Well, Ive been back since March 9th but havent been on the boards that much, it feels different/weird when I dont have a trip to WDW planned.
Ill start my trip report by introducing you to the participants for our Feb 27th Mar 9th holiday. There was my girlfriend Sheelagh, her friend Julie, and myself. The trip was planned as a 30th birthday trip for Sheelagh and a chance to meet up with her friend Julie who has been living outside Boston since the fall. It was a great trip and we got to stay at my favourite resort, AKL/AKV and also SSR.
Here we go!
Feb 27th We left to the airport at 6am for our 7:10am flight, I had already checked in on-line with Westjet the day before and secured emergency row seats for all three legs of our journey. Westjet was great as usual and the only minor issue we had was the Hamilton Airport and its lack of services. We actually left Hamilton 45 min late but that was a Canadian Customs issue, they didnt release the plane to Westjet until 15 min after our departure time. We arrived in Orlando at 5:35 and had to clear US Customs. Ive always got to clear US customs before arriving at MCO and it was fairly painless to do it there. We only packed carry-ons so we didnt have to wait for our luggage and we were on the tram to the main terminal by 6ish. Julies flight was due to arrive at 6:05 so we went to the Southwest baggage area to wait for her. While Sheelagh waited for Julie, I went to deal with the car rental. I used the Kiosk at Alamo and it honestly took about 3 min to get checked-in. We meet up with Julie at 6:20 and her luggage came right away. We picked out a 4 door Chevy Cobalt that I reserved for $154 for all 11 days, not a great car, but for the price I wont complain.
We got to the AKV at 7ish and had a little issue with checking in, they didnt link my cash res with my points res for the 4 nights we were spending there. It was fixed quick enough and it gave Sheelagh a chance to show off our home to Julie. We got a studio overlooking the Uzima Savannah and it was amazing. The room and the view were great but was it worth the extra money and points; I'd be happy with a pool view and go walk to find the animals to save the points and the cash.
We were all very hungry after a long day of travel and I had planned to go to DTD for EOS but quickly changed my mind when I found out we could get into Jiko in 30 min. Dinner at Jiko was also great as usual, Sheelagh and Julie both had the filet with mac and cheese while I had the pork tenderloin (yummy). We were all very tired and went to bed early so we could get up early for the B-Day.
Feb 28th Sheelaghs 30th B-DAY! We planned to go to the Hollywood Studios today so we could avoid the ESPN weekend and the extra crowds on the weekend. The crowds were light in the morning but got heavier as the day went on. We started and finished our day with ToT and RnR and fit in some of the attractions before leaving the park at 2pm. For the B-Day I bought Sheelagh the Ride-a-Long experience at the Richard Petty Speedway just outside the MK. Sheelagh surprised me in Oct with a 8 lap driving experience so I thought I could return the smile it gave me for a week. Both of the young ladies opted for the ride-a-long and loved it, although Julie apparently said some bad words
when they were going 155mph beside the wall. We then went to Publix to pick up snacks, beers, and a couple things we couldnt pack in our carry-ons. We decided to go back to the resort to relax and get ready for dinner at Spoodles. Dinner was ok, maybe just not as good as Jiko, but we it was fun for all of us. We then planned to go to JellyRolls at 9 but that didnt work out. We got to the front door and they asked for ID, we all DLs but at JellyRolls they wont accept out of state DL without a passport
. So instead of letting it ruin our evening we went Raglan Road in DTD and stayed until close. It was our first time there and we had a blast, some of us had a little too much fun!
We got back to the AKV around 2:30am but we had planned a sleep in day so we all could recover.
Feb 29th I got up at 9am and went to explore the resort and find all the animals. After an hour I went back to wake up Sheelagh but Julie was still sleeping hard so we left her for another hour . We came back get to Julie but she couldnt get up, so we went to the outlets and had lunch at EOS. Around 2 we got a call from Julie so we went back to get her to go to Epcot for the evening. It was an EMH night so the park was open till 12 and crowds were really light. We did all the rides in Future World and made it to our 630 res at Biergarden with lots of time to spare. It was as good as I remembered and I had a big beer to wash down all that tasty sausage.
