I've read so many really clever trip reports on this board, I feel like my writing is not worthy! But here is a quick recap of our trip and my likes and dislikes!
My 5th trip age 39
DH 3rd trip age 39
Kids two boys age 10, 8 and one Princess age 6
My Mom 5th trip age 64
I wore a sweatshirt from our hometown all week and it was a great conversation starter. Met many people from our area and CM's too.
Our travel day was the day after Thanksgiving. It was great the airports were empty in both Philly and Orlando. We surprised the kid with a stretch limo ride from our house to Philly airport. They just about went nuts! We had Tiffany Towncar pick us up. The flight was a little early and they weren't right there to meet us, so I had a minute of panic. I forgot to confirm TTC before trip. They were there in a few minutes, we had our grocery stop for some bottled water and snacks and we were off to Dixie Landings.
Dixie Landings Likes:
The resort grounds are beautiful. I didn't fax my requests and got them all except one. We got a room in Bldg. 16, fairly close to food court, non-smoking, connecting and corner room but not on second floor. I was happy overall.
Nice touches in food court, is the water wheel, the carpet looks like hay on the floor, pull chains in the restrooms, falling plaster in Boatwrights.
Quick and pleastant check-in and check-out.
Bus service was great, no longer than a 5 minute wait all week.
DXL Dislikes:
Lousy housekeeper.
If you are on second floor, please don't flush your toilet in the middle of the night! It was pretty quiet upstairs all week except for few nights.
Guest who trash the grounds, especially with cigarette butts.
Food court food was not very good.
Service in Boatwrights was not that great. They brought me the wrong dinner and by the time I got the right dinner, everyone else was done eating.
Wanted to watch the piano player, but not in a smoky bar. There should be no smoking in the building at all.
Wish I had more time to explore the walking trail to Port Orleans, bikes, fishing hole, playground and arcade. We didn't do any of that, and I swore I was going to!!
Note: They didn't give a hoot what kind of mug you used. We had Port Orleans, Dixie Landings and Blizzard Beach mugs. Only ate two meals in the Food Court. So buying the extra mugs was waste for us.
DXL bus stop is always the farthest. That stinks!
We did two and 1/2 days in the Magic Kindgom:
8 AM breakfast in Cinderella's Castle. At the table next to us was a family who attends our Church. They were also grand marshalls in the parade one day.
We had a great server, however the food and the character interaction here is not that great. So if you don't get in, I wouldn't sweat it. The atmosphere is what makes it. Tried to slip Cindy a locket for my daughter but they are not allowed to give gifts. I can understand that policy. Saw the mice up in the rafters of the throne room.
Got done just in time for the rope drop into Fantasyland and the Dumbo dash! Mickey was riding Dumbo.
Our first day was our record breaking day, did 18 attractions. Even though it rained all day it did not slow down the crowds one bit. We preferred umbrellas to ponchos. Too hard to find your kids with everyone dressed in yellow.
MK likes:
FastPass is the greatest! Utilize it well. It amazed me how many people were totally clueless as to why we were walking to the front of the lines! We walked right onto Pooh twice.
Loved Pooh!
Kids got to be guest conductors on the train, sit in the back.
Love the Diamond Horseshoe. DH got picked on again and was "Cowboy Joe". The kids thought it was hysterical. Got there about 15 minutes ahead of show and the place was empty.
Watched fireworks in front of Crystal Palace, had great view.
Main Street Electrical Parade - Had dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern and came out about 45 minutes before parade. Sorry but I can't stake out a spot for several hours! That seems like such a waste of time to me. We found a roped off spot right in front of the Liberty Bell, it was perfect. No one could stand in front of us.
Had 2:30 PS for Tony's one afternoon to watch the Magic Moments Parade from the porch. Only family there. Lunch was great and the chocolate creme brulee was the best dessert all week. Another great server. Our servers all week were super!
I like to eat at Plaza Pavillion and overlook the Castle.
