orvilleair
Achin to be<br><font color="purple">wubba wubba wu
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2004
- Messages
- 1,473
Cast: Me 35; DW 33; DD5 5 yr; DD2 2 yr; DIL1; DIL2
The inlaws wanted to take a trip with us, because they do a DIS trip with all of their kids. They wanted to see their grandkids reaction to WDW. This time is was their turn with us. They flew out of Dayton while we drove.
The drive: Extra two hour drive due to rush hour traffic in Cincinnati and Georgia construction on I-75. Drove through Atlanta Saturday morning at 9:00 am only to find back up due to a traffic accident south of town. Spent first two days visiting my parents whom live in Venice Florida. For those who want to visit the beaches, I would recommend the gulf beaches due to their lower wave height and warmer water. Siesta Key is beautiful, although parking is limited. From Tampa to WDW, I encountered construction on I-4 that added an extra 1/2 hour to my trip. I veared off at US 27 and took Rt 192 in to WDW after being stuck in traffic (due to an accident). Finally, I appreciate Radio Disney's eccletic format, but AM just doesn't do it for me. I wish they would have a "50,000 watt blowtorch type" FM station that would add to the excitement of the drive. They could broadcast park hours, attendance, have live remotes, play Disney music. You hear it all the time in Virginia Beach (tides, festivals, fishing report, what band is playing where etc...).
The hotel: We chose POR over CS. DILs visited CBR before, so we wanted to go to a resort they never been to before. Arrived at 12:45 pm for the 3:00 pm check-in, and other people arrived early as well. The wait in the check-in line was about 20 minutes, but they were able to give me my room early. I requested two adjoining rooms, first floor near a bus stop and I got Acadia Mansion, 2nd floor near elevator. It was a good compromise. Acadia is very quiet with decent walking distance to the north bus depot. Rooms were comfortable, no complaints. Mousekeeping exceptional. Only complaints are the lack of transportation to Magic Kingdom (Buses were always full because they stopped at POFQ first). Also felt the pool offered a lot of privacy and shade, but I expected better theming. I have seen pics of CS's pool and it looks fantastic with the pyramid. Finally, parts of the food court offered slow service that could be improved on. The grounds are impecable with plenty of paths for joggers and walkers.
The tour:
Monday pm visit to Epcot for a character dinner and Illuminations.
* Can't beat the Garden Grill for character interaction (Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale). The food menu is limited but good and the viddles are served family style (like at the Amish restaurants in Ohio). The food was good. The Garden Grill is a revolving restaurant and it's configured in a way to maximize privacy and gives the characters an easy path to move around. DILs got to see the "magic" on the first night. Chip was great. 5:30 dinner.
* Test track had a 90 minute wait and the FP were all gone.
* Illuminations, lined up 25 minutes before showtime at Festival Plaza. Kind of in the second row. Had a great view. On this night the smoke from the pyrotechics blew toward UK and France.
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom with afternoon break
* Would recommend FP Philharmagic because much of the que line is in the sun. Very crowded but worth it. DD2 loved it.
* Characters from Alice in Wonderland rode the teacups with kids right after we did. This was around 9:15 am. A treat to watch, and something I never seen before. I think the rabbit and mad hatter were on the ride.
* At peak times, wait for Its a small world was 30 minutes and Pooh was 70 minutes.
* Wishes. Stood on the bridge to Tommorowland (toward Cosmic Rays). Fantastic view of Tinkerbell, but trees on the right hindered view of the fireworks. Some of the roman candles were right in front of me. Next time, I will stand on Main St.
* DW says the best hot dog she ever had is at Caseys. The best ice cream sundae is on Main St too. Last year she said she had the best caramel apple.
Wed - AK and MGM
* Don't miss K. Safaris. All 6 of us loved it. Lots of wildlife for 10:30 in the morning. Our driver, Jen, drove through every pothole on the trek.
* Lion King - Best CM for seating disabled persons first with no hassle. Also the coldest venue (A/C was on full blast).
