Dizneyholic
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 24, 2004
- Messages
- 978
Hi!!
First, let me say this is my first trip report so let me know how I did!
Who: Myself (Chas, 8th Trip)
My fiancé (Gus, 7th trip)
My 86 year old Grandma (Gma, 1st trip)
When: Sunday 12/3/06 - Saturday 12/9/06
Where: 1 bedroom villa @ Disney's Old Key West Resort
Why: We live about 40 minutes from Disneyland and just love it this time of year so we really wanted to see how WDW does the holiday's!!!
The "Fun" Plan:
Saturday 12/3:
We arrived at MCO about 6am (cheapest flight) and noticed first thing how cold & foggy it was!! I was worried how the weather would end up but by noon it was about 80 degrees.
A funny/annoying thing happened upon picking up our rental car...I had no idea who we rented from!!! Now, after 8 carefully planned trips I could be a Disney travel agent but for some reason I slipped on this one. lol. Anyhow, in my own defense I found a better rental deal a month or two before the trip and forgot to print the new info. The only thing I could remember was that it wasn't offsite. Needless to say, I had to go to every counter asking if they had a reservation under my name. And of course, I ended up at the right place on my last try!! At least now a lesson was learned and I will never forget again.
We tried to check in to OKW about 10am but our room wasn't ready so we headed over to Epcot. We went straight to the Living Seas with Nemo & Friends and rode the new Nemo ride which had no wait. I didn't really have big expectations so overall I thought it was cute and cleverly done. Next, we headed over to Turtle Talk with Crush since it was about to begin. We have this at Disneyland so I was hoping there might be some differences and to my surprise there was. We've been to the DCA version about 6 times or so and have never seen the whale or Dory show up in our version. However, WDW's version had both and it was just so much more fun with them involved!!
Right after TTWC we jumped on the Land. I'm not sure how I feel about the new automated narration yet. I really like this attraction and would hate to see it neglected so I hope getting rid of the live guide is not a step in the wrong direction. Well, it's now about 1pm and our room is ready to we head back over to OKW and check in. Everything is perfect with our room (Room 4442) and the location and view are nice so we go over to the Super Target off of Orange Blossom Trail and pick up some food for breakfast and snacks.
After a little nap, we head back over to Epcot for our first meal at Coral Reef. Since we have been to WDW a few times we have eaten at a lot of places but we make sure every trip to try a few new ones. Coral Reef was one of my picks this time and we weren't disappointed. I have to admit I was a bit worried since the reviews are so mixed but we were happy with the food, service and atmosphere. Would definitely return!! After dinner we watched the holiday version of Illuminations and then called it a night.
Sunday 12/4:
Today was Animal Kingdom!! While it's really hard to pick a favorite WDW park, this is high up there for me. I just love it's beauty and the peace I feel when I come here. Plus, the fiancé claims Primeval Whirl is my "giggle machine." Once inside Gus went to Expedition Everest to fastpass (Gma sat this one out!!) and then we got in line for the new Finding Nemo Musical. We waited about 45 minutes for the 12:45 show and ended up about 6 rows back next to the stage. We really enjoyed the show. I had seen Tarzan Rocks and I prefer this much more. We spent the rest of the day walking around and riding things here and there. We didn't make it to Festival of the Lion King this time but we have seen it already so we'll have to catch it again in May. We left about 4:45 to drop the Gma off at the room and take a little break. Around 6 Gus and I headed out for a 8:30 ressie at Jiko (also 1st time). We stopped by the Wide World of Sports parking lot to use the free wifi. We found it works perfect if you park all the way down next to the baseball fields. About 30 minutes later we drove over to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We hung out by the fire for about 20 minutes and then walked downstairs to Jiko. We were still early so we waited at the 2nd floor bar. Gus & I aren't big drinkers but figured if not now, when?? So, Gus ordered a Cactus Pear Margarita and let me tell you...it was delicious!! By the time he finished that, our buzzer was going off so we finally got to eat. We both really like Jiko. Both of us ordered the filet which was cooked in a red wine sauce and came with the best macaroni and cheese ever!! We also thought the dining area was creatively done. Not sure if anyone has noticed but the birds on the wall go from just little folds on the wall to big full size birds by the time you get to the other side of the room. We thought that was pretty cool. Around 10:30 we headed back to our room for the night.