Did I say how great FastPass is? We walked on Space Mountain twice in a row, only three of us rode it. Did Splash Mountain eight times and Big Thunder Mountain 4 times in a row.
Met the dwarfs in back of Exposition Hall.
Get your picture taken by photographers on Main Street.
Sugared almonds, especially warm ones.
Make your kids go into the Tiki Room and hear them complain!
CM's from New Zealand on summer break. They were super!
Swiss Family Treehouse at dusk - beautiful!
MK Dislikes:
Came across some really apathetic and bored looking castmembers. I always tried to engage them in conversation or say Hi. Some look really out of it. Don't expect magic from everyone or you will be really disappointed.
Pushy guests. Who step on you and don't even say excuse me. We got on Buzz together and when I turned around a different family was behind me! Several times we had people push by us. One time we ran across Pluto and a grown woman pushed her way into my kids picture. Then other parents let their kids swamp around him before I could get the picture. My kids just did not move fast enough! Fortunately they weren't that interested in meeting characters. We got plenty of interaction at Cindy's and Liberty Tree Tavern. We let the rudeness roll off us, otherwise you will have a lousy time! Also met a lot of great guests and had some great conversations while waiting for parades, Fantasmic and in line for Big Thunder Mountain. We met a 30 year old man on his 25th trip!
Went to MGM for 1 and 1/2 days:
MGM likes:
FastPass again! Did TOT and RNR - no waits.
RNR is AWESOME!!!!
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - use FP again. Some scary and intense parts for little ones. Little girl in front of me was terrified of Ursula. Got wet in third row.
Prime Time - great meals and server. We had pork chops, pot roast, meat loaf and shared one plate of s'mores. All yummy!
Fantasmic got in line 45 minutes ahead of time. Sat on left side. All good seats.
Sci-Fi fun atmosphere and good food - we liked it, we really liked it! I feel like there is something wrong with us for enjoying the meal!
Pull the rope in front of Indiana Jones.
Open the boxes and crates you see lying around.
Love Muppets 3D.
Get GOH badges in the Celebrity 5 and 10. Lots of CM's called the kids by name. They also enjoyed bead necklaces and bead keychains, make your own.
MGM had the best shopping IMO.
Disney Animation was interesting.
MGM Dislikes:
Backstage pass was just plain boring. Unless your kid is a Dalmations fanatic.
Doug Live was just okay. I thought it was a little too much into the dating subject for that age group.
Sounds Dangerous has 7 minutes in total darkness, so keep that in mind for little ones. DH and I thought it was dumb but oldest son loved it.
I missed Four for a Dollar before B&B show and what happened to the preshow entertainment before Fantasmic? The crowd did the wave and made our own fun.
Epcot - we spent two and 1/2 days in this park. My youngest son loves Spaceship Earth we rode it 4 times. Don't ever wait for this ride, just come back later in the day, no lines. Used FP for Test Track but you will still wait about 20 minutes. Rode it twice, pretty cool, wish it was longer.
Epcot Likes:
Loved Candlelight Processional with Angela Bassett. Our seats were reserved but not all that great, we got stuck in TON traffic.
Loved the Imagination ride.
HISTA (my first time, the kids were scared last trip and didn't go on).
We had a lunch at Pure and Simple it was good.
My kids did a lot more of the interactive displays in Wonder of Life and Innoventions.
Also atr at the Pasta Piazza and had dessert in Fountain View Espresso - pretty good for counter service.
Kids loved the Coke Cool Station. You never know what your kids are going to like! They enjoyed telling unsuspecting guests to try Italy, it's good!
Had breakfast in Norway bakery. Really really YUMMY! The buns are fresh baked here, the best we had all week. It was very quiet and relaxing. Also try the rice cream.
We spent a whole day just wandering around the countries and the kids enjoyed it, much to my surprise. We saw the giant gingerbread house by American Adventures, British Invastion twice and the Living Statues plus a few of the holiday storytellers.
Creme Brulee at Le Cellier was good.
