Montana Invades the World! Oct 12-22 (**PICTURES NOW**)

[Montana Disney Fan]

I will only have this one thread and will simply make a post for each day. That seems to be a lot easier than making a new thread for every day.

Cast
Me – Buzz – 38 y.o. - Disney nut who loves to vacation more than anything else in the world. Planning the “perfect” vacation comes in a close second!
DW - Linnie – 37 y.o. - Another big vacation fan who has absolutely nothing to do with any planning involved.
DS – Trey – 6 y.o. – Sweet little boy who has a speech & language disability. Loves the thrill rides. Aka: “Moan Boy”
DD – LeeAndra – 3 y.o. – Interpreter for Trey who rarely has a quiet moment. Very bossy with an A-Type personality. Aka: “Loud Girl”

Trip Facts
1) First Three Nights – Wyndham Palms – 2 Bedroom – Offsite – Paid $159/night in advance.
2) Last Seven Nights – Old Key West – 2 Bedroom – Onsite – Used DVC Points
3) Flying – Billings to Denver (United) and Denver to Orlando (Ted) – Used FF Miles
4) Renting Car – National - $400 for 11 days
5) Brand new Disney Dining Card just “itching” to get used.
6) Annual Passholder tickets purchased at last year’s vacation


Pre-Trip <Sorry, very, very LONG!!>

As you can see from my signature, we (meaning “I”) truly love Disney and have not had any significant vacation other than Disney since our kids were born. Prior to kids it wasn’t this way at all as my wife and I went to Hawaii, Mexico, Jamaica, Vegas, Cayman Islands, New York and so on. Those were all for the Mrs. as I’d much prefer to just go to WDW every chance I got. After visiting all of these places I begged my wife in 1997 to go to Disney World with me since I had only been there once in 1993 (due to a family members illness in the area) & loved it. She agreed, but was not looking forward to it. We did not get the vacation video prior to going (big mistake!) so her perception of the “World” was that it was like a “big fair” that would be filled with dirty “carney-like” employees & belligerent teenagers running around barking obscenities. When I told her we were going there for 7 days she almost called the whole thing off. I swear she thought I was nuts.

I explained to her prior to going that we were staying at the Poly, which was just like Hawaii. She said, “If it’s just like Hawaii, why don’t we go there instead”? To this day she tells the story of what she thought she was in for and the magic she ended up being a part of. I believe that her poor perception of what was going to happen and what she actually experienced made her trip THAT more special for her.

Our next trip a year later (1998) we rented a studio at OKW and stayed for 8 days. The result of this November trip was our first child “Moan Boy” the following June It truly was a “Magical” vacation!

We took “Moan Boy” down to WDW in Oct 1999 when he was only 4 months old. We did it again a year later (2000) when he was 1 ½. Both of those trips were ok but were filled with anxiety over every little detail all of you parents can imagine we went through. From him screaming and throwing up all over the seat on the plane, to trying to keep him out of the sun, to him throwing ribs at an oriental (non-English speaking) couple sitting next to us at Starlight Cafe, to trying to shield his ears from loud noises with winter earmuffs and so on. Later we found out about his speech & language disability, which eventually helped us to understand our precious little guy and learn to cope and address his issues. We had fun on these two trips but it was just very difficult.

On Sept 11, 2001 my wife decided she was no longer going to fly in any type of aircraft and was also very pregnant with our second child, “Loud Girl”. That put an end to the family vacations to WDW for a while. I was lucky enough that I do a lot of business in the Orlando area and had the chance to still visit Disney on numerous occasions, due to trade shows or conferences, with other members of my family or business associates. It was during this period that I found out about the wonderful WDW golf courses.

In 2002 we were back on track as we loaded up the “Family Truckster” and drove (yes drove) to Disneyland in Southern California. Trey was 3 and LeeAndra was 1. The following year we did it again and both of those trips ended up being great fun. The car never smelled the same, and we actually ended up getting rid of it, but still, we had a lot of fun. These trips produced a lot of firsts for our family. From first steps in Butte, MT to learning to use a toilet for “Moan Boy” at an outhouse without toilet paper at a construction site near California Adventure. I also managed to sneak in even more trips to WDW with friends of family under the “guise” that I was looking at purchasing into DVC.

