I thought I'd do a more detailed trip report, because I'm back home and bored! After being entertained and running on adrenaline for a week. . . 
We went to LBV for seven days/7nights (though we only did Disney four days) and stayed at Bluetrees Resort, about five to ten minutes from the parks, about 5min. from Downtown Disney. This is NOT a Disney resort, but a timeshare resort that also will do rentals for the wk. My hubby's secretary owns a timeshare here and rented us her timeshare for 1/2 price and this is how we came to be at Disney in June to begin with... We were trying to decide where to go on vacation in June and she offered us this. Yeah, we were completely clueless about Fla. in summer. And, yeah, I'll never go there in summer again.
Bluetrees Resort was very nice. We had a 2br/2ba apt. w/washer/dryer and full kitchen. There were 4 pools, 2 heated, 2 not. Our apt. overlooked one of the heated pools, and that's where we swam. Even in the heat, it was nice that the water was a little heated and it still cooled us off. The pool was never crowded and it was clean. The main thing I liked about Bluetrees is that it was clean and well-maintained, but we were left alone. No one ever tried to pressure us into a timeshare presentation or anything. If we needed anything, the office obliged immediately.
Anyway, we got in on Sat. night and got up Sunday morning and went first thing to MK. We got there around 8:30 and were waiting to go into the park when they did the opening ceremony for the park. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. The mayor came out in front of the train station and welcomed everyone to the park, then all of these dancing couples dressed in turn-of-the-century costumes came out and sang and danced in front of the train. Then the train pulls up and Mickey Mouse and a bunch of other characters get off the train and wave to everyone. Then there's a countdown and the park officially opens and everyone pours into Main Street.
I was feeling pleased w/myself about getting there early, until I saw the crowd in front of us already on Main Street. I was like, Oh my gosh, all of these people are already here? What I failed to realize,though, was that no one was in the rest of the park yet. We forgot to pick up a park map and guide on the way in, but I had the layout of the park etched in my brain after poring over the UG and Passporter the past month. I told hubby this and to just follow me to Fantasyland. We got to Fantasyland and suddenly it's just us and a few other families w/small children. There is no line yet for anything! We veer immediately to the left and walk right onto Peter Pan's Flight. It was this way for every ride in Fantasyland until 10am when we left for Liberty Square and Frontierland.
I've been to MK twenty yrs. ago, and before as a small child, but this was my 1st time riding PP's Flight or SW Scary Adventures. I really loved PP's Flight and was amazed by the details of the scenery. I loved the part where the ship flies over London at night. I liked Snow White, too, but not as much as PP. My daughter, 7, did not want to ride Dumbo and we had to talk her into Pooh. Another really cute and amazingly detailed ride. Loved the neon-colored dream part and the big storybook pages. Philharmagic was awesome and the 3-d was perfect. I also really liked Small World, I had forgotten a lot of details in this one.
Around 10am, we went over to Haunted Mansion, waited a little more than 5 min. DD, 7, was nervous at first (her first time to WDW) because she didn't know what to expect. She ended up enjoying it, esp. the part w/the hitchhiking ghosts. We then went on Big Thunder Mtn. Railroad and waited in line about 10 min, maybe less. One thing about the lines at all of the parks is they always seemed to be moving, even if it's a longer wait time. I also noticed that the wait times stated never seem to be as long. anyway, we all loved Big Thunder, incl. DD, this was her first real grown-up rollercoaster.
Our touring plan said to do Splash Mtn. and Tom Sawyer's Island, too, but we were going to the Princess Storybook Lunch at Epcot around 2 and we didn't want her to be all wet and dirty, so we vowed to take her another day to these (which we did). To make up for it, around 11am, DH and my stepdaughter ran over to Space Mtn. to get a FP while DD and I went to see Storytime w/Belle. Most of the seats in the Fairytale Garden were taken when we got there, so we sat over on the right side of the stage on a bench. When they went to pick kids from the audience to be in the story, DD was asked! She got to be Cogsworth. She was more excited about getting Belle's autograph and picture afterward, though. Our FP for SM was at 12:10, so went to Buzz Lightyear and waited only ten minutes or so. DD thought this was ok, but the rest of us liked it a lot! We rode TTA so DD could see people getting on SM. Then it was time for us to go there ourselves. DD LOVED SM! I was really surprised, she's never done full-sized rollercoasters before. At the Princess Lunch later, Belle asked her what her favorite ride was and she said "Space Mtn". Belle replied she was a brave little princess.
