Well, we are back (sadly ) from our 4/3-10 trip to Disney! It was my first trip and my husbands fourth (he hasnt been there since he was a teenager, when there was just MK and Epcot). Since this board was so helpful to me in my planning, I felt the need to offer up a report as well! Ill break it down day-by-day, with some random observations thrown in. Suffice it to say it was our best vacation by far. Warning: this is very long!!!
4/3: We landed at MCO at 9:55 a.m. and arranged to have Happy Limo pick us up. The instructions they give you state that you should not call them until you pick up your bags, so we went to baggage and waited for the bags to arrive. Well, for some reason it took forever, not sure why. So I checked my cell and there were 4 messages from the driver. Long story short, they claimed we were late and they had to release the driver, and that our flight landed at 9:30 (which it did not), etc., etc. They sent us a stretch limo to make up for it (which to be honest was a little embarrassing to pull up to the FQ in) and we were on our way after waiting 30 minutes at MCO for a driver. Oh well. Wont use them again, just because of the aggravation. If I wanted to wait 30 minutes at MCO after the flight, I would have used Mears. But again, a minor issue.
We stayed at the POFQ. The hotel was great. Very small and quiet, beautifully landscaped and very convenient (bus-wise). The pool looked great, but we didnt go in. The hotel itself was a nice quiet way to end our busy days. We werent there all that much! The CMs were all wonderful. We were first in Building 4, room 4114. It was a handicapped room, which was fine. The first night, however, we heard some strange noises coming from the toilet. Long story short, something happened and the toilet filled up with sewage and said sewage started rising up from the floor from a drain under the sink! We packed as quickly as we could, called the front desk and asked to be moved immediately. It was truly disgusting, and Im not sure what happened, but we were shocked, especially since there were new renovations done. They moved us to another room, and we put the incident behind us. Of course, we didnt get another king bed room, but at that point, we just needed to get out of the room, so we took the two doubles. Our new room was also in Building 4, room 4224. No problems and very convenient to the food court and bus stops.
The first day, we ate at the food court and headed over to the MK. I was so impressed! My husband was darting all over the place with his ears on and I was just trying to take in as much as possible! We stayed there from about 2:00 until around 11:00. We pretty much got on all the big rides except Splash Mtn. and Peter Pan, which we did later in the week. Most rides were walk-ons that night, which was great. We had dinner at Cinderellas in the castle. The most amazing thing was we were having dinner and all of a sudden the lights went out. I looked at my husband in surprise, and then Wishes started right in front of us! It was amazing. It felt like a private fireworks show just for us! I had no idea we would see Wishes from our table, let alone right above our heads. People were asking us how we got that table and I just kept saying we dont know! I had goose bumps the entire time. What a first night! After dinner we went on more rides and couldnt wait until the next day!
4/4: Epcot. I couldnt wait to go to Epcot. After the incident at the hotel we got to our new room, showered and headed over a little later than we planned. It was such a blast! We hit Test Track first thing and the line was 45 minutes. The plan was for my husband to wait in line and I was going to get a FP for Mission Space. All of a sudden a woman came over to us and offered us her 2 FPs for Test Track! I couldnt believe it. So we got right in with no waiting. It was so nice of her. Cool ride, too. Rode Mission Space as well and that was great. We had lunch in France (ham and cheese croissant) and I had a nice (shot) glass of my favorite French wine for a mere $7. Yikes! We had dinner in Italy that night and it was wonderful. We spent 12 hours in Epcot and we were exhausted at the end of the day! But we rode almost everything we wanted to ride and saw all the attractions we wanted to see. Great day. We loved the World Showcase.
4/5: Animal Kingdom. I was really looking forward to the AK, and personally I thought it was a waste of a whole day. We went on the EM day, and my advice is this: Avoid the early days at the parks. Twice we went on the early day and twice the parks were way more crowded, even in the early morning. When we got to the AK there were just throngs of people trying to navigate down narrow walkways, people bumping into each other right and left, etc. It definitely didnt have the friendly vibe that the MK and Epcot had. We got a FP for the safari, which wasnt until 5:50, we rode Dinosaur (cool ride), went to see Its Tough to Be a Bug (great show), and walked all over. But basically, it took us 6 hours to see 3 attractions. Theres lots to see, but you really cant stop to see them without getting a stroller up your ankle. The park just isnt made to accommodate that many people, IMO. That night we had dinner at the Teppanyaki restaurant in Japan at Epcot and caught Illuminations afterwards. That was great.