* Fantasmic. We chose to have dinner and reserved seating. The non reserved seating was pretty much full by 8:00 so get there early. Everyone left the park after the 8:30 show, so we watched Muppetvision 3D. Star Tours also had no line. A treat to be in a park when no one is hardly there (9 pm - 10 pm).
* Rainforest Cafe, plenty of seating but food service is slow, and the buffalo chicken salad was all lettuce and no "kick" to the chicken.
TH and Fri - Magic Kingdom
* Rode the free boat ride from POR to Downtown Disney and enjoyed it. DILs loved the information the pilot was giving out on the history of the Disney Institute and the golf course.
* Buzz Lightyear Space Command seemed less crowded than last year. Could stand in line with minimal waiting time.
* Characters:
Aurora and Wendy in MK - front right of Main Street. 8:00
Aurora and Belle in the same spot at 12:00
Cinderella is in the judges tent in toontown fair.
Lilo and Stitch - AK and MGM, but MGM is better because there is a movie backdrop for good picture taking. DD5 is a big Lilo fan.
Wendy is a hoot and is in character. She told me Peter Pan picked her up from her window this morning after I asked her where he was.
Ariels grotto had a big line so get there early.
Peter pan by Pirates of the Caribbean at 10:30 am.
Misc
* Would like to find a counter service restaurant that serves fresh seafood (florida has so much of it).
* Liked the serentity of POR, but I was at the parks all of the time. Next time might look into a value resort.
* Pin trading is huge. DD5 traded pins with cast members and she got a free Ariel pin after the cast member made her promise to have a happy day (Brought a tear to my eye). She traded for a Lilo, Ariel and a Tinkerbell pin.
As far as I know all rides were open that were suppose to be open. The parks were crowded, but manageable. My 1/2 watt two way radio wasn't strong enough to communicate between Big Thunder Mountain and Pooh, so invest in a better radio or have a back up plan if the radios don't work. There was a lot of chatter. Finally, thanks to this web site for providing so much useful information and I hope to contribute a little. Happy Easter
SC
The inlaws wanted to take a trip with us, because they do a DIS trip with all of their kids. They wanted to see their grandkids reaction to WDW. This time is was their turn with us. They flew out of Dayton while we drove.
The drive: Extra two hour drive due to rush hour traffic in Cincinnati and Georgia construction on I-75. Drove through Atlanta Saturday morning at 9:00 am only to find back up due to a traffic accident south of town. Spent first two days visiting my parents whom live in Venice Florida. For those who want to visit the beaches, I would recommend the gulf beaches due to their lower wave height and warmer water. Siesta Key is beautiful, although parking is limited. From Tampa to WDW, I encountered construction on I-4 that added an extra 1/2 hour to my trip. I veared off at US 27 and took Rt 192 in to WDW after being stuck in traffic (due to an accident). Finally, I appreciate Radio Disney's eccletic format, but AM just doesn't do it for me. I wish they would have a "50,000 watt blowtorch type" FM station that would add to the excitement of the drive. They could broadcast park hours, attendance, have live remotes, play Disney music. You hear it all the time in Virginia Beach (tides, festivals, fishing report, what band is playing where etc...).
The hotel: We chose POR over CS. DILs visited CBR before, so we wanted to go to a resort they never been to before. Arrived at 12:45 pm for the 3:00 pm check-in, and other people arrived early as well. The wait in the check-in line was about 20 minutes, but they were able to give me my room early. I requested two adjoining rooms, first floor near a bus stop and I got Acadia Mansion, 2nd floor near elevator. It was a good compromise. Acadia is very quiet with decent walking distance to the north bus depot. Rooms were comfortable, no complaints. Mousekeeping exceptional. Only complaints are the lack of transportation to Magic Kingdom (Buses were always full because they stopped at POFQ first). Also felt the pool offered a lot of privacy and shade, but I expected better theming. I have seen pics of CS's pool and it looks fantastic with the pyramid. Finally, parts of the food court offered slow service that could be improved on. The grounds are impecable with plenty of paths for joggers and walkers.
