aring75
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2001
Day Six - Our last day . . .
Today is our last full day at WDW. We slept in until 9 AM!! We always have to get up at 5:30 or 6 AM at home, so we are getting really spoiled!
As we walk downstairs to get a quick bite from WCC, we notice that the lodge is getting really crowded. Then I realize, that NoJ is this weekend. A lot of people are arriving by bus and van. Boy, am I glad were done in the parks for this trip! Today we are going to check out some different resorts.
Kalvin was our server at WCC today. After breakfast, we went to the bus stop. Our plan was to get on the first bus that arrived and take a bus from that park to another resort. And the lucky winner is Disney/MGM Studios! We rode the bus to MGM and from there got on a bus to the All-Star Resorts. I wasnt really interested in staying at the All-Stars, but Id heard some good things on the boards. Also, Mark is a drafter and hed done some detailing for a few of the icons at ASMo (spell books, sorcerers hat, etc.) when they were built. We thought wed check it out. My first impression of these resorts is that they were very clean and bright. You can tell that they are value resorts, but the theming is great! If we travel with kids I think Id like to stay here. Of the three resorts, I thought Movies was the most fun. The Fantasia, Toy Story and 101 Dalmatians (?) buildings were the cutest (IMHO). We started at ASSp and walked our way through Music and Movies. They werent too far from one another, and each seemed to have a nice pool area. We didnt look around the food court though. It seemed kind of crowded. At the Movies bus stop we boarded a bus to the MK.
At MK we got on a bus to OKW. We will be staying here in November (along with the AKL) and I was interested to take a look around. This resort seems to be rather large and spread out, so we only looked in the lobby and pool area and rode around in the bus to see what some of the buildings looked like. It gives a very laid back and relaxed feeling, and I didnt realize a golf course ran through the property. The first bus to pull up at the OKW resort was for AK. Good, I wanted to look at the AKL as well.
You can certainly tell that the same person who designed the WL designed AKL! Its lobby (although not quite as large) is every bit as grand. When we first walked in, it seemed that the lobby was very dark, but after a few minutes our eyes adjusted to the light and it wasnt dark at all. The lower light gave a very cozy and intimate feeling. It seemed very serene and comfortable. Im looking forward to our stay here. We walked out to look at one of the savannahs (I think it said Kudu trail, but not sure) and they were doing some construction work. There were no animals and there were tractors and orange safety netting scattered here and there. I hope this is finished by November! We walked out to take a look at the pool (I love the zero depth entry) and then looked at the menus at Boma and Jiko. Mark agreed that Boma sounded like something we really should try, but hes not quite ready for the more adventurous tastes of Jiko. I wasnt too sure either, but it would probably be interesting to try at least once. When we walked back out to the bus stop we got back on the AK bus. From AK we switched to the Epcot resorts bus.
We took the bus first to the Swan. When I walked into the lobby, I wasnt terribly impressed. We walked though pretty quickly though, so we didnt really have a lot of time to make an assessment. From the Swan, we took the connecting walkway to the Dolphin. Now this lobby is definitely much grander. I think opulent might be an appropriate word. The Dolphin was also much larger. It was raining at this time, so we didnt get to check out the pool area. My first impression of the S&D is that I dont really like them. Im sorry to all S&D fans out there! But they didnt feel very Disney to me. The employees didnt smile or greet us when they saw us, (like they always seem to do at WDW) and the overall feeling of the resort wasnt nearly as magical. I know that a lot of people probably disagree, but that just makes me glad that there are so many resorts to choose from at WDW. Everyone can find what suits him or her best!
After all this walking, I was getting hungry. When I dont eat, I get migraines. So that meant skipping the YC and BC this trip. Its too bad because I wanted to see them as well. We boarded the boat and rode to Epcot. Once there, we decided to eat dinner at R&C (another place we had never tried). We just had to try the fish and chips. We ordered our drinks and the fruit and cheese plate for an appetizer. We both enjoyed this tremendously! There were apple slices, grapes, and 6 different kinds of cheese. The only part we didnt like was the bleu cheese. It is definitely an acquired taste. I think you either love it or you hate it. Mark and I dont love it. When the fish and chips came it was a LOT of food. The cod was very light and flaky. Rolls with butter and English peas (naturally) accompanied the meal. I enjoyed the food but was very unimpressed with the service. Now I dont mean to say that the restaurants service is bad in general. No, it was obvious to see that it was only our waitress. We could see all the other servers bustling around and staying very busy, but ours talked to a group of three people in the corner almost the entire time we were there! The worst time was when we were waiting to pay for our meal. She brought our check about 10 minutes after we were finished. Not that big a deal. But she didnt come back for our ticket and payment for another 15 minutes! During that entire time, she stood and talked to that group of people. I know she had to have other tables besides ours, so I cant imagine many people were pleased with her. We showed our displeasure with the service in our tip. This is one of those times I wouldve liked to leave a note, but we were just ready to get out of there!
We spent a little more time at Epcot (in the WS) and then went back to the WL. We have to drive home tomorrow. Our WDW vacation is over. So, until next time, well be wishing we were there!
Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on my trip reports. I hope that something I've written about will help with someone's trip planning. I know I've found a wealth of information on these boards, the best of which has come from hearing about people's personal experiences. I wish everyone the best until their next trip to WDW!!!
P.S. - Now I have to count the days until November 3rd . . .