4/6: MGM. I thought we would only spend about ½ a day at MGM. Wow, was I wrong! It was one of our favorite parks! We went on the early day and it was mobbed, but we were able to get on almost everything and we saw a few shows, too. I loved being there! We ate at the Sci-Fi for lunch and it was great. What a fun place. After lunch, we went back to the room for a nap and then returned later that night. We rode the Rockin Roller Coaster 4 times that day! LOVED that ride. ToT was great, too. Lots of detail.
4/7: Universal. We cabbed it over to Universal (about $30 each way) and were able to buy Express Plus passes. Disney could learn a lot from this. For $50 a day extra, we were able to have express access to every attraction once, and were still able to get regular express passes as well! There was no time limit on these passes, so we were able to sleep late the following day, knowing we were guaranteed to get on everything at IOA without worrying about the EPs running out (which they did, and early). Those passes were like gold since it was so crowded. We loved Universal. We went on everything they offered and it only took us about 6 hours because of that pass. I really dont understand the animosity between some of the Disney faithful and the Universal faithful. Both are great for different reasons. We had a great time, and were able to ride the Mummy, which is new. What a cool ride. Great day. We walked through City Walk on the way out and poked around, went back to the hotel and took a nap. That night we went over to the MK and it was a zoo right until midnight.
4/8: Islands of Adventure. Passes in hand, we slept late for the first (and only) time on the trip. It was so relaxing knowing we didnt have to rush. We loved IOA. The rides were incredible. Spiderman is the most impressive ride I have ever been on anywhere, the Hulk was amazing, and Dueling Dragons was so cool (Ice was scarier than Fire, IMO). It did rain, but luckily we were inside the whole time. It didnt matter, because we went on Jurassic Park and Ripsaw Falls and got absolutely drenched. We loved the theming in IOA and had a really fun time. That night we went to dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club. The hotel is beautiful. I would love to stay there, but we literally were in our room only at night to crash, so I dont think I would pay those rates for that. Dinner was good, although we are steak people and were disappointed in the quality of the steaks we got for the price we paid.
4/9: Back to MGM. We headed back to MGM for our last full day and got there right at opening. We had a blast seeing the few attractions we missed, and re-riding ToT and RnR a few times. It was way less crowded than it was the first time. My husband and I met Mickey and Pluto and I got pictures of him with them. Too funny. It was Good Friday, so we were planning to go to Fultons for seafood, but we felt like pasta so we went to Palio at the Swan. It was wonderful and a great last night at Disney. The strolling violinist was terrific.
4/10: Last Day, MK. We had express checkout, so we got up early, stored the bags at the hotel and headed over to the MK for our last day. It was downright delightfully empty on Saturday morning, so we rode Peter Pan, the Jungle Cruise, and Splash Mountain, which we missed the first time, saw the Tiki Birds, and then re-rode other favorites, like Space Mountain (which broke down in the AMthat added to the fear on that ride) and Thunder Mountain. Of course, after the Hulk, nothing is scary anymore. We had lunch and rode the river boat, rode the train, met Mickey again at his house, saw Timekeeper, got my husbands ears embroidered with his name (which was free, amazingly enough), and just enjoyed being there for the last day. We spent about 6 hours there and headed back to the hotel for MCO. Happy Limo picked us up with no problems and we were on our way.
If I had to sum it all up, I would say it was one of the best, if not the best vacation we ever had. We were going non-stop all day every day, and it was a little stressful at times, but well worth it. I will say that making PSs is important for the parks, but we had no problem getting them at the Yachtsman and Palio the same day (they were both empty). Of course, we eat late (between 8 and 9). The parks were crowded, but since I had nothing to compare it to, I didnt mind, except for those 2 days we hit the Extra Magic parks. Those days were almost unbearable from open to close.
Lessons learned: go at a quieter time of year for a more stress-free experience, avoid the EMH like the plague, definitely stay onsite for the flexibility and the UPH, and go back as often as possible! We had a terrific time and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks again for your help on these boards! Sorry this is so long!