Tuesday 12/5:
Magic Kingdom Day!!! We arrived around noon and hopped on Pirates to see the new updates. We had already seen the Disneyland one but were still excited. After that we hit: County Bear Jamboree, Philiharmagic, Peter Pan & Small World. We also hit the most crowds today. I'm guessing it was due to the park closing early for MVMCP. At 4:05 we lined up at Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner. We've dined here a few times already but have also been very happy and knew the Gma would love it. Everything was great as usual and then we ran over to the Rose Garden to pick up our wristbands for our first MVMCP!! The line wasn't long yet so we were in and out quickly. We then jumped on CoP and then got in line for Mickey's Twas the Night Before Christmas. I'm a sucker for anything Christmassy so I loved the show. Now I'm on a quest to find a good recording of We Need a Little Christmas!! lol. We spent the rest of the night enjoying the party, taking holiday character pic's and drinking lots of hot chocolate!! The only thing I was bummed about was missing the Handbelll Choir. No one seemed to know anything about them and by the time I found out where they were, they were done for the night. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make a trip out next Christmas. lol. Also, the party was a bit more crowded than I was expecting but really thinned after 11pm.
Wednesday 12/6:
Yay!! Our first Segway Tour. Ok, first let me add that Gus is obsessed with anything electronic and expensive so for him this tour was a must. I was slighty nervous since I like to be more in control of my surroundings but this was a lot of fun!! In fact, I was a natural and loved every minute of it. Well...almost every minute. My feet really hurt since you're not standing in a natural position on the Segway. For some reason it really made my feet ache but the minute I got off they were fine again. Even so, I'd do it again in a heartbeat!! Since the Gma was still back in the room we took a little time for ourselves and just walked about Epcot for a while. Around 5 we went back to the room to pick up the Gma for dinner at Kona Cafe (another 1st time). We got there right on time and were promptly seated. Gus ordered the filet and I ordered the Teriyaki Sirloin. We also had some sticky wings and potstickers beforehand. I didn't think the wings were as good as the ones at Ohana's. They were much bigger and fattier (is that a word??). We also didn't care for the potstickers. Gus wasn't impressed with this steak since he doesn't like his meat charred and he began drooling over my sirloin so I just switched with him so he'd stop giving me the sad face. Both meals were ok but there are way better places to get a steak so I'm not sure we would come here again for dinner. We then dropped the Gma off at the room and headed over to one of our favorite hang out's...Adventure's Club!! We had a great time as always and called it a night at 1am!
Thursday 12/7:
We got up late today and ended up getting to Epcot just in time for lunch. Today we decided to try the counter service Fish and Chips in England. Yumm!!! Good stuff but didn't want to eat to much since we had the candlelight dinner package at my favorite...Le Cellier!! After lunch we did the loop around World Showcase. We watched all the circle vision shows and rode the boat rides. About 4:30 we made it to DVC Merry Mixer at International gateway. We were only there for about 35 minutes but got a great holiday photo with Mickey & Minnie. Oh, we also got a picture with the Reindeers' from the Christmas parade. Very cool!!! Finally, it was time for my 7oz maple bbq filet and sour cream mash potatoes at Le Cellier!!! Needless to say, dinner was awesome!! The processional started at 8:15 so we got in line about 7:40 and ended up with a decent seat. This was our first time seeing this show and it lived up to the hype. So beautiful!! However, I think one of the singers might have passed out since she disappeared from the sea of singers and was then helped out by two others. We followed this with Illuminations again and then headed "home."
Friday 12/8
We got up late again and ended up at MGM around lunch time. We had counter service lunch at the Backlot Express and it wasn't very good. We all had the chili cheese dogs, blah!! We spent the day doing all the usual...Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, Shopping, Parade. Dinner was at 50's Prime Time Cafe (one of fav's). We even have a favorite waitress. Her name is Elizabeth and she's "sister." Anyway, we call her Good Elizabeth because she kind of looks like the girl from Real Genius. We try and get her everytime but she was off tonight. Bummer. We always get the Golden Fried Chicken. Very tasty and moist. Their hot fudge sundaes are great too!! Gus drew a Mickey for our "Uncle Tom" and he liked it so much he put it on the fridge so if you see Mickey's head on the fridge and it's signed by Gus & Chas...we made that!!! Such pride. lol. After dinner we experienced my favorite of the whole trip....the Osborne Spectacle of Lights!! Simply amazing!! I have a thing for sparkly lights and music!!! Can't wait to see it again.
