We just returned home from taking my grandchildren to Disney World for the first time. We stayed at the Pop Century and enjoyed the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan. We had three rooms together, two had adjoining interior doors. Initially we were in rooms that had maintenance going on outside the room. When we asked the workers how long they were going to take, they said "a week". We promptly asked for and received new rooms in another area. Beds were comfortable.
After a quick trip to Universal to see Harry Potter (my grandson & I read all the books together), we started our Disney World exploration. We attended the Halloween party on the 28th and really enjoyed it. The girls got to meet the Princesses, lots of other characters, tons of trick & treat opportunities. But the high point for me was watching everyone in their costumes. There are a ton of people who put a lot of effort into their costumes and it really added to our enjoyment. Princess Jasmine stopped during the parade and hugged my granddaughter in her Jasmine costume (bought for $60 with her own money at one of the Disney shops). I had my first Dole Whip - yum yum!
We visited Epcot and were disappointed to find out that the Food & Wine Festival closes down at 9 pm (it was extended hours that night). The portions were very small but you could use your snack credits for some of the items. Animal Kingdom was a big hit with the kids. It was HOT and we enjoyed the river raft ride twice. The frozen chai tea at the Royal Anandapur Tea Company saved the day!
Hollywood Studios was also a big hit. The girls and their moms auditioned for the American Idol Experience. My grandson waited in line to battle Darth Vader at the Jedi Academy - Star Tours was closed to his disappointment. If you want to do the Jedi Academy, get there in a hurry when the park opens. We stopped to get a Fast Pass for Toy Story and ended up waiting 2 hours for the Jedi Academy. The kids were mostly ages 5 thru 10, but my 12 year old grandson enjoyed it as much as anyone else!
We purchased the Disney PhotoPass for $99 prior to our trip. We have over 200 photos and will use it again next week when we go to Disneyland for a day (work related trip).
The complimentary Disney Dining plan was great - loved Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland and Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney. Also tried Harbor House, Starring Rolls. Lots of food, tasty desserts, water for the park. The unlimited drinks at the resort was nice too. We had breakfast in the room some days so had some extra meals. We didn't do any table service meals.
We used the Magical Express and it was very simple. We were able to leave for the airport a little earlier than our reservations, which was nice.
All in all, a great trip. We used the Lines app on my iPhone and also printed off the Touring Plans from the touringplans.com website. They came in very handy because we didn't really do any pre-planning. We tried to slip in an afternoon nap on the early morning trips. Getting to the park at opening means the difference between standing in line for your rides and getting on within 10 minutes. Weekdays were less busy than the weekend.
Favorite fireworks was Wishes. We weren't able to go to Fantasmic since it was the same night as the Halloween party. We'll take in Colors in Disneyland next week.
Final tips - take lots of bandages for your blisters. You'll do a lot of walking. Stay hydrated, use the bathroom of opportunity, sit in the shade whenever you can. And enjoy yourself - we saw far too many people losing their tempers at their spouses, their children. We saw overtired kids throwing huge fits. It's supposed to be fun!
After a quick trip to Universal to see Harry Potter (my grandson & I read all the books together), we started our Disney World exploration. We attended the Halloween party on the 28th and really enjoyed it. The girls got to meet the Princesses, lots of other characters, tons of trick & treat opportunities. But the high point for me was watching everyone in their costumes. There are a ton of people who put a lot of effort into their costumes and it really added to our enjoyment. Princess Jasmine stopped during the parade and hugged my granddaughter in her Jasmine costume (bought for $60 with her own money at one of the Disney shops). I had my first Dole Whip - yum yum!
We visited Epcot and were disappointed to find out that the Food & Wine Festival closes down at 9 pm (it was extended hours that night). The portions were very small but you could use your snack credits for some of the items. Animal Kingdom was a big hit with the kids. It was HOT and we enjoyed the river raft ride twice. The frozen chai tea at the Royal Anandapur Tea Company saved the day!
Hollywood Studios was also a big hit. The girls and their moms auditioned for the American Idol Experience. My grandson waited in line to battle Darth Vader at the Jedi Academy - Star Tours was closed to his disappointment. If you want to do the Jedi Academy, get there in a hurry when the park opens. We stopped to get a Fast Pass for Toy Story and ended up waiting 2 hours for the Jedi Academy. The kids were mostly ages 5 thru 10, but my 12 year old grandson enjoyed it as much as anyone else!
We purchased the Disney PhotoPass for $99 prior to our trip. We have over 200 photos and will use it again next week when we go to Disneyland for a day (work related trip).
The complimentary Disney Dining plan was great - loved Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland and Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney. Also tried Harbor House, Starring Rolls. Lots of food, tasty desserts, water for the park. The unlimited drinks at the resort was nice too. We had breakfast in the room some days so had some extra meals. We didn't do any table service meals.
We used the Magical Express and it was very simple. We were able to leave for the airport a little earlier than our reservations, which was nice.
All in all, a great trip. We used the Lines app on my iPhone and also printed off the Touring Plans from the touringplans.com website. They came in very handy because we didn't really do any pre-planning. We tried to slip in an afternoon nap on the early morning trips. Getting to the park at opening means the difference between standing in line for your rides and getting on within 10 minutes. Weekdays were less busy than the weekend.
Favorite fireworks was Wishes. We weren't able to go to Fantasmic since it was the same night as the Halloween party. We'll take in Colors in Disneyland next week.
Final tips - take lots of bandages for your blisters. You'll do a lot of walking. Stay hydrated, use the bathroom of opportunity, sit in the shade whenever you can. And enjoy yourself - we saw far too many people losing their tempers at their spouses, their children. We saw overtired kids throwing huge fits. It's supposed to be fun!