4/3: We landed at MCO at 9:55 a.m. and arranged to have Happy Limo pick us up. The instructions they give you state that you should not call them until you pick up your bags, so we went to baggage and waited for the bags to arrive. Well, for some reason it took forever, not sure why. So I checked my cell and there were 4 messages from the driver. Long story short, they claimed we were late and they had to release the driver, and that our flight landed at 9:30 (which it did not), etc., etc. They sent us a stretch limo to make up for it (which to be honest was a little embarrassing to pull up to the FQ in) and we were on our way after waiting 30 minutes at MCO for a driver. Oh well. Wont use them again, just because of the aggravation. If I wanted to wait 30 minutes at MCO after the flight, I would have used Mears. But again, a minor issue.
We stayed at the POFQ. The hotel was great. Very small and quiet, beautifully landscaped and very convenient (bus-wise). The pool looked great, but we didnt go in. The hotel itself was a nice quiet way to end our busy days. We werent there all that much! The CMs were all wonderful. We were first in Building 4, room 4114. It was a handicapped room, which was fine. The first night, however, we heard some strange noises coming from the toilet. Long story short, something happened and the toilet filled up with sewage and said sewage started rising up from the floor from a drain under the sink! We packed as quickly as we could, called the front desk and asked to be moved immediately. It was truly disgusting, and Im not sure what happened, but we were shocked, especially since there were new renovations done. They moved us to another room, and we put the incident behind us. Of course, we didnt get another king bed room, but at that point, we just needed to get out of the room, so we took the two doubles. Our new room was also in Building 4, room 4224. No problems and very convenient to the food court and bus stops.
The first day, we ate at the food court and headed over to the MK. I was so impressed! My husband was darting all over the place with his ears on and I was just trying to take in as much as possible! We stayed there from about 2:00 until around 11:00. We pretty much got on all the big rides except Splash Mtn. and Peter Pan, which we did later in the week. Most rides were walk-ons that night, which was great. We had dinner at Cinderellas in the castle. The most amazing thing was we were having dinner and all of a sudden the lights went out. I looked at my husband in surprise, and then Wishes started right in front of us! It was amazing. It felt like a private fireworks show just for us! I had no idea we would see Wishes from our table, let alone right above our heads. People were asking us how we got that table and I just kept saying we dont know! I had goose bumps the entire time. What a first night! After dinner we went on more rides and couldnt wait until the next day!
4/4: Epcot. I couldnt wait to go to Epcot. After the incident at the hotel we got to our new room, showered and headed over a little later than we planned. It was such a blast! We hit Test Track first thing and the line was 45 minutes. The plan was for my husband to wait in line and I was going to get a FP for Mission Space. All of a sudden a woman came over to us and offered us her 2 FPs for Test Track! I couldnt believe it. So we got right in with no waiting. It was so nice of her. Cool ride, too. Rode Mission Space as well and that was great. We had lunch in France (ham and cheese croissant) and I had a nice (shot) glass of my favorite French wine for a mere $7. Yikes! We had dinner in Italy that night and it was wonderful. We spent 12 hours in Epcot and we were exhausted at the end of the day! But we rode almost everything we wanted to ride and saw all the attractions we wanted to see. Great day. We loved the World Showcase.
4/5: Animal Kingdom. I was really looking forward to the AK, and personally I thought it was a waste of a whole day. We went on the EM day, and my advice is this: Avoid the early days at the parks. Twice we went on the early day and twice the parks were way more crowded, even in the early morning. When we got to the AK there were just throngs of people trying to navigate down narrow walkways, people bumping into each other right and left, etc. It definitely didnt have the friendly vibe that the MK and Epcot had. We got a FP for the safari, which wasnt until 5:50, we rode Dinosaur (cool ride), went to see Its Tough to Be a Bug (great show), and walked all over. But basically, it took us 6 hours to see 3 attractions. Theres lots to see, but you really cant stop to see them without getting a stroller up your ankle. The park just isnt made to accommodate that many people, IMO. That night we had dinner at the Teppanyaki restaurant in Japan at Epcot and caught Illuminations afterwards. That was great.