Today is our last full day at WDW. We slept in until 9 AM!! We always have to get up at 5:30 or 6 AM at home, so we are getting really spoiled!
As we walk downstairs to get a quick bite from WCC, we notice that the lodge is getting really crowded. Then I realize, that NoJ is this weekend. A lot of people are arriving by bus and van. Boy, am I glad were done in the parks for this trip! Today we are going to check out some different resorts.
Kalvin was our server at WCC today. After breakfast, we went to the bus stop. Our plan was to get on the first bus that arrived and take a bus from that park to another resort. And the lucky winner is Disney/MGM Studios! We rode the bus to MGM and from there got on a bus to the All-Star Resorts. I wasnt really interested in staying at the All-Stars, but Id heard some good things on the boards. Also, Mark is a drafter and hed done some detailing for a few of the icons at ASMo (spell books, sorcerers hat, etc.) when they were built. We thought wed check it out. My first impression of these resorts is that they were very clean and bright. You can tell that they are value resorts, but the theming is great! If we travel with kids I think Id like to stay here. Of the three resorts, I thought Movies was the most fun. The Fantasia, Toy Story and 101 Dalmatians (?) buildings were the cutest (IMHO). We started at ASSp and walked our way through Music and Movies. They werent too far from one another, and each seemed to have a nice pool area. We didnt look around the food court though. It seemed kind of crowded. At the Movies bus stop we boarded a bus to the MK.
At MK we got on a bus to OKW. We will be staying here in November (along with the AKL) and I was interested to take a look around. This resort seems to be rather large and spread out, so we only looked in the lobby and pool area and rode around in the bus to see what some of the buildings looked like. It gives a very laid back and relaxed feeling, and I didnt realize a golf course ran through the property. The first bus to pull up at the OKW resort was for AK. Good, I wanted to look at the AKL as well.
You can certainly tell that the same person who designed the WL designed AKL! Its lobby (although not quite as large) is every bit as grand. When we first walked in, it seemed that the lobby was very dark, but after a few minutes our eyes adjusted to the light and it wasnt dark at all. The lower light gave a very cozy and intimate feeling. It seemed very serene and comfortable. Im looking forward to our stay here. We walked out to look at one of the savannahs (I think it said Kudu trail, but not sure) and they were doing some construction work. There were no animals and there were tractors and orange safety netting scattered here and there. I hope this is finished by November! We walked out to take a look at the pool (I love the zero depth entry) and then looked at the menus at Boma and Jiko. Mark agreed that Boma sounded like something we really should try, but hes not quite ready for the more adventurous tastes of Jiko. I wasnt too sure either, but it would probably be interesting to try at least once. When we walked back out to the bus stop we got back on the AK bus. From AK we switched to the Epcot resorts bus.
We took the bus first to the Swan. When I walked into the lobby, I wasnt terribly impressed. We walked though pretty quickly though, so we didnt really have a lot of time to make an assessment. From the Swan, we took the connecting walkway to the Dolphin. Now this lobby is definitely much grander. I think opulent might be an appropriate word. The Dolphin was also much larger. It was raining at this time, so we didnt get to check out the pool area. My first impression of the S&D is that I dont really like them. Im sorry to all S&D fans out there! But they didnt feel very Disney to me. The employees didnt smile or greet us when they saw us, (like they always seem to do at WDW) and the overall feeling of the resort wasnt nearly as magical. I know that a lot of people probably disagree, but that just makes me glad that there are so many resorts to choose from at WDW. Everyone can find what suits him or her best!
After all this walking, I was getting hungry. When I dont eat, I get migraines. So that meant skipping the YC and BC this trip. Its too bad because I wanted to see them as well. We boarded the boat and rode to Epcot. Once there, we decided to eat dinner at R&C (another place we had never tried). We just had to try the fish and chips. We ordered our drinks and the fruit and cheese plate for an appetizer. We both enjoyed this tremendously! There were apple slices, grapes, and 6 different kinds of cheese. The only part we didnt like was the bleu cheese. It is definitely an acquired taste. I think you either love it or you hate it. Mark and I dont love it. When the fish and chips came it was a LOT of food. The cod was very light and flaky. Rolls with butter and English peas (naturally) accompanied the meal. I enjoyed the food but was very unimpressed with the service. Now I dont mean to say that the restaurants service is bad in general. No, it was obvious to see that it was only our waitress. We could see all the other servers bustling around and staying very busy, but ours talked to a group of three people in the corner almost the entire time we were there! The worst time was when we were waiting to pay for our meal. She brought our check about 10 minutes after we were finished. Not that big a deal. But she didnt come back for our ticket and payment for another 15 minutes! During that entire time, she stood and talked to that group of people. I know she had to have other tables besides ours, so I cant imagine many people were pleased with her. We showed our displeasure with the service in our tip. This is one of those times I wouldve liked to leave a note, but we were just ready to get out of there!
We spent a little more time at Epcot (in the WS) and then went back to the WL. We have to drive home tomorrow. Our WDW vacation is over. So, until next time, well be wishing we were there!
Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on my trip reports. I hope that something I've written about will help with someone's trip planning. I know I've found a wealth of information on these boards, the best of which has come from hearing about people's personal experiences. I wish everyone the best until their next trip to WDW!!!
P.S. - Now I have to count the days until November 3rd . . .