Mar 1st We decided to go to US/IOA in the morning and got there for opening. In my experience IOA usually opens 15min early and it did again for us. We rode the Hulk, Spiderman and were walking to Jurassic Park by 9 (the official opening time). By 10 we were on our way to US and all there major attractions. It may seem like we skipped a lot at the park/parks, but Sheelagh and I have been to Orlando 4 times in 17 months and Julie wasnt into seeing everything, just the thrills. Both parks were slower than I thought they would be for a Saturday. So we stayed until 2ish and went to DTD so we could show Julie how great EOS really is. We got P&PP tickets for this night and the weather and the crowds were great. We walked on to every attraction; maybe a 3 min wait at the most and the fireworks for this event are the best Ive ever seen. We stayed until the park closed and did some shopping as Julie was departing in the morning and she needed souvenirs.
Mar 2nd We got up early and drove Julie to the airport at 7:30. On the way back we checked in at SSR and got a nice view of DTD. Today we went to the AK, my favourite park and had a great safari ride and rode EE a couple of times. We decided while walking around today that for the rest of this trip, we were going to go on the rides and see the shows and attractions we often overlook, or have never been to. It really slowed our pace and we really enjoyed everything a lot more! It also helped having DVC because I know were going back sooner or later. We went to Epcot tonight for dinner at LeCellier. It was very good and we sat in a section with 2 other tables of people from SK, it was kind of funny.
Mar 3rd Epcot this Morning. We rode Spaceship Earth today and I liked the changes, it was Sheelaghs first time and she liked it. It was a good start to our new plan to ride/see the rides/attractions we havent done for awhile. I really have to thank TGM because the parks have been empty when we have followed his advice and today was the same. We spent most of the day wandering, grazing, and drinking. We went off site for a late dinner at a fondue restaurant called the Melting Pot. Overall the experience was good with the cheese fondue and the chocolate fondue being excellent, while the meat and veggies were strictly just ok. It was a little pricey, $100 plus tip for the 3 coarse fondues and 1 drink each.
Mar 4th MK in the morning and an evening of relaxing by the pool. The MK in the morning is always my favourite time at this park. We got so much done by 11 that we had time for the Tiki Room, the Country Bears, and the Carousel of Progress all before leaving after lunch.
Mar 5th Hollywood Studios in the morning & AK in the evening. I had never been at the AK after dark and really wanted to go to this EMH night. The park was really empty and we walked on to EE at 6pm. We rode KS at 530 and saw the male lion up and walking around, the hippos out of the water and the rhinos were running beside our jeep. It was by far the best safari I have been on for animal activity and will try in the future to go at the end of the day. The park was really empty and we walked on to EE at 6pm. After a bugs life and dinosaur, we made our way over to the Tusker House to try out the new changes. I loved it and it reminded me a lot of Boma without the zebra domes. Sheelagh also enjoyed it, but she said more so than Boma.
Mar 6th Today is our KTTK tour at 830am in the MK and the P&PP tonight (again). The tour and our guide Lori Ann were great. I learned some new things and got to see behind the scenes. The utilidors were interesting; its like a little underground city. We rode the jungle cruise and the haunted mansion but no pirates. We purchased the P&PP tickets before arriving in Orlando and wished we hadnt. The weather was bad, not a light drizzle, but a full down pour starting around 830 and still going hard after we left. Now let me say we didnt pout and complain and let the rain stop our fun. We had on our raincoats and ran from BTMRR to POTC and all over to do the rides, and even stood in the middle of Main Street for the fireworks. We left after the fireworks and went home to SSR to dry off.
Mar 7th Today we checked out of SSR and over to Gaylord Palms for my priceline bidding mistake. The resort was good, great for the $108/night I paid, but the $17/day resort fee and $12/day parking fee upset me a little. $58 extra for 2 nights seemed a little excessive to us. The weather got chilly and didnt use the pool but it seemed nice. Epcot again today, with 9 Dragons for dinner. Ive read some bad reviews but we really like the food and the service.
Mar 8th Today was a planned no park day. We went to the outlets and DTD to buy all our souvenirs and gifts. It was very relaxing and we had a great day just hanging out. Dinner was at the TS restaurant (I forgot the name again) at the Wilderness Lodge, and it was on par with Jiko. I know I said no parks today but we did decide to go to the MK for Wishes and a little last minute magic.
Mar 9th Our flight home was ok. I checked in on-line again and got emergency row seats for all three legs.
Wow that was long, sorry!
I hope it reads like it was a great trip because it really was. I look forward to many more trips to WDW and now that we have the DVC I actually think I will enjoy it more because of the slower pace of this trip.