Speaking of DVC, I should note that I wish I had been smart enough to actually invest in this back in 1998 when we first considered it. We have usually rented these rooms anyway at great expense. To this day I’m not sure why we waited so long. It now saves us a lot of money each year. My only regret is that we should have gone resale instead of buying new but oh well.

After ruining my wife’s Escalade on two trips to California she was ready to fly again so down to Florida we went in Oct 2004 for 10 days and again in Jan 2005 for 9 days. Both kids were in pre-school so missing school wasn’t a problem. My wife is a “stay-at-home” mom and I am self-employed so the time away from home hurt none of us. Both trips were awesome and the kids did great on the airplanes, at restaurants, and in the parks. Our only issues were all “terrible-two” related that could be solved by simply doing exactly what Loud Girl demanded at the time (usually followed by a spanking when we were back at the room j/k).

We leave on our latest family vacation on Wednesday and we are as excited as we were on our very first trip down. My wife started a countdown chart 60 days prior to our leaving and our kids each put a “Mickey ears” sticker on every morning when they wake up. My wife started packing in August (no joke!) and I’ve got ADR’s set up for every day. This trip will also include our first character meals at Akershus with princesses and at the Garden Grill w/ Mickey and gang.

I can’t wait to actually leave because if I have to watch the 2005 Vacation Planning DVD one more time I’m going to hurt someone. By the way, I thought the old videos were more fun to watch than these new ones. Well, wish us luck!

 

[jennymouse]

Good luck!

 

[summersfam4]

Can't wait untill you get back to hear more, great start!

Kelly

 

[fizz13]

I bet you're having a great time right now while I'm sitting here with the rain pouring outside Hear from you soon,

Claire xx

 

[babytrees]

Loving the pre trip report...can't wait for you to get back to hear more...

on a side note it's so expensive to fly out of Billings(lived there for 12 years) .....I'm with your wife drive to DL....but DW fly...great that you had that many frequent flyer miles built up!! Hope you didn't miss the snow too much!!

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Hey guys. I am finally in my Disney room having checked out of the Wyndham Palms this morning. The Palms didn't have any kind of internet connection which is odd. Here is day one for ya.



For a 19 hour day there really isn’t much to talk about. We woke up on time with three alarms at 5:30 a.m. although we didn’t need any of them as Moan Boy was bouncing on our bed yelling “Dizney Wold, Dizney Wold, Dizney Wold”. Our flight took off on time and we made our connection in Denver. We arrived 10 minutes early. In Denver we had to go from the B terminal to the A terminal to catch our Ted Flight. The A terminal is a lot better, less people, and pretty dang quiet. We went upstairs where there are no shops and found a quiet corner to plug in the laptop and allow the kids to watch Dora the Explorer. Our three hour layover went by quickly.

The flights were really smooth. My kids didn’t even need to watch the DVD player we brought. They read books and played games, my wife worked on a puzzle book, and I read a novel my mom wrote (shameless plug - “Grave Talker” by Linette Widen).

After we landed, it took 30 minutes to get our stupid bag which was irritating. We had reserved a Full Size car at National and there were none so that was irritating. We ended up with a Buick mini van of some sort. It’s pretty darn nice but I’m not really sure what I’m paying for it. The Full size was supposed to be $400 but I think the Buick is an upgrade and the lady who signed us out didn’t speak English very well so I handed her a credit card, and sped on down the Bee Line expressway. I’ll probably regret this when I return the car and find out I have $1,000 charge.

I think I need to explain that while you read these trip reports you may think to yourself that Montana Disney Fan is very impatient. While partially true, you need to understand that with my son’s disability, things are made much more difficult. He only understands part of what you say to him and he can only explain part of what he’s thinking. The language barrier causes A LOT of issues since it’s very hard to explain what’s going on to him.

