjaro Safari. Wait for standby was only about 20 minutes, it was enjoyable, although our "tour guide" stopped at the wrong place for the hippos, and then proceeded to drive right past where they were actually at. The rest of the animals were very close to the path and the giraffes and zebras you could almost reach out and touch. We headed on to EE, and because we were using rider switch, ended up riding 3 times each. Hubby used his FP, when I went to use my RS, the cast member informed me the line was probably shorter in single rider line. I had 3 people in front of me, so I pocketed my rider switch. When I got off, I immediately used my FP, and hubby got a RS. He also used the single rider line, so we both had rider switch passes for later in the day. Kali was walk on in the FP line and we enjoyed it although the ride seemed short. Standby waiting for this is probably very disappointing. We handed off our rider switch to a nice elderly couple we met in front of the snack cart. We went on to our FP for Nemo. I must say it was spectacular and one of the highlights of AK. We exited just in time for Flights of Wonder. Headed back to Yak and Yeti for lunch. I had the couscous wrap. It was very good, but seemed dry. We watched the dancing just in front of the restaurant as we ate and the kids had a blast. On to Dinoland. Spent some time at the dig site while Dad rode Dinosaur, and then went to Primeval Whirl, which is the best ride in Dinoland in my opinion. Upon leaving we headed to the trails around the tree of life, and happened upon Pocahontas. She was absolutely wonderful. My son was fascinated with her. Little diva kept asking to brush her hair and she said certainly, and asked her if she'd like to come back next week to explore the river and find berries. Eventually we found the entrance to It's Tough to be a bug. So nice walking through and seeing all of the animals hidden in the tree as you pass. We didn't wait long, but once the show started, it was all manner of craziness. Son (6) kept saying it was creepy and cold in there, and little diva wouldn't keep her 3 glasses on at all. At one point you are blasted with air, and then water shoots out, BOTH kids absolutely lost it. Full tears from each, and terrified screaming from the princess. We had to leave. I must say my kids are pretty go with the flow, and not scared of the dark, or much else. For some reason, this was the tipping point. I might not ever get why. They both rode Haunted Mansion and Pirates the next day without incident. We used our leftover RS and rode EE once more each. It was almost sunset, and we didn't have enough time for Festival of the lion King, so we got a few more pics in front of the tree of life and the bridge to Asia with Everest in the background. Since we had reservations for Rainforest Cafe, we skipped over Rafiki's planet watch all together. Killed time until dinner shopping and taking pics of the kids making animal poses. No incident with dinner at Rainforest Cafe, but I do think I enjoy DTD location more. I was slightly disappointed at the massive renovation going on. It took away a lot of the atmosphere of the park, with the wooden fence around every turn. I also wanted to try Flame Tree BBQ, since we'd eaten Yak and Yeti before. All in all, it was an enjoyable day, and we will probably skip AK next trip, but since neither of the kiddos have been, it was a must do this time.
Day 4: Wednesday Magic Kingdom. Once again, arrived at rope drop, and headed directly through the Castle to PFTH. Wait: 115 minutes. No. Went over to Liberty Square to use our FP for Haunted Mansion, and got to loading, the ride was down for 30 minutes. Once we left, we decided to skip the river boat, and Hall of Presidents and walked through Fantasyland toward Tomorrowland. To my surprise, Under the Sea was open! It was supposed to be closed for renovations for the entire week. So we hopped into the standby line. Little diva loved it and sang and danced the whole ride. We also intended to meet Ariel, but standby was 60 minutes, beyond FP window for Space mountain, so skipped it and never made it back. We hit stamdby for TL speedway, and then used the RS technique with Space. The kids enjoyed the move it shake it dance party and people mover with each of us while the other parent rode. Before Monsters Inc., we met Stitch and Buzz. Went to grab FP for Space ranger spin, only to find it closed for refurbishment (never saw this on any of the calendars, I believe it was switched with refurb of Big Thunder, because it was open when it was scheduled to be closed). Had lunch at Cosmic Ray's, met Merida (an hour long wait), rode the Mad tea Party. Rode Astro orbiter, and while in line, checked wait time for Anna/Elsa to find 45 minutes standby! We booked it over there and the sign did in fact read 45 minutes. Awesome! NOT AWESOME. We actually waited an hour and 30 minutes. By the time we got into the room, little diva was so exhausted from going stir crazy in the line, it was almost like she was a zombie. She definitely enjoyed it, but the waiting was a nightmare. The line was cramped, hot, and crowded. Everyone's kids were going nuts. We had activities in the backpack, but being in one place for so long and no change of scenery really did them in. We got out of there just in time for the electrical parade and basically ran for Frontierland to get a decent spot. Bought the kits light toys, a space spinner, and Tink star wand that lit up red and green, and snacks for the parade. Once that was over, we wandered back, and noticed another girl with the same light toy, except hers had blue lights also. We asked the cast member with the cart if it was supposed to have blue. She said oh, yes! And then handed us another one, no questions asked. By then, since it was time, the castle was fully roped off and we couldn't get to the front for Celebrate the Magic. So, we sat down next to the carousel, and watched from behind the castle. I do not recommend this at all!! The accent fireworks shoot from right above the castle to your left, and the large fireworks are to the right above Beast's castle/7DMT, so you are basically sitting in between the two. We didn't use a dinner reservation this night since we had used it on Sunday at Ohana. After leaving the park, we drove through McDonald's and returned to the resort.