Illuminations 2000 - don't miss it! We stood between two benches in China. Pretty good view, not the best but again I'm not camping out for two hours.
Epcot Dislikes:
Was disappointed with Le Cellier and Alfredo's. It wasn't horrible but not great either. Especially the mushroom stuffed filet mignon, that was just mediocre. Had fettucine alfredo in Italy, just okay again.
Some family pushed their stroller about two inches from my leg while I was holding our spot for Illuminations and kept going on and on about the great spot they found. The rest of my family was in restrooms. I was sitting on sidewalk with my legs stretched out between two benches. They acted like I was invisible! Finally after about 10 minutes I guess they figured I wasn't budging and moved on. You have to hold on tough for those parade spots!
The rap group American Vybe before American Adventure. I missed the colonial dressed singers.
I really missed the characters in each country. This is a big mistake in my opinion. Last trip that is where we got the best character interaction. It really takes away from walking around with the kids. The character bus is lame, it gets swamped with kids.
Sorry but thought TON was lame. So did everyone else in our family.
Animal Kingdom - we got there late one morning. Big mistake! The park was swamped. I dislike this park period. I think this will be our last visit. We did Safari, walking trail was closed and the Festival of the Lion King. We left and went to Blizzard Beach. We should have packed our swimsuits, but had to ride back to room. That was my big mistake day. We really wasted a day of our pass.
AK likes-
Tonga Toast in the Rainforest Cafe. We ate at the bar with no wait. You have to ask, they don't offer bar seating.
Blizzard Beach for one afternoon. The water is COLD! The kids had fun and I took a nap on a lounger in the sun. When you turn in your towels you either get a $1 back or souveneir mugs.
We had a great trip. Didn't see one green ribbon and "Where in the World was Dan Murphy!" I looked and looked, sorry I missed you Dan. Take time to stop and take in the little details, talk to people in lines, say Hi and thank you to the CM's and bus drivers, don't get annoyed at little kids who are excited, don't get crazy about doing it all!
Time to start planning next trip for 2002!
My 5th trip age 39
DH 3rd trip age 39
Kids two boys age 10, 8 and one Princess age 6
My Mom 5th trip age 64
I wore a sweatshirt from our hometown all week and it was a great conversation starter. Met many people from our area and CM's too.
Our travel day was the day after Thanksgiving. It was great the airports were empty in both Philly and Orlando. We surprised the kid with a stretch limo ride from our house to Philly airport. They just about went nuts! We had Tiffany Towncar pick us up. The flight was a little early and they weren't right there to meet us, so I had a minute of panic. I forgot to confirm TTC before trip. They were there in a few minutes, we had our grocery stop for some bottled water and snacks and we were off to Dixie Landings.
Dixie Landings Likes:
The resort grounds are beautiful. I didn't fax my requests and got them all except one. We got a room in Bldg. 16, fairly close to food court, non-smoking, connecting and corner room but not on second floor. I was happy overall.
Nice touches in food court, is the water wheel, the carpet looks like hay on the floor, pull chains in the restrooms, falling plaster in Boatwrights.
Quick and pleastant check-in and check-out.
Bus service was great, no longer than a 5 minute wait all week.
DXL Dislikes:
Lousy housekeeper.
If you are on second floor, please don't flush your toilet in the middle of the night! It was pretty quiet upstairs all week except for few nights.
Guest who trash the grounds, especially with cigarette butts.
Food court food was not very good.
Service in Boatwrights was not that great. They brought me the wrong dinner and by the time I got the right dinner, everyone else was done eating.
Wanted to watch the piano player, but not in a smoky bar. There should be no smoking in the building at all.
Wish I had more time to explore the walking trail to Port Orleans, bikes, fishing hole, playground and arcade. We didn't do any of that, and I swore I was going to!!
Note: They didn't give a hoot what kind of mug you used. We had Port Orleans, Dixie Landings and Blizzard Beach mugs. Only ate two meals in the Food Court. So buying the extra mugs was waste for us.