The Wyndham Palms is VERY nice. Nicer than any of the DVC 2-bedrooms we’ve stayed at but still, it’s just not Disney. The room has a brand new big screen TV with 80 channels, a DVD player and a near perfect picture. We have two bedrooms, a HUGE master bath (it’s gotta be 200 sq ft at least), a leather sectional, and a nice kitchen and dining room. We’ve also got an enclosed patio with a fan like OKW. Like I said, very, very nice but still not Disney. I’m glad we are staying here first and not AFTER we leave OKW. Our view is of a construction site but that’s ok.

We got kind of lost getting to the hotel which is my own fault because it’s really easy to find. There is construction ALL over Orlando. It’s crazy. We had to take a detour to get to the hotel from the airport. From the time we landed until we walked into our room was 1 hour and 25 minutes (waiting on luggage, renting car, finding hotel, checking in).

The girls at check in at the Wyndham Palmswere nice but not “Disney” quality. There is a lot of new construction going on at the Palms also.

We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant called Giordano’s off 192 and it was awesome. The thin crust pizza is to die for and my wife had the Chicken Parmesan and loved it. We were stuffed when we left and out $50 for the four of us (includes a bottle of wine).

The entire day was pretty uneventful and I wish I could tell some funny stories or relay some valuable info but there just isn’t much to say.

Summary

The Wyndham Palms deserves a 5 star rating (out of 5) but I give it 3 1/2. The reason? It aint Disney. Anywhere else in the world and I'd rate it 4 1/2. The pool aint Disney, the people aint Disney, there are no Disney buses... you get the picture.

Giordanos - I don't care where you put this restaurant... it's 4 1/2 stars anywhere in the world. Great food, good value, great service. What more could you want? Woulda been nice to pay for the meals with my room key at Disney but wattya gunna do? I'll give it 4 Stars (loses 1/2 star cuz it aint on Disney property)

Buick Mini Van - 1 star out of 5. This thing blows. I punch it and you can't tell I've done anything. My wife was just laughing at me as I complained about the performance. Also, the electric side mirrors don't work. What a pain. It's a mini van... leave it at that.

Ted - Great airline. Wish United would move 100% to this type of format.

My moms book - 5 stars. I can't believe it's so good. I can't believe my mom wrote it. I can't believe I'm rating it on the DIS

 

[Hermosa11]

yes, yes ....more ..more........must read more

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

By the way: I'm down here now if anyone has any specific questions I'd be glad to answer them.

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Day 2 : Animal Kingdom

My son the early riser comes running into the room at 7 a.m. moaning, jumping and making noises. Loud Girl joined him about 30 minutes later and they were jumping on us yelling for us to get up. We finally rolled out of bed around 8:30 a.m. (we ignore them pretty well), got cleaned up and had a Fruit Loop bar, and headed towards Animal Kingdom arriving around 9:35 at the front gate.

As we drove towards Animal Kingdom we kicked ourselves for having paid for parking over the last year even though we are AP holders. We just didn’t know that AP holders didn’t have to pay for parking. We always stay offsite for a 3 or 4 nights prior to moving to our DVC rooms and over the past year we had paid for 8 days of parking that we didn’t have to. Just goes to show you how proper planning and research can save you money.

The lines were pretty long to go through the turnstiles at the front gate and the line at Guest Relations was just as long. We had our Annual Passes with us but were worried they wouldn’t work since we haven’t used them since January. We lucked out and they worked. The next line was for the Disney stroller. We stood in line for 20 minutes and then ordered 9 days of stroller usage so we wouldn’t have to stand in line again. Strollers have gone up since January. I believe they were $15/day for a double back then and now they are $18.

I immediately noticed that there seemed to more people at Disney than we are used to. Animal Kingdom was pretty darn full and we are really used to having the “run” of the place as the crowd levels have been so low this time of year. It looks like others have caught on to our trick are visiting at the same time we are

I would like to make my annual “gripe” about people who stop in the middle of the walkways. We always move to the side when we have to stop and just think its common courtesy.

