March 14 to the 17th
Trip Report 4 parks 4 people 3 days and lots of driving. This is my second trip to Disney World, the first was last June. The weather and crowds were so unbearable we felt short changed on the Disney experience. So we wanted to head back ASAP but also when we though the crowds would be down. Last weekend March 13 to the 17 was our first chance. I made the trip with my Husband 24 (me too) and my brother and his fiancee both 22. This was my second trip, my husbands 3rd and my brothers and sister-in-law's first.
We left Lexington KY on Thursday night at 8.00 and arrived at the Grosvenor Hotel Resort in Down Town Disney at 7.30 AM. The drive was fast, no traffic and smooth, which is how I slept the entire time. Our hotel was not quite ready for us at 7.30 so we drove over to Celebration City. Celebration is a Disney designed city and has beautiful homes and common areas. We drove through and did not get out, because we all looked horrible due to the drive. On our next trip I would like to explore that area a little better. We then headed to the Wal-Mart and go some breakfast supplies and some snakes for the parks. By 10.00 we were back at the Grosvenor and were able to check in. I booked the hotel with the Entertainment Card discount and got the room for 55.00 a night. After booking I read some reviews on Tripadvisor.com and was a little scared about our hotel, it was rated horribly. While the hotel is not all that grand or new but it is beautifully decorated and has a nice pool area. There are two pools, a small child's pool and a hot tub. There is also a game room, bar, restaurant, gym and open seating areas. Our room was basic and looked over the parking lot but we didn't care as we were only there at night. After check in and unpacking we all headed down to Down Town Disney and walked around a bit until 11.30 when we could be seated at Fulton's Crab House for lunch. The food was good and was priced well and our server was great. We would have done the Mc Donald's thing but it was Friday and Lent so we went for crabs. After lunch we headed back to the pool and caught up on sleep and sun after driving all night. At about 6.00 we headed out to the Boardwalk and had a good dinner at the ESPN Cafe and watched the UK game. GO CATS, we loved all of the UK fans there and made quite a ruckus at the win! While it was hard to turn down the chicken wings, especially for my Hubby and brother the fish sandwiches were great and the potato skins were great out server gave us an extra order by accident! Love those mistakes! But he was a great sport and made sure our glasses were never empty so we tipped accordingly.
Saturday was our first day in the parks and we headed to Animal Kingdom and then MGM. The Grosvenor Hotel had great bus service to all of the parks, the seats were very comfortable, especially after a long day at the parks. The bus brought us right to the gate where we saw many characters making rounds outside with safari gear on. Once inside we headed straight for the African Safari. I can't imagine seeing anymore animals than we did, my brother loved it and took a whole roll of film just on that. After the safari we did Lion King show, which my soon to be sister in law, got picked to be in. The show was good but I think having your own kids there it would be more fun. While waiting for the show we got to meet all sorts of characters. Something I never though we would have enjoyed so much. While we all love Disney movies we are not character tee shirts wearing types but we had so much fun posing with them all. There were no kids or really anyone else around so we played with all of them. Who knew 20 somethings could be such kids!!! We then headed to It's Tough To Be a Bug and LOVED IT! My husband screamed like a little girl with all of the surprise. Tarzan Rocks came next and that was good but again we would probably like it better with kids. We then headed for Dino-World and did Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur. Booth fun and no wait.