We had a 2:30 PS at Akershus in Norway at Epcot, so next we headed over there on the monorail. As soon as we got there, we got a FP for Soarin' and it was for 7:45 that evening!!!
The Princess Storybook Lunch was really fun, and the Norwegian food was delicious. First, they bring a "koltbord" of cold appetizers - chicken salad, a herring salad, cold peppered mackerel, strips of salmon, an assortment of breads and cheeses. I think the cheeses were jarlsberg and muenster. The kids are brought their own cold plate of sliced ham, turkey, cubes of cheddar cheese, pineapple chunks and a fruit cup. For entree, I had the Savory Vegetable Tart w/salad greens w/a balsamic vinaigrette, I think. Very good. The tart was like a quiche, w/an egg base and sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, and potatoes. DH's daughter (I'll just call her older DD from now on) had the same and DH had the salmon nicoise on a bed of greens. He said his was very good. For dessert, we shared a very creamy, sweet rice pudding w/strawberry sauce and chocolate mousse. Both were delicious.
The highlight of the lunch for younger DD, of course, was the princesses. We were lucky enough to be seated right by the door where they come out into the restaurant so we met them right away. We met Sleeping Beauty (in her blue dress) Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, and - Cinderella! This last one was a nice surprise as I'd heard Cinderella would not be at the Epcot dining. She was also the nicest princess, I think, and played the role to the hilt. She really WAS Cinderella. She was also the only one who insisted DD stand up and pose w/her. So, take heart if you can't get into CRT. TRy Akershus.
No, the princesses don't come out and sit down w/you and ask you your life story and spend the rest of your meal w/you. I'm amazed that some people actually expect this when there's a whole restaurant full of little girls also wanting to meet them, as well as all the little ones waiting outside to get in. They do ask your DD's name and speak briefly w/her and do the autograph and photo op quickly. Have your camera ready and be familiar with it. You're given one shot. They did all sign a postcard for my niece when I asked. I was very satisfied with the experience as was DD. She did tell Belle she got her autograph already! But she wanted anopther pic w/her.
My one nit w/Akershus is there is no inside waiting area, nor is there one outside in any shade. There were loads of families waiting outside in the hot sun and no one was allowed inside to wait. This is a problem in the summer heat, when you're also tired and hungry. At least, arrange for some sort of outside shaded area where people can wait for their name to be called. It was very busy, too, and probably will be from now on if they continue the Princess Dining there.
After the lunch, we were tired and decided to take a break at our resort, then return to use our 7:45 FP for Soarin'. We did this, and after feeling revived and refreshed from swimming, showering and a snack, decided to do this every day we toured the parks, if we could. We rode Soarin' that night and it was everything it's talked up to be. You really feel like you're hanggliding. My only nit (and DH's too) is the scenery changes too abrutly.
We then headed over to WS to watch the fireworks. The last time DH or I were at Epcot was twnty yrs. ago right after they first opened, so neither of us had seen Illuminations. I found it very impressive and moving, I'm glad I got to see it. Btw, it was pouring down rain when we returned to Epcot around 7 and more people were leaving than entering. We just donned our rain ponchos and umbrellas and hoped it would let up by 9. It did, and the crowd had thinned out considerably since earlier that afternoon. So heading back to the parking lot after Illuminations was no problem at all.
The next day was Monday and I planned this day for sleeping in, maybe going to Gatorland (which we did) and relaxing some for tackling MK and Epcot FW on Tuesday. I'll write more on this soon.