We put on the ponchos we brought all the way from Montana and headed straight to Kali River Rapids (no wait) which is our favorite ride. There was nobody in line so we were able to ride twice without getting off. The water never really got close to us but soaked our fellow rafters from England who had no ponchos. We really looked like goons with the ponchos but we were dry after two rides!

From there we were hungry so we had to eat at Flame tree BBQ. Hotdog, applesauce, and corn on the cob for Loud Girl, Spicy French Fries for Moan Boy, and the half chicken and pork sandwich for mom and dad (we split it). The lunch is always a 10 as far as we’re concerned. Toss in an Ice Cold Bud Light and life is good! We’re on Vacation!! Woot!!!!

After lunch we made the short jaunt to Dinoland and road Dinosaur (no wait) with my daughter in tow for the first time (shes only 3!!). She loved it as Moan Boy always has. She was pretty frightened when Tyrannosaurus Rex screamed at us but she knew it was fake and enjoyed it. We might try her on ToT if she’s tall enough tomorrow. Loud Girl could be heard on Dinosaur over the animals most of the way. That little girl has got some lungs!

One thing I’d like to note is that on the ride Dinosaur, the people in front of us really smelled awful (like raw sewage)! Worse than you can imagine. The whole time we rode my nose was wrinkled and I was crabby. Why would people let themselves smell this way?!?! It was really irritating.

After that my son and I rode Primeval Whirl which means he’s 48” tall now! We were pumped. My wife and daughter rode Triceratops Spin while we rode the rollercoaster. My son moaned the whole time in line which can wear on you but was very excited to ride the roller coaster. That ride is awful! I was so dizzy when I got off I stepped onto the moving platform and went down in a heap. It was soo embarrassing. My son was already running up the ramp moaning like a madman, leaving me in a lurch. Nice.

We met the girls without incident (usually when we split up we spend the rest of the day trying to find one another) and headed to the Dino Dig Site. The kids love this place and attacked it with a vengeance. Me and the wife sat by the exit, relaxed and took pictures of the kids when they came by every 20 minutes or so. It was relaxing and I think Epcot and MK could use a play area like this. We always hit the one at MGM also but I can’t think of the name.

We left the dig site and the kids were starting to turn like bad cheese. The heat and running had worn them out & Loud Girl started to growl like a cornered badger. We tossed ‘em into the stroller and bee lined it for the Safari fast pass area. I started to smell that smell again and looked around for the people who had been in front of us on Dinosaur and sure enough, there they were. The kids had some water and b-room break and started to calm down a little, buying us some time.

After getting Safari Fast passes we decided to try the “Bird Show” as we’ve never done it. We loved it! It was incredible. Anyone that’s never done it will love it. My wife HATES birds and asked me prior to going what it was about. I thought it was a movie so she went in. We sat down and I felt her eyes burning a hole in my head so I turned to ask her “what’s up?” She said, “I see NO SCREEN”. Oops! Guess it’s a live bird show. She ended up surviving the carnivorous bird show and after that we rode the Safari.

The fast past at the Safari is almost a joke. The line was nearly as long as the regular. It WAS faster but not by much. We rode the ride and always laugh at the plastic baby elephant in the back of the truck near the end of the ride. Is this the best Disney has to offer? Kind of a joke but still a good ride. Both lions were out sleeping where you could see which is only the second time in about 20 tries that we’ve seen them both.

5 hours was enough for our kids and we went back to the room (7 minute drive from AK) and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We ate at Giordano’s again and loved it again. We just had the pizza this time and knocked about $10 off the bill and were still full. A great restaurant and a great value. We were both full after a few slices but it’s so good we just kept on eating. Why not were on vacation!!!

Right now were watching “Old School” on DVD and sippin’ wine. The kids are in bed and exhausted. Our first day was a good one. I could really use a scotch on the rocks but what are you gunna do? I’ll survive with just the wine.

Tomorrow is MGM and Boma’s for dinner.

Summary

Dinosaur – 5 stars! A great attraction and ride with a funny and cute storyline. My kids loving it and the fact that we can enjoy it as a family adds a full star to it’s true, deserved rating. We love this ride!