We then did Disney Transportation to MGM and headed straight to Rosie's for lunch. By then we all needed some food and a break. The burgers there are great and again we got extra food by mistake. With all of the hustle there we realized back at our table we had extra chicken fingers, we went back and told them and they said "our mistake enjoy!" Some traveling Hill Billy's came through and did a block show with a banjo and were so funny because they didn't play the banjo real well or the bock tricks and had accents. (The bad playing is part of the act) When they hear our accents they were like "hey teach us to do our accent right". We laughed so hard because these guys were great with the crowd. We then went to Indiana Jones but were crushed to see it was closed due to Cheerleading Completions. While on the subject of Cheerleaders they were nice but since they were competing in MGM the place was so crowded! The lines weren't that bad but trying to get around big groups of them were horrible. Seeing Indiana Jones was closed we Fast Passed Millionaire and did Star Tours. After that we did the Muppet Show which just may be the worst in the parks and I LOVE the Muppets. We then ran to The Back Lot Tour, last year we were picked to be in the show but this year we didn't have time with the Millionaire Fast Pass so we didn't volunteer. After getting out of the Back Lot Tour we RAN to Millionaire walked in right as they were starting. Good timing. I was on the board the whole time but never made it into the hot seat. The show was good because the people in the seats didn't get very far, I know that sounds bad but is only one person is in the hot seat it can be boring. Finally we headed to Tower of Terror. My husband won't do that ride but the rest of us loved it so much we did it three times, no wait. But having known the Rock in Roller coaster was going to be an hour we would have only done it twice. The hour long wait in RNR was the longest of all of the parks, but I packed some Trivial Pursuit 20th Annverisery cards and those made the ride go fast. In fact everyone around us was playing along. In just the nick of time we ran again to Fantasmic and sat in the last row, but it was in the middle so we had a great view. The show was WONDERFUL, as I said before we are not Disney crazy people and we were all surprised at how mesmerized by the show we were. Finally we headed to the Grosvenor to clean up for dinner.
That night, Saturday, we had dinner reservations at the Baskervilles Restaurant in the Grosvenor. It was a murder mystery dinner show and was fun. The food was buffet and we ate more than our share and really got into the show. We invited one of the actors to sit with us and had a bast. We were so into is other people thought we were part of the show. Finally after a LONG day we hit the sheets with a 7.30 AM wake up call.
On Sunday we headed to Magic Kingdom and ran to Space Moutian. We did everything but the Carousel of Progress and Aline Encounter (Lamest Thrill in the park). We all loved Buzz so much we did it three times no wait. We were out of Tomorrow Land by 12.30 and did Haunted Mansion and all of Fantasy Land by 2.30. We had Turkey Legs while waiting for Splash Moutian and Fast Passed Big Thunder Moutian. Then hit Swiss Family tree house, Hubby's must see and Pirate of the Carribian.
By 3.30 we were on the Monorail to EPCOT. We did all of Future World by 5.00. We loved Test Track, Honey I Shrunk the Audience and the Cool Station with the free drinks. We then ate around the world in the World Showcase. Margarita's in Mexico, Maelstrom in Norway (a little dunk, more fun) Egg Rolls in China, cappuccino in Italy, sushi in Japan, sandwich meals in Morocco (two split for the four of us). We saw the 9/11 flag in the US and it really hit home this week with the impending war. For a group of 20 something we were speechless, teary eyed and proud. By then the rain came and we headed to France for dessert, but is was packed because everyone was ducking to get out of the rain. So we got ours boxed to go and swam though Brittan and Canada. Illumations was canceled and we were disappointed but soaked and ready to go home. The desserts made a nice snack on the bus ride back. Also though comfy seats were a nice rest for us. That evening we dried up and thankfully so did the rain. We all head back to DTD to get some small souvenirs and go to Pleasure Island. Pleasure Island was cool but seeing 14 year old girls dress and dance like hookers was not fun. I am only 24 and though it was out of place and their parents should have know better. The comedy Show was the best part but have seen better elsewhere. We were told that Sunday night is the worst night there because all of regular acts are off for the night. You could tell. All in all Pleasure Island was cool but not worth 21.00.
We finally got packed and in to bed at 2.00 only to wake up and drive back to Lexington at 8.00 AM. Check out was very smooth but traffic on the way back was horrible. Watch out for Atlanta and Knoxville our 12.00 hour drive took about 16. But we made all back safely and somehow managed to get up and get to work on time.
We were lucky with the crowds but taking with many Cast Members told us that the big wave was coming on Monday. They were right, the traffic we past leaving was heavy. Our group loved the place we were disappointed with the thrill rides but the themeing was fun. I don't think I will go back until we have children. I think seeing the place with your kids would be a wonderful expierece. We loved the magical extra's, the talking waterfountians made my borther scream and the taking trash can about took my hand off. I love the lit squars in Epcot, even in the Monsoon we were stuck in they were beautiful. Our lest favorte things were Muppet show and lack of thrill rides. Our favoirte things were ToT and RnR, Bugs Life, the games in innovations were you use you feet and eating in Epcot. All in all we had a great Disney trip for three days and did just about everything we wanted. Any questions let me know! You all gave me the best tips and helped me plan everything in advanced! It worked, we did it all in two days!!