DXL bus stop is always the farthest. That stinks!
We did two and 1/2 days in the Magic Kindgom:
8 AM breakfast in Cinderella's Castle. At the table next to us was a family who attends our Church. They were also grand marshalls in the parade one day.
We had a great server, however the food and the character interaction here is not that great. So if you don't get in, I wouldn't sweat it. The atmosphere is what makes it. Tried to slip Cindy a locket for my daughter but they are not allowed to give gifts. I can understand that policy. Saw the mice up in the rafters of the throne room.
Got done just in time for the rope drop into Fantasyland and the Dumbo dash! Mickey was riding Dumbo.
Our first day was our record breaking day, did 18 attractions. Even though it rained all day it did not slow down the crowds one bit. We preferred umbrellas to ponchos. Too hard to find your kids with everyone dressed in yellow.
MK likes:
FastPass is the greatest! Utilize it well. It amazed me how many people were totally clueless as to why we were walking to the front of the lines! We walked right onto Pooh twice.
Loved Pooh!
Kids got to be guest conductors on the train, sit in the back.
Love the Diamond Horseshoe. DH got picked on again and was "Cowboy Joe". The kids thought it was hysterical. Got there about 15 minutes ahead of show and the place was empty.
Watched fireworks in front of Crystal Palace, had great view.
Main Street Electrical Parade - Had dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern and came out about 45 minutes before parade. Sorry but I can't stake out a spot for several hours! That seems like such a waste of time to me. We found a roped off spot right in front of the Liberty Bell, it was perfect. No one could stand in front of us.
Had 2:30 PS for Tony's one afternoon to watch the Magic Moments Parade from the porch. Only family there. Lunch was great and the chocolate creme brulee was the best dessert all week. Another great server. Our servers all week were super!
I like to eat at Plaza Pavillion and overlook the Castle.
Did I say how great FastPass is? We walked on Space Mountain twice in a row, only three of us rode it. Did Splash Mountain eight times and Big Thunder Mountain 4 times in a row.
Met the dwarfs in back of Exposition Hall.
Get your picture taken by photographers on Main Street.
Sugared almonds, especially warm ones.
Make your kids go into the Tiki Room and hear them complain!
CM's from New Zealand on summer break. They were super!
Swiss Family Treehouse at dusk - beautiful!
MK Dislikes:
Came across some really apathetic and bored looking castmembers. I always tried to engage them in conversation or say Hi. Some look really out of it. Don't expect magic from everyone or you will be really disappointed.
Pushy guests. Who step on you and don't even say excuse me. We got on Buzz together and when I turned around a different family was behind me! Several times we had people push by us. One time we ran across Pluto and a grown woman pushed her way into my kids picture. Then other parents let their kids swamp around him before I could get the picture. My kids just did not move fast enough! Fortunately they weren't that interested in meeting characters. We got plenty of interaction at Cindy's and Liberty Tree Tavern. We let the rudeness roll off us, otherwise you will have a lousy time! Also met a lot of great guests and had some great conversations while waiting for parades, Fantasmic and in line for Big Thunder Mountain. We met a 30 year old man on his 25th trip!
Went to MGM for 1 and 1/2 days:
MGM likes:
FastPass again! Did TOT and RNR - no waits.
RNR is AWESOME!!!!
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - use FP again. Some scary and intense parts for little ones. Little girl in front of me was terrified of Ursula. Got wet in third row.
Prime Time - great meals and server. We had pork chops, pot roast, meat loaf and shared one plate of s'mores. All yummy!
Fantasmic got in line 45 minutes ahead of time. Sat on left side. All good seats.
Sci-Fi fun atmosphere and good food - we liked it, we really liked it! I feel like there is something wrong with us for enjoying the meal!
Pull the rope in front of Indiana Jones.
Open the boxes and crates you see lying around.
Love Muppets 3D.