Kali River – 4 stars. Same as above but without the good story and it’s too short of a ride.

Safari – no comment.

Whirl – Too short, too dizzy, and I fell down! 2 ½ stars.

Marketplace Grocery – 192 This is a pretty good place to get groceries and seems pretty reasonable. 3 ½ stars should work. It’s close to the Palms but far away from OKW.

 

[LoveWDW]

Thank you for the report! Very well done. I hadn't heard of the bird show- would you recommend it?

 

[MazdaUK]

Loving the reports!

 

[Hermosa11]

soooooo, how is the weather..........?

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Thank you for the report! Very well done. I hadn't heard of the bird show- would you recommend it?

Bird show rocks. 4 1/2 stars.

Weather is awesome! 4 1/2. A little humid or I'd give it 5 stars.

 

[marj70]

I loved reading your report so far and can't wait for more! It's nice to hear the male point of view as well.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

Great Report Montana- looking forward to tomorrow -

by the way i've read that MK now has a playground, its located across from Pooh's ride, where 20,000 leagues under the sea ride was located way back when....

the playground at mgm is from the movie Honey I shrunk the kids

maybe we'll see ya on the 22nd

Hey if "Mike D from Mass" is driving the mgm tram (or annoucing) tell him MOM says HI

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Great Report Montana- looking forward to tomorrow -

by the way i've read that MK now has a playground, its located across from Pooh's ride, where 20,000 leagues under the sea ride was located way back when....

the playground at mgm is from the movie Honey I shrunk the kids

maybe we'll see ya on the 22nd

Hey if "Mike D from Mass" is driving the mgm tram (or annoucing) tell him MOM says HI

Wow, I didn't even know that avout playground at MK. We'll check it out tomorrow!

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Day 3 : MGM

Up before light, Moan Boy was in bed with us and instead of wiggling around and moaning all morning, he fell fast asleep. It was very nice and peaceful. He’s such a sweet little guy. I rolled over and slept until light when Loud Girl showed up and pinched my nose until I finally moved. She’s a bossy little thing.

We all rolled out of bed and downed the Fruit Loop bar and a diet Black Cherry Diet Rite soda. We were ready!

Loud Girl marched us out to the car and we were off to MGM. It only took us 10 minutes to get into the parking lot and jump on the tram. Minutes later we were in the park and headed to ToT to get Fast Passes. One thing we forgot to do today was tell the kids to go potty prior to leaving the room.

After Fast Passes at ToT we went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid and while waiting inside in the queue, Loud Girl stated very loudly, “I gotta poop”! Mom decided to pull duty and loaded her up and started fighting the crowd to get out of the queue area. Some nice people standing next to us handed my wife their Fast Pass tickets as they didn’t use them and we all hoped they’d both get back prior to the show starting.

Me and Moan Boy held two seats for them much to the dismay of the Mermaid Nazi on duty who was demanding that all the seats be filled in. Apparently after sizing me up and noting the determination on my face he decided to reserve that battle for another day.

The last two in the theatre were mom and Loud Girl who I flagged down and we were able to sit with. My daughter sat on my lap and LOVED the show. Moan Boy liked it too but Loud Girl is really starting to love the Disney Princesses.

We rolled on to Star Tours which the entire family loves (my backpack got away from me. Best to listen to the instructions before you ride) but that stupid store they make you march thru on your way drives me nuts. People everywhere with dollar bills flying and teenagers dueling with lightsabers in the aisles. We got out unharmed and headed back to the ToT area to use the Fast Passes.

To make a long story short, the kids chickened out on ToT so we gave our Fast Passes to a very grateful family and decided to have lunch in the area behind the Toluca Turkey Legs kiosk. One shared beer, burgers and fries and we were off to Muppet Land.

Muppet 3D was awesome and my whole family really enjoyed it. We found a cell phone on the ground when Moan Boy tossed his 3D goggles down at the end of the show. It rang, we answered, and then met the owner. He was very grateful and it felt good doing something nice.

We headed to the Muppet Store (see Disney, we’ll still purchase product even if you DON’T march us thru the store at the end of the attraction) and bought the boy a Kermit and the girl a Bean (the bunny).