Saturday 12/9
Worst day of all...going home. But first we have someplace to be. The Mega Mouse Meet!!! We checked out of our room about 11am and had lunch at Earl of Sandwich in downtown. About 1pm we pulled up the Dolphin and made our way to the convention area. This was another first for us. Had never been to any Disney fan community event like this. Well, that's not exactly true because we did go to the NFFC show and sale in Anaheim last year but the meet was more people oriented versus shopping. We really didn't know what to expect but we both had a great time. Unfortunately, I didn't see many DISer's there but I did get to meet WillCAD. Oh yeah, we actually did do some shopping. I ended up buying about five Disney books that I didn't have yet and was able to get them all signed by the authors. Just in case you're interested...I picked up: 101 Things You Never Knew About WDW by Kevin Yee, Mouse Under Glass by David Koenig, The Walt Disney Trivia Book by Mr. Lou Mongello, 2nd edition of Hidden Mickey's by Steve Barrett and we pre-ordered Spinning Disney's World by Charles Ridgway. All of them were very nice in person and we were so excited to meet them all and have them sign our books. Furthermore, all our favorite podcasters were there as well. We got to chat with Lou & Nathan from Mousetunes, Len, Mike & Matt (no Mike Newell) from WDW Today & Paul Barrie from Window to the Magic. They also were very fun & interesting people to chat with. I told Lou and Nathan they look like they could be related and Gus tried to change Nathan's mind about the west coast cast members. Both were just great guys to talk with. As for Len, Mike & Matt...they are just as fun & enjoyable in person as they are on the show. We had met Paul Barrie at the NFFC last year but I'm sure he can't keep up with everyone he meets so we introduced ourselves again and hope to catch up with him again sometime out here in Disneyland. Another great guy!!! Anyway, as you can probably tell it was just a great big lovefest for us!! lol. After the meet we headed to the airport to face reality back at home. However, we really can't complain since we try and make it out to WDW once a year and go to Disneyland at least once a month or more so I won't go into the woe is us speech but I sure do miss it already!!!
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask away!! As soon as I get all our pictures in order I'll post a few.
Thanks for reading!!!
First, let me say this is my first trip report so let me know how I did!
Who: Myself (Chas, 8th Trip)
My fiancé (Gus, 7th trip)
My 86 year old Grandma (Gma, 1st trip)
When: Sunday 12/3/06 - Saturday 12/9/06
Where: 1 bedroom villa @ Disney's Old Key West Resort
Why: We live about 40 minutes from Disneyland and just love it this time of year so we really wanted to see how WDW does the holiday's!!!
The "Fun" Plan:
Saturday 12/3:
We arrived at MCO about 6am (cheapest flight) and noticed first thing how cold & foggy it was!! I was worried how the weather would end up but by noon it was about 80 degrees.
A funny/annoying thing happened upon picking up our rental car...I had no idea who we rented from!!! Now, after 8 carefully planned trips I could be a Disney travel agent but for some reason I slipped on this one. lol. Anyhow, in my own defense I found a better rental deal a month or two before the trip and forgot to print the new info. The only thing I could remember was that it wasn't offsite. Needless to say, I had to go to every counter asking if they had a reservation under my name. And of course, I ended up at the right place on my last try!! At least now a lesson was learned and I will never forget again.
We tried to check in to OKW about 10am but our room wasn't ready so we headed over to Epcot. We went straight to the Living Seas with Nemo & Friends and rode the new Nemo ride which had no wait. I didn't really have big expectations so overall I thought it was cute and cleverly done. Next, we headed over to Turtle Talk with Crush since it was about to begin. We have this at Disneyland so I was hoping there might be some differences and to my surprise there was. We've been to the DCA version about 6 times or so and have never seen the whale or Dory show up in our version. However, WDW's version had both and it was just so much more fun with them involved!!
Right after TTWC we jumped on the Land. I'm not sure how I feel about the new automated narration yet. I really like this attraction and would hate to see it neglected so I hope getting rid of the live guide is not a step in the wrong direction. Well, it's now about 1pm and our room is ready to we head back over to OKW and check in. Everything is perfect with our room (Room 4442) and the location and view are nice so we go over to the Super Target off of Orange Blossom Trail and pick up some food for breakfast and snacks.