Get GOH badges in the Celebrity 5 and 10. Lots of CM's called the kids by name. They also enjoyed bead necklaces and bead keychains, make your own.
MGM had the best shopping IMO.
Disney Animation was interesting.
MGM Dislikes:
Backstage pass was just plain boring. Unless your kid is a Dalmations fanatic.
Doug Live was just okay. I thought it was a little too much into the dating subject for that age group.
Sounds Dangerous has 7 minutes in total darkness, so keep that in mind for little ones. DH and I thought it was dumb but oldest son loved it.
I missed Four for a Dollar before B&B show and what happened to the preshow entertainment before Fantasmic? The crowd did the wave and made our own fun.
Epcot - we spent two and 1/2 days in this park. My youngest son loves Spaceship Earth we rode it 4 times. Don't ever wait for this ride, just come back later in the day, no lines. Used FP for Test Track but you will still wait about 20 minutes. Rode it twice, pretty cool, wish it was longer.
Epcot Likes:
Loved Candlelight Processional with Angela Bassett. Our seats were reserved but not all that great, we got stuck in TON traffic.
Loved the Imagination ride.
HISTA (my first time, the kids were scared last trip and didn't go on).
We had a lunch at Pure and Simple it was good.
My kids did a lot more of the interactive displays in Wonder of Life and Innoventions.
Also atr at the Pasta Piazza and had dessert in Fountain View Espresso - pretty good for counter service.
Kids loved the Coke Cool Station. You never know what your kids are going to like! They enjoyed telling unsuspecting guests to try Italy, it's good!
Had breakfast in Norway bakery. Really really YUMMY! The buns are fresh baked here, the best we had all week. It was very quiet and relaxing. Also try the rice cream.
We spent a whole day just wandering around the countries and the kids enjoyed it, much to my surprise. We saw the giant gingerbread house by American Adventures, British Invastion twice and the Living Statues plus a few of the holiday storytellers.
Creme Brulee at Le Cellier was good.
Illuminations 2000 - don't miss it! We stood between two benches in China. Pretty good view, not the best but again I'm not camping out for two hours.
Epcot Dislikes:
Was disappointed with Le Cellier and Alfredo's. It wasn't horrible but not great either. Especially the mushroom stuffed filet mignon, that was just mediocre. Had fettucine alfredo in Italy, just okay again.
Some family pushed their stroller about two inches from my leg while I was holding our spot for Illuminations and kept going on and on about the great spot they found. The rest of my family was in restrooms. I was sitting on sidewalk with my legs stretched out between two benches. They acted like I was invisible! Finally after about 10 minutes I guess they figured I wasn't budging and moved on. You have to hold on tough for those parade spots!
The rap group American Vybe before American Adventure. I missed the colonial dressed singers.
I really missed the characters in each country. This is a big mistake in my opinion. Last trip that is where we got the best character interaction. It really takes away from walking around with the kids. The character bus is lame, it gets swamped with kids.
Sorry but thought TON was lame. So did everyone else in our family.
Animal Kingdom - we got there late one morning. Big mistake! The park was swamped. I dislike this park period. I think this will be our last visit. We did Safari, walking trail was closed and the Festival of the Lion King. We left and went to Blizzard Beach. We should have packed our swimsuits, but had to ride back to room. That was my big mistake day. We really wasted a day of our pass.
AK likes-
Tonga Toast in the Rainforest Cafe. We ate at the bar with no wait. You have to ask, they don't offer bar seating.
Blizzard Beach for one afternoon. The water is COLD! The kids had fun and I took a nap on a lounger in the sun. When you turn in your towels you either get a $1 back or souveneir mugs.
We had a great trip. Didn't see one green ribbon and "Where in the World was Dan Murphy!" I looked and looked, sorry I missed you Dan. Take time to stop and take in the little details, talk to people in lines, say Hi and thank you to the CM's and bus drivers, don't get annoyed at little kids who are excited, don't get crazy about doing it all!
Time to start planning next trip for 2002!