We went to LBV for seven days/7nights (though we only did Disney four days) and stayed at Bluetrees Resort, about five to ten minutes from the parks, about 5min. from Downtown Disney. This is NOT a Disney resort, but a timeshare resort that also will do rentals for the wk. My hubby's secretary owns a timeshare here and rented us her timeshare for 1/2 price and this is how we came to be at Disney in June to begin with... We were trying to decide where to go on vacation in June and she offered us this. Yeah, we were completely clueless about Fla. in summer.
And, yeah, I'll never go there in summer again. Bluetrees Resort was very nice. We had a 2br/2ba apt. w/washer/dryer and full kitchen. There were 4 pools, 2 heated, 2 not. Our apt. overlooked one of the heated pools, and that's where we swam. Even in the heat, it was nice that the water was a little heated and it still cooled us off. The pool was never crowded and it was clean. The main thing I liked about Bluetrees is that it was clean and well-maintained, but we were left alone. No one ever tried to pressure us into a timeshare presentation or anything. If we needed anything, the office obliged immediately.
Anyway, we got in on Sat. night and got up Sunday morning and went first thing to MK. We got there around 8:30 and were waiting to go into the park when they did the opening ceremony for the park. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. The mayor came out in front of the train station and welcomed everyone to the park, then all of these dancing couples dressed in turn-of-the-century costumes came out and sang and danced in front of the train. Then the train pulls up and Mickey Mouse and a bunch of other characters get off the train and wave to everyone. Then there's a countdown and the park officially opens and everyone pours into Main Street.
I was feeling pleased w/myself about getting there early, until I saw the crowd in front of us already on Main Street. I was like, Oh my gosh, all of these people are already here? What I failed to realize,though, was that no one was in the rest of the park yet. We forgot to pick up a park map and guide on the way in, but I had the layout of the park etched in my brain after poring over the UG and Passporter the past month. I told hubby this and to just follow me to Fantasyland. We got to Fantasyland and suddenly it's just us and a few other families w/small children. There is no line yet for anything! We veer immediately to the left and walk right onto Peter Pan's Flight. It was this way for every ride in Fantasyland until 10am when we left for Liberty Square and Frontierland.
I've been to MK twenty yrs. ago, and before as a small child, but this was my 1st time riding PP's Flight or SW Scary Adventures. I really loved PP's Flight and was amazed by the details of the scenery. I loved the part where the ship flies over London at night. I liked Snow White, too, but not as much as PP. My daughter, 7, did not want to ride Dumbo and we had to talk her into Pooh. Another really cute and amazingly detailed ride. Loved the neon-colored dream part and the big storybook pages. Philharmagic was awesome and the 3-d was perfect. I also really liked Small World, I had forgotten a lot of details in this one.
Around 10am, we went over to Haunted Mansion, waited a little more than 5 min. DD, 7, was nervous at first (her first time to WDW) because she didn't know what to expect. She ended up enjoying it, esp. the part w/the hitchhiking ghosts. We then went on Big Thunder Mtn. Railroad and waited in line about 10 min, maybe less. One thing about the lines at all of the parks is they always seemed to be moving, even if it's a longer wait time. I also noticed that the wait times stated never seem to be as long. anyway, we all loved Big Thunder, incl. DD, this was her first real grown-up rollercoaster.
Our touring plan said to do Splash Mtn. and Tom Sawyer's Island, too, but we were going to the Princess Storybook Lunch at Epcot around 2 and we didn't want her to be all wet and dirty, so we vowed to take her another day to these (which we did). To make up for it, around 11am, DH and my stepdaughter ran over to Space Mtn. to get a FP while DD and I went to see Storytime w/Belle. Most of the seats in the Fairytale Garden were taken when we got there, so we sat over on the right side of the stage on a bench. When they went to pick kids from the audience to be in the story, DD was asked! She got to be Cogsworth. She was more excited about getting Belle's autograph and picture afterward, though. Our FP for SM was at 12:10, so went to Buzz Lightyear and waited only ten minutes or so. DD thought this was ok, but the rest of us liked it a lot! We rode TTA so DD could see people getting on SM. Then it was time for us to go there ourselves. DD LOVED SM! I was really surprised, she's never done full-sized rollercoasters before. At the Princess Lunch later, Belle asked her what her favorite ride was and she said "Space Mtn". Belle replied she was a brave little princess.