Thanks for reading,
Shayne
ps I booked a Standard 2 bedroom for Feb 09, it will give me a reason to be back on the boards
Ill start my trip report by introducing you to the participants for our Feb 27th Mar 9th holiday. There was my girlfriend Sheelagh, her friend Julie, and myself. The trip was planned as a 30th birthday trip for Sheelagh and a chance to meet up with her friend Julie who has been living outside Boston since the fall. It was a great trip and we got to stay at my favourite resort, AKL/AKV and also SSR.
Here we go!
Feb 27th We left to the airport at 6am for our 7:10am flight, I had already checked in on-line with Westjet the day before and secured emergency row seats for all three legs of our journey. Westjet was great as usual and the only minor issue we had was the Hamilton Airport and its lack of services. We actually left Hamilton 45 min late but that was a Canadian Customs issue, they didnt release the plane to Westjet until 15 min after our departure time. We arrived in Orlando at 5:35 and had to clear US Customs. Ive always got to clear US customs before arriving at MCO and it was fairly painless to do it there. We only packed carry-ons so we didnt have to wait for our luggage and we were on the tram to the main terminal by 6ish. Julies flight was due to arrive at 6:05 so we went to the Southwest baggage area to wait for her. While Sheelagh waited for Julie, I went to deal with the car rental. I used the Kiosk at Alamo and it honestly took about 3 min to get checked-in. We meet up with Julie at 6:20 and her luggage came right away. We picked out a 4 door Chevy Cobalt that I reserved for $154 for all 11 days, not a great car, but for the price I wont complain.
We got to the AKV at 7ish and had a little issue with checking in, they didnt link my cash res with my points res for the 4 nights we were spending there. It was fixed quick enough and it gave Sheelagh a chance to show off our home to Julie. We got a studio overlooking the Uzima Savannah and it was amazing. The room and the view were great but was it worth the extra money and points; I'd be happy with a pool view and go walk to find the animals to save the points and the cash.
We were all very hungry after a long day of travel and I had planned to go to DTD for EOS but quickly changed my mind when I found out we could get into Jiko in 30 min. Dinner at Jiko was also great as usual, Sheelagh and Julie both had the filet with mac and cheese while I had the pork tenderloin (yummy). We were all very tired and went to bed early so we could get up early for the B-Day.
Feb 28th Sheelaghs 30th B-DAY! We planned to go to the Hollywood Studios today so we could avoid the ESPN weekend and the extra crowds on the weekend. The crowds were light in the morning but got heavier as the day went on. We started and finished our day with ToT and RnR and fit in some of the attractions before leaving the park at 2pm. For the B-Day I bought Sheelagh the Ride-a-Long experience at the Richard Petty Speedway just outside the MK. Sheelagh surprised me in Oct with a 8 lap driving experience so I thought I could return the smile it gave me for a week. Both of the young ladies opted for the ride-a-long and loved it, although Julie apparently said some bad words
when they were going 155mph beside the wall. We then went to Publix to pick up snacks, beers, and a couple things we couldnt pack in our carry-ons. We decided to go back to the resort to relax and get ready for dinner at Spoodles. Dinner was ok, maybe just not as good as Jiko, but we it was fun for all of us. We then planned to go to JellyRolls at 9 but that didnt work out. We got to the front door and they asked for ID, we all DLs but at JellyRolls they wont accept out of state DL without a passport . So instead of letting it ruin our evening we went Raglan Road in DTD and stayed until close. It was our first time there and we had a blast, some of us had a little too much fun! We got back to the AKV around 2:30am but we had planned a sleep in day so we all could recover.Feb 29th I got up at 9am and went to explore the resort and find all the animals. After an hour I went back to wake up Sheelagh but Julie was still sleeping hard so we left her for another hour
. We came back get to Julie but she couldnt get up, so we went to the outlets and had lunch at EOS. Around 2 we got a call from Julie so we went back to get her to go to Epcot for the evening. It was an EMH night so the park was open till 12 and crowds were really light. We did all the rides in Future World and made it to our 630 res at Biergarden with lots of time to spare. It was as good as I remembered and I had a big beer to wash down all that tasty sausage.Mar 1st We decided to go to US/IOA in the morning and got there for opening. In my experience IOA usually opens 15min early and it did again for us. We rode the Hulk, Spiderman and were walking to Jurassic Park by 9 (the official opening time). By 10 we were on our way to US and all there major attractions. It may seem like we skipped a lot at the park/parks, but Sheelagh and I have been to Orlando 4 times in 17 months and Julie wasnt into seeing everything, just the thrills. Both parks were slower than I thought they would be for a Saturday. So we stayed until 2ish and went to DTD so we could show Julie how great EOS really is. We got P&PP tickets for this night and the weather and the crowds were great. We walked on to every attraction; maybe a 3 min wait at the most and the fireworks for this event are the best Ive ever seen. We stayed until the park closed and did some shopping as Julie was departing in the morning and she needed souvenirs.