The tour:
Monday pm visit to Epcot for a character dinner and Illuminations.
* Can't beat the Garden Grill for character interaction (Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale). The food menu is limited but good and the viddles are served family style (like at the Amish restaurants in Ohio). The food was good. The Garden Grill is a revolving restaurant and it's configured in a way to maximize privacy and gives the characters an easy path to move around. DILs got to see the "magic" on the first night. Chip was great. 5:30 dinner.
* Test track had a 90 minute wait and the FP were all gone.
* Illuminations, lined up 25 minutes before showtime at Festival Plaza. Kind of in the second row. Had a great view. On this night the smoke from the pyrotechics blew toward UK and France.
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom with afternoon break
* Would recommend FP Philharmagic because much of the que line is in the sun. Very crowded but worth it. DD2 loved it.
* Characters from Alice in Wonderland rode the teacups with kids right after we did. This was around 9:15 am. A treat to watch, and something I never seen before. I think the rabbit and mad hatter were on the ride.
* At peak times, wait for Its a small world was 30 minutes and Pooh was 70 minutes.
* Wishes. Stood on the bridge to Tommorowland (toward Cosmic Rays). Fantastic view of Tinkerbell, but trees on the right hindered view of the fireworks. Some of the roman candles were right in front of me. Next time, I will stand on Main St.
* DW says the best hot dog she ever had is at Caseys. The best ice cream sundae is on Main St too. Last year she said she had the best caramel apple.
Wed - AK and MGM
* Don't miss K. Safaris. All 6 of us loved it. Lots of wildlife for 10:30 in the morning. Our driver, Jen, drove through every pothole on the trek.
* Lion King - Best CM for seating disabled persons first with no hassle. Also the coldest venue (A/C was on full blast).
* Fantasmic. We chose to have dinner and reserved seating. The non reserved seating was pretty much full by 8:00 so get there early. Everyone left the park after the 8:30 show, so we watched Muppetvision 3D. Star Tours also had no line. A treat to be in a park when no one is hardly there (9 pm - 10 pm).
* Rainforest Cafe, plenty of seating but food service is slow, and the buffalo chicken salad was all lettuce and no "kick" to the chicken.
TH and Fri - Magic Kingdom
* Rode the free boat ride from POR to Downtown Disney and enjoyed it. DILs loved the information the pilot was giving out on the history of the Disney Institute and the golf course.
* Buzz Lightyear Space Command seemed less crowded than last year. Could stand in line with minimal waiting time.
* Characters:
Aurora and Wendy in MK - front right of Main Street. 8:00
Aurora and Belle in the same spot at 12:00
Cinderella is in the judges tent in toontown fair.
Lilo and Stitch - AK and MGM, but MGM is better because there is a movie backdrop for good picture taking. DD5 is a big Lilo fan.
Wendy is a hoot and is in character. She told me Peter Pan picked her up from her window this morning after I asked her where he was.
Ariels grotto had a big line so get there early.
Peter pan by Pirates of the Caribbean at 10:30 am.
Misc
* Would like to find a counter service restaurant that serves fresh seafood (florida has so much of it).
* Liked the serentity of POR, but I was at the parks all of the time. Next time might look into a value resort.
* Pin trading is huge. DD5 traded pins with cast members and she got a free Ariel pin after the cast member made her promise to have a happy day (Brought a tear to my eye). She traded for a Lilo, Ariel and a Tinkerbell pin.
As far as I know all rides were open that were suppose to be open. The parks were crowded, but manageable. My 1/2 watt two way radio wasn't strong enough to communicate between Big Thunder Mountain and Pooh, so invest in a better radio or have a back up plan if the radios don't work. There was a lot of chatter. Finally, thanks to this web site for providing so much useful information and I hope to contribute a little. Happy Easter
SC
