Cora
Constantly in trip planning mode...I want to go aw
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 842
WDW April 14 19, 2002 5 Nites
We made it back! I'm not going to do a full-blown trip report since it is basically the same stuff each time. What I am going to do is touch on the highlights of the trip.
The Cast is...Me, 40...the planner
DH, just follows the plan
DS, loves WDW - 8
MIL & FIL...both first time to WDW
Accommodations: BWV - 2 bedroom - NS, 3rd floor, standard view, very close to the elevator with nice view of the fireworks!
Day 1 - This is the 3rd time I have flown since 9/11 and I have to say I think they have finally gotten security down to a science. Counter check in at Logan was a breeze...no lines! Security was very well done, no delays. This worked out great since it allowed us to have a nice lunch at Legal Seafoods before departing.
Arrived at Orlando and Rabbit from Yourride.net was waiting. Our luggage came off pretty quickly. We headed to the grocery store for some goodies and off to WDW.
Check in at BWV was very quick also. Our room was very nice. A couple remotes did not work, but they were replaced very quickly. After getting settled we headed down to the Boardwalk to look around Its good to be HOME!
Day 2 Monday, April 15, 2002 Up and grab the boat to MGM. Had breakfast at Hollywood and Vine. This was our first time there. The breakfast and character interaction was good. We took my in-laws around. We left at mid-day to head back and rest. Around 3pm we headed to Downtown Disney Westside. Bus service was very good all week. No problems. We had 4pm PS at Wolfgang Puck Café. As usual, excellent!
After dinner we headed off to Cirque de Soleil. I bought these tix in Aug during our last trip and gave my in-laws the tix for Christmas. This show is AMAZING! This is a must see for any age. My in-laws had seen O in Vegas and said this was 100 times better. They had never seen a show like this before. I would not recommend seats close to the stage, either to the back of the front sections or the upper level. The majority of the show is in the air and you will have a stiff neck if you are down too close. Again, do not miss this show!
After the show, we headed to the West Side bus area. But its closed! So we walked back to the Pleasure Island bus stop. I told the CM there that the closed sign for West Side should not be all the way down at the actual stop, but at the start of the path. He agreed and said he would report it. He also said that the stop might re-open soon because attendance is back to pre 9/11 levels.
Day 3 Tuesday, April 16, 2002 Had breakfast at Spoodles. How I miss the buffet! The a la carte was fine, but I really liked the assortment they had. After breakfast we headed to Epcot. We spend the morning and left about 1pm to head back to the room. Around 4:15 it was time to leave for dinner at Alfredos in Epcot. We were meeting our friends from home and their kids for dinner. While waiting for them, we saw the show in Italy it was very interesting and beautifully done. Our friends arrived and we all headed in. Now my In-Laws are from Italy so they had a ball. They were talking with the wait staff in Italian. Dinner was very good. We had the fried calamari appetizer with a wonderfully spicy dipping sauce. We also had the platter of meats and cheeses (it was like my childhood all over again!). For dinner I had the chicken, which I loved. DH had the arrosto (which was pork this evening), excellent! My in-laws had the Fra Diavolo, which they raved about! Our friends were also thrilled with their meals. After dinner we headed back to the Boardwalk to wait for our Illuminations Cruise.
I am so glad I booked this. Our family and friends were shocked we had our own boat to view the fireworks. What a leisurely way to spend the end of the evening! Our Captain Derrell was wonderful and I found out he is CruisinCapt on the DIS! We cruised to MGM, then back through Crescent Lake and we sat under the bridge adjacent to the International Gateway. The vantage point for the fireworks is in a word AMAZING! If you can do this I highly suggest it. My next attempt will be to get a boat for the MK fireworks!
After this we headed back all off to bed!
We made it back! I'm not going to do a full-blown trip report since it is basically the same stuff each time. What I am going to do is touch on the highlights of the trip.
The Cast is...Me, 40...the planner
DH, just follows the plan
DS, loves WDW - 8
MIL & FIL...both first time to WDW
Accommodations: BWV - 2 bedroom - NS, 3rd floor, standard view, very close to the elevator with nice view of the fireworks!
Day 1 - This is the 3rd time I have flown since 9/11 and I have to say I think they have finally gotten security down to a science. Counter check in at Logan was a breeze...no lines! Security was very well done, no delays. This worked out great since it allowed us to have a nice lunch at Legal Seafoods before departing.
Arrived at Orlando and Rabbit from Yourride.net was waiting. Our luggage came off pretty quickly. We headed to the grocery store for some goodies and off to WDW.
Check in at BWV was very quick also. Our room was very nice. A couple remotes did not work, but they were replaced very quickly. After getting settled we headed down to the Boardwalk to look around Its good to be HOME!
Day 2 Monday, April 15, 2002 Up and grab the boat to MGM. Had breakfast at Hollywood and Vine. This was our first time there. The breakfast and character interaction was good. We took my in-laws around. We left at mid-day to head back and rest. Around 3pm we headed to Downtown Disney Westside. Bus service was very good all week. No problems. We had 4pm PS at Wolfgang Puck Café. As usual, excellent!
After dinner we headed off to Cirque de Soleil. I bought these tix in Aug during our last trip and gave my in-laws the tix for Christmas. This show is AMAZING! This is a must see for any age. My in-laws had seen O in Vegas and said this was 100 times better. They had never seen a show like this before. I would not recommend seats close to the stage, either to the back of the front sections or the upper level. The majority of the show is in the air and you will have a stiff neck if you are down too close. Again, do not miss this show!
After the show, we headed to the West Side bus area. But its closed! So we walked back to the Pleasure Island bus stop. I told the CM there that the closed sign for West Side should not be all the way down at the actual stop, but at the start of the path. He agreed and said he would report it. He also said that the stop might re-open soon because attendance is back to pre 9/11 levels.
Day 3 Tuesday, April 16, 2002 Had breakfast at Spoodles. How I miss the buffet! The a la carte was fine, but I really liked the assortment they had. After breakfast we headed to Epcot. We spend the morning and left about 1pm to head back to the room. Around 4:15 it was time to leave for dinner at Alfredos in Epcot. We were meeting our friends from home and their kids for dinner. While waiting for them, we saw the show in Italy it was very interesting and beautifully done. Our friends arrived and we all headed in. Now my In-Laws are from Italy so they had a ball. They were talking with the wait staff in Italian. Dinner was very good. We had the fried calamari appetizer with a wonderfully spicy dipping sauce. We also had the platter of meats and cheeses (it was like my childhood all over again!). For dinner I had the chicken, which I loved. DH had the arrosto (which was pork this evening), excellent! My in-laws had the Fra Diavolo, which they raved about! Our friends were also thrilled with their meals. After dinner we headed back to the Boardwalk to wait for our Illuminations Cruise.
I am so glad I booked this. Our family and friends were shocked we had our own boat to view the fireworks. What a leisurely way to spend the end of the evening! Our Captain Derrell was wonderful and I found out he is CruisinCapt on the DIS! We cruised to MGM, then back through Crescent Lake and we sat under the bridge adjacent to the International Gateway. The vantage point for the fireworks is in a word AMAZING! If you can do this I highly suggest it. My next attempt will be to get a boat for the MK fireworks!
After this we headed back all off to bed!