After a little nap, we head back over to Epcot for our first meal at Coral Reef. Since we have been to WDW a few times we have eaten at a lot of places but we make sure every trip to try a few new ones. Coral Reef was one of my picks this time and we weren't disappointed. I have to admit I was a bit worried since the reviews are so mixed but we were happy with the food, service and atmosphere. Would definitely return!! After dinner we watched the holiday version of Illuminations and then called it a night.
Sunday 12/4:
Today was Animal Kingdom!! While it's really hard to pick a favorite WDW park, this is high up there for me. I just love it's beauty and the peace I feel when I come here. Plus, the fiancé claims Primeval Whirl is my "giggle machine." Once inside Gus went to Expedition Everest to fastpass (Gma sat this one out!!) and then we got in line for the new Finding Nemo Musical. We waited about 45 minutes for the 12:45 show and ended up about 6 rows back next to the stage. We really enjoyed the show. I had seen Tarzan Rocks and I prefer this much more. We spent the rest of the day walking around and riding things here and there. We didn't make it to Festival of the Lion King this time but we have seen it already so we'll have to catch it again in May. We left about 4:45 to drop the Gma off at the room and take a little break. Around 6 Gus and I headed out for a 8:30 ressie at Jiko (also 1st time). We stopped by the Wide World of Sports parking lot to use the free wifi. We found it works perfect if you park all the way down next to the baseball fields. About 30 minutes later we drove over to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We hung out by the fire for about 20 minutes and then walked downstairs to Jiko. We were still early so we waited at the 2nd floor bar. Gus & I aren't big drinkers but figured if not now, when?? So, Gus ordered a Cactus Pear Margarita and let me tell you...it was delicious!! By the time he finished that, our buzzer was going off so we finally got to eat. We both really like Jiko. Both of us ordered the filet which was cooked in a red wine sauce and came with the best macaroni and cheese ever!! We also thought the dining area was creatively done. Not sure if anyone has noticed but the birds on the wall go from just little folds on the wall to big full size birds by the time you get to the other side of the room. We thought that was pretty cool. Around 10:30 we headed back to our room for the night.
Tuesday 12/5:
Magic Kingdom Day!!! We arrived around noon and hopped on Pirates to see the new updates. We had already seen the Disneyland one but were still excited. After that we hit: County Bear Jamboree, Philiharmagic, Peter Pan & Small World. We also hit the most crowds today. I'm guessing it was due to the park closing early for MVMCP. At 4:05 we lined up at Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner. We've dined here a few times already but have also been very happy and knew the Gma would love it. Everything was great as usual and then we ran over to the Rose Garden to pick up our wristbands for our first MVMCP!! The line wasn't long yet so we were in and out quickly. We then jumped on CoP and then got in line for Mickey's Twas the Night Before Christmas. I'm a sucker for anything Christmassy so I loved the show. Now I'm on a quest to find a good recording of We Need a Little Christmas!! lol. We spent the rest of the night enjoying the party, taking holiday character pic's and drinking lots of hot chocolate!! The only thing I was bummed about was missing the Handbelll Choir. No one seemed to know anything about them and by the time I found out where they were, they were done for the night. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make a trip out next Christmas. lol. Also, the party was a bit more crowded than I was expecting but really thinned after 11pm.
Wednesday 12/6:
Yay!! Our first Segway Tour. Ok, first let me add that Gus is obsessed with anything electronic and expensive so for him this tour was a must. I was slighty nervous since I like to be more in control of my surroundings but this was a lot of fun!! In fact, I was a natural and loved every minute of it. Well...almost every minute. My feet really hurt since you're not standing in a natural position on the Segway. For some reason it really made my feet ache but the minute I got off they were fine again. Even so, I'd do it again in a heartbeat!! Since the Gma was still back in the room we took a little time for ourselves and just walked about Epcot for a while. Around 5 we went back to the room to pick up the Gma for dinner at Kona Cafe (another 1st time). We got there right on time and were promptly seated. Gus ordered the filet and I ordered the Teriyaki Sirloin. We also had some sticky wings and potstickers beforehand. I didn't think the wings were as good as the ones at Ohana's. They were much bigger and fattier (is that a word??). We also didn't care for the potstickers. Gus wasn't impressed with this steak since he doesn't like his meat charred and he began drooling over my sirloin so I just switched with him so he'd stop giving me the sad face. Both meals were ok but there are way better places to get a steak so I'm not sure we would come here again for dinner. We then dropped the Gma off at the room and headed over to one of our favorite hang out's...Adventure's Club!! We had a great time as always and called it a night at 1am!