Off to the Honey I shrunk the playground set and we grabbed a spot and let the kids run wild. These places are great. We thought we lost the girl for a spell but found her yelling at another little girl in the webbed netting area. I broke up the ensuing battle and dragged the girl back to the neutral zone and we left.

We wandered around the park a little then decided to each go on RnR with Aerosmith. My wife went first and Moan Boy was freakin’ for 20 minutes until she got back (missed his mommy). I told her to take him on it and she looked at me like I was a drunken child abuser. He said, “yes, want to go roller coaster” so off they went.

The whole time they were on the ride I was worried sick. I could only imagine the worst thing that could happen to my son. I was sick. 20 minutes later they came back and both were alive. Whew! Now that’s all he wants to go on. We may go back and ride it with him again. He also mentioned he would like to go on ToT now so we’ll see.

We had ADR for Boma this evening and we were all excited as we’ve read so much about it. Well, we were all disappointed. It was “OK” but not worth the $24 / person. Most of the food was dry which is what you can expect from a buffet. Average food + ridiculous price = poor meal. I don’t recommend.

Summary

Rockin Roller Coast I didn’t get to ride it but 5 stars for the Roller Coaster that didn’t kill my son. I’ve rode it before and I’ll get a chance to do so again on this trip.

Boma – 2 ½ stars. Read review above.

Little Mermaid and Muppet 3D – Both are awesome and I’m so happy my children appreciate these shows. 4 ½ stars each. Mermaid Nazi cost them both the extra ½ star.

Star Tours – The store at the end ruined the 5 star rating making it a 4 star ride.

MGM – This park grows on me every time we come down. We used to hate it but now there is so much to do. I’ll give it 4 stars. A lot of fun and not very many people there. Short lines rule!

 

[Linnie The Pooh]

First off, I would like to thank everyone who is reading these reports. They are long so it's really nice that you are still with us.

A few things I'd like to clear up.

#1 The reason I was late for the Little Mermaid Show is that the people gave us their fast passes (so we could get back in right away) when my daughter had to use the bathroom and I gladly accepted them and and thanked them. The fast pass ended at 11:50 and we came back at 11:49, jumped in the back of the line and then I saw the Fast Pass entrance so we zipped up there and got in it. By that time it was 11:52 and the lady would NOT let us through the fast pass line so we had to go back and wait with the rest, last in line. She did inform me very kindly that if we missed this show we would be first in line for the next one. Yay. My husband and son were in THIS one. Well, we barely made it in, much to my annoyance, but once the show started, it was worth it.


#2 I didn't know my husband fell on the Primevil Whirl ride. He never expected me to read these reports so when I saw that I laughed so hard, my chest hurt. Which is exactly why he didn't tell me about his mishap-he knew I'd laugh. What can I say? That is my kind of humor!!

Also, my son doesn't moan too much these days (it's a symptom of his disability) and he is really enjoying the shows-much to our surprise. He even wanted to sit for the boring one at Norway, but we ushered him out. Maybe another trip. If you knew my son, you'd realize how special this is that he's enjoying the shows. Last year he wouldn't tolerate them at all.

He insisted we buy him a Kermit after he saw the Muppet show 3D and he loves it and hugs it all the time. Makes us want to cry. He just loved it. The lady next to us in the show commented on how watching HIM. (she'd seen the shows tons of times) made the show for her-she said he was so cute. I'd just found that cell phone and was caught up with that so I just thanked her, but it was so special to me that she said that. Watching my son thrilled her!! What a special moment!!!

that's about all I want to clear up now. We're having a great trip. Montana is a great planner. I don't have anything to do with that, he's right. I just trust him and go where I'm told. With my kids in tow.

 

[Hermosa11]

so cool of you to report while there................enjoy!
I will be at work Monday and you will be having fun...........can't wait to read more...........

 

[dazzled]

Thanks for sharing your trip. Sounds like all of you are having a fantastic time. Sure wish I were there right now. Can't wait to hear more.