Thanks again.
Trip Report 4 parks 4 people 3 days and lots of driving. This is my second trip to Disney World, the first was last June. The weather and crowds were so unbearable we felt short changed on the Disney experience. So we wanted to head back ASAP but also when we though the crowds would be down. Last weekend March 13 to the 17 was our first chance. I made the trip with my Husband 24 (me too) and my brother and his fiancee both 22. This was my second trip, my husbands 3rd and my brothers and sister-in-law's first.
We left Lexington KY on Thursday night at 8.00 and arrived at the Grosvenor Hotel Resort in Down Town Disney at 7.30 AM. The drive was fast, no traffic and smooth, which is how I slept the entire time. Our hotel was not quite ready for us at 7.30 so we drove over to Celebration City. Celebration is a Disney designed city and has beautiful homes and common areas. We drove through and did not get out, because we all looked horrible due to the drive. On our next trip I would like to explore that area a little better. We then headed to the Wal-Mart and go some breakfast supplies and some snakes for the parks. By 10.00 we were back at the Grosvenor and were able to check in. I booked the hotel with the Entertainment Card discount and got the room for 55.00 a night. After booking I read some reviews on Tripadvisor.com and was a little scared about our hotel, it was rated horribly. While the hotel is not all that grand or new but it is beautifully decorated and has a nice pool area. There are two pools, a small child's pool and a hot tub. There is also a game room, bar, restaurant, gym and open seating areas. Our room was basic and looked over the parking lot but we didn't care as we were only there at night. After check in and unpacking we all headed down to Down Town Disney and walked around a bit until 11.30 when we could be seated at Fulton's Crab House for lunch. The food was good and was priced well and our server was great. We would have done the Mc Donald's thing but it was Friday and Lent so we went for crabs. After lunch we headed back to the pool and caught up on sleep and sun after driving all night. At about 6.00 we headed out to the Boardwalk and had a good dinner at the ESPN Cafe and watched the UK game. GO CATS, we loved all of the UK fans there and made quite a ruckus at the win! While it was hard to turn down the chicken wings, especially for my Hubby and brother the fish sandwiches were great and the potato skins were great out server gave us an extra order by accident! Love those mistakes! But he was a great sport and made sure our glasses were never empty so we tipped accordingly.
Saturday was our first day in the parks and we headed to Animal Kingdom and then MGM. The Grosvenor Hotel had great bus service to all of the parks, the seats were very comfortable, especially after a long day at the parks. The bus brought us right to the gate where we saw many characters making rounds outside with safari gear on. Once inside we headed straight for the African Safari. I can't imagine seeing anymore animals than we did, my brother loved it and took a whole roll of film just on that. After the safari we did Lion King show, which my soon to be sister in law, got picked to be in. The show was good but I think having your own kids there it would be more fun. While waiting for the show we got to meet all sorts of characters. Something I never though we would have enjoyed so much. While we all love Disney movies we are not character tee shirts wearing types but we had so much fun posing with them all. There were no kids or really anyone else around so we played with all of them. Who knew 20 somethings could be such kids!!! We then headed to It's Tough To Be a Bug and LOVED IT! My husband screamed like a little girl with all of the surprise. Tarzan Rocks came next and that was good but again we would probably like it better with kids. We then headed for Dino-World and did Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur. Booth fun and no wait.