Thursday 12/7:
We got up late today and ended up getting to Epcot just in time for lunch. Today we decided to try the counter service Fish and Chips in England. Yumm!!! Good stuff but didn't want to eat to much since we had the candlelight dinner package at my favorite...Le Cellier!! After lunch we did the loop around World Showcase. We watched all the circle vision shows and rode the boat rides. About 4:30 we made it to DVC Merry Mixer at International gateway. We were only there for about 35 minutes but got a great holiday photo with Mickey & Minnie. Oh, we also got a picture with the Reindeers' from the Christmas parade. Very cool!!! Finally, it was time for my 7oz maple bbq filet and sour cream mash potatoes at Le Cellier!!! Needless to say, dinner was awesome!! The processional started at 8:15 so we got in line about 7:40 and ended up with a decent seat. This was our first time seeing this show and it lived up to the hype. So beautiful!! However, I think one of the singers might have passed out since she disappeared from the sea of singers and was then helped out by two others. We followed this with Illuminations again and then headed "home."
Friday 12/8
We got up late again and ended up at MGM around lunch time. We had counter service lunch at the Backlot Express and it wasn't very good. We all had the chili cheese dogs, blah!! We spent the day doing all the usual...Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, Shopping, Parade. Dinner was at 50's Prime Time Cafe (one of fav's). We even have a favorite waitress. Her name is Elizabeth and she's "sister." Anyway, we call her Good Elizabeth because she kind of looks like the girl from Real Genius. We try and get her everytime but she was off tonight. Bummer. We always get the Golden Fried Chicken. Very tasty and moist. Their hot fudge sundaes are great too!! Gus drew a Mickey for our "Uncle Tom" and he liked it so much he put it on the fridge so if you see Mickey's head on the fridge and it's signed by Gus & Chas...we made that!!! Such pride. lol. After dinner we experienced my favorite of the whole trip....the Osborne Spectacle of Lights!! Simply amazing!! I have a thing for sparkly lights and music!!! Can't wait to see it again.
Saturday 12/9
Worst day of all...going home. But first we have someplace to be. The Mega Mouse Meet!!! We checked out of our room about 11am and had lunch at Earl of Sandwich in downtown. About 1pm we pulled up the Dolphin and made our way to the convention area. This was another first for us. Had never been to any Disney fan community event like this. Well, that's not exactly true because we did go to the NFFC show and sale in Anaheim last year but the meet was more people oriented versus shopping. We really didn't know what to expect but we both had a great time. Unfortunately, I didn't see many DISer's there but I did get to meet WillCAD. Oh yeah, we actually did do some shopping. I ended up buying about five Disney books that I didn't have yet and was able to get them all signed by the authors. Just in case you're interested...I picked up: 101 Things You Never Knew About WDW by Kevin Yee, Mouse Under Glass by David Koenig, The Walt Disney Trivia Book by Mr. Lou Mongello, 2nd edition of Hidden Mickey's by Steve Barrett and we pre-ordered Spinning Disney's World by Charles Ridgway. All of them were very nice in person and we were so excited to meet them all and have them sign our books. Furthermore, all our favorite podcasters were there as well. We got to chat with Lou & Nathan from Mousetunes, Len, Mike & Matt (no Mike Newell) from WDW Today & Paul Barrie from Window to the Magic. They also were very fun & interesting people to chat with. I told Lou and Nathan they look like they could be related and Gus tried to change Nathan's mind about the west coast cast members. Both were just great guys to talk with. As for Len, Mike & Matt...they are just as fun & enjoyable in person as they are on the show. We had met Paul Barrie at the NFFC last year but I'm sure he can't keep up with everyone he meets so we introduced ourselves again and hope to catch up with him again sometime out here in Disneyland. Another great guy!!! Anyway, as you can probably tell it was just a great big lovefest for us!! lol. After the meet we headed to the airport to face reality back at home. However, we really can't complain since we try and make it out to WDW once a year and go to Disneyland at least once a month or more so I won't go into the woe is us speech but I sure do miss it already!!!
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask away!! As soon as I get all our pictures in order I'll post a few.
Thanks for reading!!!
I too met Nathan Rose at a Raglan Road meet in October and can vouch that he is a really nice guy, very easy to talk too. Glad you had such a good time,