4/6: MGM. I thought we would only spend about ½ a day at MGM. Wow, was I wrong! It was one of our favorite parks! We went on the early day and it was mobbed, but we were able to get on almost everything and we saw a few shows, too. I loved being there! We ate at the Sci-Fi for lunch and it was great. What a fun place. After lunch, we went back to the room for a nap and then returned later that night. We rode the Rockin Roller Coaster 4 times that day! LOVED that ride. ToT was great, too. Lots of detail.
4/7: Universal. We cabbed it over to Universal (about $30 each way) and were able to buy Express Plus passes. Disney could learn a lot from this. For $50 a day extra, we were able to have express access to every attraction once, and were still able to get regular express passes as well! There was no time limit on these passes, so we were able to sleep late the following day, knowing we were guaranteed to get on everything at IOA without worrying about the EPs running out (which they did, and early). Those passes were like gold since it was so crowded. We loved Universal. We went on everything they offered and it only took us about 6 hours because of that pass. I really dont understand the animosity between some of the Disney faithful and the Universal faithful. Both are great for different reasons. We had a great time, and were able to ride the Mummy, which is new. What a cool ride. Great day. We walked through City Walk on the way out and poked around, went back to the hotel and took a nap. That night we went over to the MK and it was a zoo right until midnight.
4/8: Islands of Adventure. Passes in hand, we slept late for the first (and only) time on the trip. It was so relaxing knowing we didnt have to rush. We loved IOA. The rides were incredible. Spiderman is the most impressive ride I have ever been on anywhere, the Hulk was amazing, and Dueling Dragons was so cool (Ice was scarier than Fire, IMO). It did rain, but luckily we were inside the whole time. It didnt matter, because we went on Jurassic Park and Ripsaw Falls and got absolutely drenched. We loved the theming in IOA and had a really fun time. That night we went to dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club. The hotel is beautiful. I would love to stay there, but we literally were in our room only at night to crash, so I dont think I would pay those rates for that. Dinner was good, although we are steak people and were disappointed in the quality of the steaks we got for the price we paid.
4/9: Back to MGM. We headed back to MGM for our last full day and got there right at opening. We had a blast seeing the few attractions we missed, and re-riding ToT and RnR a few times. It was way less crowded than it was the first time. My husband and I met Mickey and Pluto and I got pictures of him with them. Too funny. It was Good Friday, so we were planning to go to Fultons for seafood, but we felt like pasta so we went to Palio at the Swan. It was wonderful and a great last night at Disney. The strolling violinist was terrific.
4/10: Last Day, MK. We had express checkout, so we got up early, stored the bags at the hotel and headed over to the MK for our last day. It was downright delightfully empty on Saturday morning, so we rode Peter Pan, the Jungle Cruise, and Splash Mountain, which we missed the first time, saw the Tiki Birds, and then re-rode other favorites, like Space Mountain (which broke down in the AMthat added to the fear on that ride) and Thunder Mountain. Of course, after the Hulk, nothing is scary anymore. We had lunch and rode the river boat, rode the train, met Mickey again at his house, saw Timekeeper, got my husbands ears embroidered with his name (which was free, amazingly enough), and just enjoyed being there for the last day. We spent about 6 hours there and headed back to the hotel for MCO. Happy Limo picked us up with no problems and we were on our way.
If I had to sum it all up, I would say it was one of the best, if not the best vacation we ever had. We were going non-stop all day every day, and it was a little stressful at times, but well worth it. I will say that making PSs is important for the parks, but we had no problem getting them at the Yachtsman and Palio the same day (they were both empty). Of course, we eat late (between 8 and 9). The parks were crowded, but since I had nothing to compare it to, I didnt mind, except for those 2 days we hit the Extra Magic parks. Those days were almost unbearable from open to close.
Lessons learned: go at a quieter time of year for a more stress-free experience, avoid the EMH like the plague, definitely stay onsite for the flexibility and the UPH, and go back as often as possible! We had a terrific time and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks again for your help on these boards! Sorry this is so long!
) and use the EMH. For us, it didn't work out. However, if you are going during a less crazy time of year I say go for it. If you're early risers, you might as well go. If you have UPH passes, then you can escape whenever you like and go someplace else.
My friends and I have gone the first week in February for several years and EMH has always worked well for us. Maybe, as someone else has suggested, it really has to do with when you go. We were warned that Saturdays were the worst day for MK as that is when most people go there, especially locals. I am glad your overall trip was so good!