Mar 2nd We got up early and drove Julie to the airport at 7:30. On the way back we checked in at SSR and got a nice view of DTD. Today we went to the AK, my favourite park and had a great safari ride and rode EE a couple of times. We decided while walking around today that for the rest of this trip, we were going to go on the rides and see the shows and attractions we often overlook, or have never been to. It really slowed our pace and we really enjoyed everything a lot more! It also helped having DVC because I know were going back sooner or later. We went to Epcot tonight for dinner at LeCellier. It was very good and we sat in a section with 2 other tables of people from SK, it was kind of funny.
Mar 3rd Epcot this Morning. We rode Spaceship Earth today and I liked the changes, it was Sheelaghs first time and she liked it. It was a good start to our new plan to ride/see the rides/attractions we havent done for awhile. I really have to thank TGM because the parks have been empty when we have followed his advice and today was the same. We spent most of the day wandering, grazing, and drinking. We went off site for a late dinner at a fondue restaurant called the Melting Pot. Overall the experience was good with the cheese fondue and the chocolate fondue being excellent, while the meat and veggies were strictly just ok. It was a little pricey, $100 plus tip for the 3 coarse fondues and 1 drink each.
Mar 4th MK in the morning and an evening of relaxing by the pool. The MK in the morning is always my favourite time at this park. We got so much done by 11 that we had time for the Tiki Room, the Country Bears, and the Carousel of Progress all before leaving after lunch.
Mar 5th Hollywood Studios in the morning & AK in the evening. I had never been at the AK after dark and really wanted to go to this EMH night. The park was really empty and we walked on to EE at 6pm. We rode KS at 530 and saw the male lion up and walking around, the hippos out of the water and the rhinos were running beside our jeep. It was by far the best safari I have been on for animal activity and will try in the future to go at the end of the day. The park was really empty and we walked on to EE at 6pm. After a bugs life and dinosaur, we made our way over to the Tusker House to try out the new changes. I loved it and it reminded me a lot of Boma without the zebra domes. Sheelagh also enjoyed it, but she said more so than Boma.
Mar 6th Today is our KTTK tour at 830am in the MK and the P&PP tonight (again). The tour and our guide Lori Ann were great. I learned some new things and got to see behind the scenes. The utilidors were interesting; its like a little underground city. We rode the jungle cruise and the haunted mansion but no pirates. We purchased the P&PP tickets before arriving in Orlando and wished we hadnt. The weather was bad, not a light drizzle, but a full down pour starting around 830 and still going hard after we left. Now let me say we didnt pout and complain and let the rain stop our fun. We had on our raincoats and ran from BTMRR to POTC and all over to do the rides, and even stood in the middle of Main Street for the fireworks. We left after the fireworks and went home to SSR to dry off.
Mar 7th Today we checked out of SSR and over to Gaylord Palms for my priceline bidding mistake. The resort was good, great for the $108/night I paid, but the $17/day resort fee and $12/day parking fee upset me a little. $58 extra for 2 nights seemed a little excessive to us. The weather got chilly and didnt use the pool but it seemed nice. Epcot again today, with 9 Dragons for dinner. Ive read some bad reviews but we really like the food and the service.
Mar 8th Today was a planned no park day. We went to the outlets and DTD to buy all our souvenirs and gifts. It was very relaxing and we had a great day just hanging out. Dinner was at the TS restaurant (I forgot the name again) at the Wilderness Lodge, and it was on par with Jiko. I know I said no parks today but we did decide to go to the MK for Wishes and a little last minute magic.
Mar 9th Our flight home was ok. I checked in on-line again and got emergency row seats for all three legs.
Wow that was long, sorry!
I hope it reads like it was a great trip because it really was. I look forward to many more trips to WDW and now that we have the DVC I actually think I will enjoy it more because of the slower pace of this trip.
Thanks for reading,
Shayne
ps I booked a Standard 2 bedroom for Feb 09, it will give me a reason to be back on the boards
Nova Scotia this summer and i'm hoping to convince dh that we should do an alaskan cruise summer of 2009.