Day 5: Thursday Magic Kindgdom. *We had originally intended to use this day for Epcot, since the Flower and Garden festival was going on. Considering the kids had never been to Disney, and we really wanted them to experience everything in MK, we altered. Since the kids weren't in bed until 11:30 (!!!) We slept in an made it to ME around 9:45. I had FP for Splash, but we missed the window and were pleasantly surprised to find our FP was changed to any selection for any time. It was opened at 10:15, so we booked them for it after using FP for Pirates and Jungle Cruise. We were at Splash by 10:45. After this we had no problem booking FP one by one for everything in Frontierland and Adventureland. Caught the Jack Sparrow pirate show and my son was called up for pirate training. THIS was his highlight of the day. We had lunch at Pecos Bill's (SUPER crowded) walked through Tom Sawyer's Island, and went to stake out for Festival of Fantasy parade. We were there by 2:20 for 3 pm. Parade time and it was insanity. We finally found a spot near Country Bear Jamboree. Some very rude people (about 5) pushed their way to the front and then proceeded to stand and lean into the street over the ropes so they could video parade. Since we were sitting, it obstructed a lot of our view, even though we were right in the very front by the street. Next we went to Enchanted tiki birds, the kids loved it. I read many reviews of parents saying their children were terrified. I thought it was completely tame. Bright and cheery, and not all like the scene we had at Tough to be a Bug. We finished up every ride/attraction in those areas by 5pm. Longest wait of the day: Dole whip at Aloha Isle. So very worth it though. Someone bumped my son as soon as we stepped out of line, his cup flipped upside down, and the girl promptly ran out with another for him before we could even turn around. We decided to ride our favorites again, and had no problem booking FP for Space Mountain, 7 DMT, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion this late in the day. We hit Emporium on our way out thinking we could purchase one of the wooden rifles my son had seen in Frontierland, but they didn't have it for sale there. We had 8:15 reservations for 1900 Park Fare, so we had to leave and couldn't make it back to Frontierland through all of the parade/firework mess in time. The Grand Floridian is gorgeous, even if you only book dinner there, take some time to tour around! I was much more pleased with the buffet here than at Crystal Palace. Instead of having the same selections on both sides, and entrée in the center, there were different items on each side. We were very pleased with the food and selection. It was a bit hectic, because if you were getting food while the characters came to your table, you had to request for them to come back. The character interaction with Lady Tremaine, Anastacia, and Drusilla was fabulous. They spent about 5 minutes each at our table. Cinderella and Prince Charming were both very short worded, and quick to take photos and move on. Although this was the character interaction I was looking forward to the most, it ended up being the most disappointing. Another thing we didn't like was the seating arrangement we were given. The restaurant is a large square, buffet on the left side, "ballroom floor" in the center, with another small rectangle section toward the back, with 10 tables lining the left and right walls, and a large aisle down the middle. It almost seems as if it's supposed to be a private dining area. Anyone seated in the main section has full view of the "ballroom floor". However if you are seated in the back section, even if you are the first tables, you can not see anything going on in the main room without standing at the entrance to the area which is only about 4-5 for wide. Cinderella and Prince Charming are announced, waltz during dinner, and other things are going on that are like a show for everyone to see, we missed everything but the waltz, due to our seating. Upon leaving, we rushed back to MK to hunt down the wooden rifle in Frontierland, only to find out the kiosks back there are shut down an hour before park closing. So we waded back through masses of people watching Celebrate, and headed to Town Hall, aka customer service. While my husband waited in line, I walked over to browse the shops. My little princess picked up and dropped a mug, which I tried to pay for multiple times, and was refused with nothing but smiles. The cast member asked me if I'd seen the lovely wall of glass ornaments, and did I think I was the first this had happened to. Well, no. But I'd like to pay for the mug. Absolutely not. She then proceeded to give my daughter a plastic mug, free of charge! So while I was having an exceptional experience with customer service, my husband was not. He was basically told since the kiosk was closed, there was nothing they could do. All the kiosks operate separately. He asked if they would have someone bring one to the front for us, but they said no, that it would cause problems with inventory and sales reports, etc. So, after another 4 cast members, 20 minutes of back and forth, trying anything we could think of, we left without one. Lesson learned: if you like it, buy it when you see it! We didn't see a drop of rain, the weather was gorgeous all week. Crowd level was projected at 5-6, but I would say we had level 3 crowds. Also, I read a lot of reviews recommending going back to the hotel for naps. We did not do this, my kids were fine. We took a stroller and a backpack. We used Mio, and got ice water from quick service. I forgot to mention, but we grabbed breakfast (scones, muffins, turnovers, fresh fruit) and Starbucks coffee each morning from Main Street Bakery, the pastries were superb. All in all, our trip was absolutely fantastic. I love memory maker, and the dining plan, I will definitely purchase both on all future trips. I am still very admirable of Disney's dedication to running the "happiest place on Earth" and their commitment to providing the highest level of customer service possible.
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