We had a 2:30 PS at Akershus in Norway at Epcot, so next we headed over there on the monorail. As soon as we got there, we got a FP for Soarin' and it was for 7:45 that evening!!!
The Princess Storybook Lunch was really fun, and the Norwegian food was delicious. First, they bring a "koltbord" of cold appetizers - chicken salad, a herring salad, cold peppered mackerel, strips of salmon, an assortment of breads and cheeses. I think the cheeses were jarlsberg and muenster. The kids are brought their own cold plate of sliced ham, turkey, cubes of cheddar cheese, pineapple chunks and a fruit cup. For entree, I had the Savory Vegetable Tart w/salad greens w/a balsamic vinaigrette, I think. Very good. The tart was like a quiche, w/an egg base and sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, and potatoes. DH's daughter (I'll just call her older DD from now on) had the same and DH had the salmon nicoise on a bed of greens. He said his was very good. For dessert, we shared a very creamy, sweet rice pudding w/strawberry sauce and chocolate mousse. Both were delicious.
The highlight of the lunch for younger DD, of course, was the princesses. We were lucky enough to be seated right by the door where they come out into the restaurant so we met them right away. We met Sleeping Beauty (in her blue dress) Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, and - Cinderella! This last one was a nice surprise as I'd heard Cinderella would not be at the Epcot dining. She was also the nicest princess, I think, and played the role to the hilt. She really WAS Cinderella. She was also the only one who insisted DD stand up and pose w/her. So, take heart if you can't get into CRT. TRy Akershus.
No, the princesses don't come out and sit down w/you and ask you your life story and spend the rest of your meal w/you. I'm amazed that some people actually expect this when there's a whole restaurant full of little girls also wanting to meet them, as well as all the little ones waiting outside to get in. They do ask your DD's name and speak briefly w/her and do the autograph and photo op quickly. Have your camera ready and be familiar with it. You're given one shot. They did all sign a postcard for my niece when I asked. I was very satisfied with the experience as was DD. She did tell Belle she got her autograph already! But she wanted anopther pic w/her.
My one nit w/Akershus is there is no inside waiting area, nor is there one outside in any shade. There were loads of families waiting outside in the hot sun and no one was allowed inside to wait. This is a problem in the summer heat, when you're also tired and hungry. At least, arrange for some sort of outside shaded area where people can wait for their name to be called. It was very busy, too, and probably will be from now on if they continue the Princess Dining there.
After the lunch, we were tired and decided to take a break at our resort, then return to use our 7:45 FP for Soarin'. We did this, and after feeling revived and refreshed from swimming, showering and a snack, decided to do this every day we toured the parks, if we could. We rode Soarin' that night and it was everything it's talked up to be. You really feel like you're hanggliding. My only nit (and DH's too) is the scenery changes too abrutly.
We then headed over to WS to watch the fireworks. The last time DH or I were at Epcot was twnty yrs. ago right after they first opened, so neither of us had seen Illuminations. I found it very impressive and moving, I'm glad I got to see it. Btw, it was pouring down rain when we returned to Epcot around 7 and more people were leaving than entering. We just donned our rain ponchos and umbrellas and hoped it would let up by 9. It did, and the crowd had thinned out considerably since earlier that afternoon. So heading back to the parking lot after Illuminations was no problem at all.
The next day was Monday and I planned this day for sleeping in, maybe going to Gatorland (which we did) and relaxing some for tackling MK and Epcot FW on Tuesday. I'll write more on this soon.
hat a great day loking forward to next installement