We then did Disney Transportation to MGM and headed straight to Rosie's for lunch. By then we all needed some food and a break. The burgers there are great and again we got extra food by mistake. With all of the hustle there we realized back at our table we had extra chicken fingers, we went back and told them and they said "our mistake enjoy!" Some traveling Hill Billy's came through and did a block show with a banjo and were so funny because they didn't play the banjo real well or the bock tricks and had accents. (The bad playing is part of the act) When they hear our accents they were like "hey teach us to do our accent right". We laughed so hard because these guys were great with the crowd. We then went to Indiana Jones but were crushed to see it was closed due to Cheerleading Completions. While on the subject of Cheerleaders they were nice but since they were competing in MGM the place was so crowded! The lines weren't that bad but trying to get around big groups of them were horrible. Seeing Indiana Jones was closed we Fast Passed Millionaire and did Star Tours. After that we did the Muppet Show which just may be the worst in the parks and I LOVE the Muppets. We then ran to The Back Lot Tour, last year we were picked to be in the show but this year we didn't have time with the Millionaire Fast Pass so we didn't volunteer. After getting out of the Back Lot Tour we RAN to Millionaire walked in right as they were starting. Good timing. I was on the board the whole time but never made it into the hot seat. The show was good because the people in the seats didn't get very far, I know that sounds bad but is only one person is in the hot seat it can be boring. Finally we headed to Tower of Terror. My husband won't do that ride but the rest of us loved it so much we did it three times, no wait. But having known the Rock in Roller coaster was going to be an hour we would have only done it twice. The hour long wait in RNR was the longest of all of the parks, but I packed some Trivial Pursuit 20th Annverisery cards and those made the ride go fast. In fact everyone around us was playing along. In just the nick of time we ran again to Fantasmic and sat in the last row, but it was in the middle so we had a great view. The show was WONDERFUL, as I said before we are not Disney crazy people and we were all surprised at how mesmerized by the show we were. Finally we headed to the Grosvenor to clean up for dinner.
That night, Saturday, we had dinner reservations at the Baskervilles Restaurant in the Grosvenor. It was a murder mystery dinner show and was fun. The food was buffet and we ate more than our share and really got into the show. We invited one of the actors to sit with us and had a bast. We were so into is other people thought we were part of the show. Finally after a LONG day we hit the sheets with a 7.30 AM wake up call.
On Sunday we headed to Magic Kingdom and ran to Space Moutian. We did everything but the Carousel of Progress and Aline Encounter (Lamest Thrill in the park). We all loved Buzz so much we did it three times no wait. We were out of Tomorrow Land by 12.30 and did Haunted Mansion and all of Fantasy Land by 2.30. We had Turkey Legs while waiting for Splash Moutian and Fast Passed Big Thunder Moutian. Then hit Swiss Family tree house, Hubby's must see and Pirate of the Carribian.
By 3.30 we were on the Monorail to EPCOT. We did all of Future World by 5.00. We loved Test Track, Honey I Shrunk the Audience and the Cool Station with the free drinks. We then ate around the world in the World Showcase. Margarita's in Mexico, Maelstrom in Norway (a little dunk, more fun) Egg Rolls in China, cappuccino in Italy, sushi in Japan, sandwich meals in Morocco (two split for the four of us). We saw the 9/11 flag in the US and it really hit home this week with the impending war. For a group of 20 something we were speechless, teary eyed and proud. By then the rain came and we headed to France for dessert, but is was packed because everyone was ducking to get out of the rain. So we got ours boxed to go and swam though Brittan and Canada. Illumations was canceled and we were disappointed but soaked and ready to go home. The desserts made a nice snack on the bus ride back. Also though comfy seats were a nice rest for us. That evening we dried up and thankfully so did the rain. We all head back to DTD to get some small souvenirs and go to Pleasure Island. Pleasure Island was cool but seeing 14 year old girls dress and dance like hookers was not fun. I am only 24 and though it was out of place and their parents should have know better. The comedy Show was the best part but have seen better elsewhere. We were told that Sunday night is the worst night there because all of regular acts are off for the night. You could tell. All in all Pleasure Island was cool but not worth 21.00.
We finally got packed and in to bed at 2.00 only to wake up and drive back to Lexington at 8.00 AM. Check out was very smooth but traffic on the way back was horrible. Watch out for Atlanta and Knoxville our 12.00 hour drive took about 16. But we made all back safely and somehow managed to get up and get to work on time.
We were lucky with the crowds but taking with many Cast Members told us that the big wave was coming on Monday. They were right, the traffic we past leaving was heavy. Our group loved the place we were disappointed with the thrill rides but the themeing was fun. I don't think I will go back until we have children. I think seeing the place with your kids would be a wonderful expierece. We loved the magical extra's, the talking waterfountians made my borther scream and the taking trash can about took my hand off. I love the lit squars in Epcot, even in the Monsoon we were stuck in they were beautiful. Our lest favorte things were Muppet show and lack of thrill rides. Our favoirte things were ToT and RnR, Bugs Life, the games in innovations were you use you feet and eating in Epcot. All in all we had a great Disney trip for three days and did just about everything we wanted. Any questions let me know! You all gave me the best tips and helped me plan everything in advanced! It worked, we did it all in two days!!
Thanks again.
