mickeys#1fan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2001
- Messages
- 295
We are back from another magical time at Disney World. A word of warning right up front: our friend the CM says expect big crowds for the remainder of the year, even during normal slow times. Fairytale packages sold much better than expected and occupancies are near 100%. The parks are very jammed on weekends. We happened to hit the end of Jersey Week, F&W, and ABC Stupor Soap Weekend.
We had to cobble together this vacation. We were waitlisted at all DVC properties and could only get two days at OKW and punted GF. Not a bad punt, though. It was our first time there, and let me tell you it was really cool staying on the monorail line. We had a 1 BR (2125) at OKW, which was ready at 11:30 and in pristine condition. It was noticeably bigger than other 1 BR's, and the golf course view was nice. The larger patio is a plus, too. Lots of "Welcome Homes," which we really dig.
There's a new park video on DTV. It's called "Top 7 Things to See at WDW." It's more informative, and features the newer attractions (M:S, Philharmagic, Wishes - more on these later). The host, Krissa (sp) is cute, but over-the-top perky. I mean tough to keep your lunch down perky. Even Katie Couric would tell this one to dial it back a notch or two.
We got into EPCOT by 12:30, and my worries about M:S FP's being sold out were unfounded. It was relatively easy to get on. There are multiple warnings about motion sickness. So many that DD (10) wouldn't go on. This attraction is cool, but doesn't live up to the hype it's gotten. Set your minds at ease about the spinning. I could only feel the first quarter turn, then it really feels like your going up. The combo of motion and video really plays with your mind! I do get motion sick, so I took Dramamine before going. We saw several people get disoriented and a few blowing chunks. DON'T EAT BEFORE M:S! Heed the warnings about not moving your head. You can really feel the G's. In fact, you can barely lift your arms. Your chest will the compression when the ride is done after its brief 90 seconds.
We had dinner at Le Cellier that night. Another experience that doesn't live up to the hype. The highlight was a Tuna Tartare appetizer that comes with the Chef's Excursion package. My steak, billed as a strip steak with the tenderness of a filet was anything but. It was overcooked, and would have been dry and mealy at any temperature. DW's filet was good, but I could do just as well on my grill at home. I expect much more of a $30.00 steak.
After breakfast at Perkins the next day (which seemed to take the better part of the morning) we headed to MK. Our first stop was Mickey's Philharmagic. This was absolutely MIND-BLOWING!! It exceeded every expectation we had. Other Disney 3-D projects have tried to engage the other senses and done well. Philharmagic engages all of them. The graphics are stunning - even better than anything Pixar has done. That's how high the bar has been set. It runs every 14 minutes. FP's are available, but as far as I can tell, not necessary. Only one sour note, we tried to go again later, but it went down at 11 am and remained down the rest of the day.
Hours were extended to 11 pm that night, in anticipation of large crowds. Large they were, especially after 7 pm, when other park closures sent people flocking to MK. And this brings me to another standout - Wishes. This, too, exceeded expectations. Be mindful of your location, though. We were in an area between speakers, and lost alot of the sound. Aside from that, Wishes is visually captivating and evokes all of the magic of every WDW trip you've ever had, especially if you went as a kid. I saw many people crying as it finished. Yes, it's THAT magical.
We spent our last two days at GF, just as they started decorating for Christmas. Really cool. We had a last minute dinner at Jiko, which was good, but not as good as usual. We also had dinner at CG, which is the most consistently good restaurant at WDW. We saw Wishes again from the observation deck before dinner. It was magical from Main Street and ethereal from atop the CR. People were crying again.
Our departure was all-too swift in coming. As I write this four days after returning home, I'm still fighting off the post-Disney letdown.
We had to cobble together this vacation. We were waitlisted at all DVC properties and could only get two days at OKW and punted GF. Not a bad punt, though. It was our first time there, and let me tell you it was really cool staying on the monorail line. We had a 1 BR (2125) at OKW, which was ready at 11:30 and in pristine condition. It was noticeably bigger than other 1 BR's, and the golf course view was nice. The larger patio is a plus, too. Lots of "Welcome Homes," which we really dig.
There's a new park video on DTV. It's called "Top 7 Things to See at WDW." It's more informative, and features the newer attractions (M:S, Philharmagic, Wishes - more on these later). The host, Krissa (sp) is cute, but over-the-top perky. I mean tough to keep your lunch down perky. Even Katie Couric would tell this one to dial it back a notch or two.
We got into EPCOT by 12:30, and my worries about M:S FP's being sold out were unfounded. It was relatively easy to get on. There are multiple warnings about motion sickness. So many that DD (10) wouldn't go on. This attraction is cool, but doesn't live up to the hype it's gotten. Set your minds at ease about the spinning. I could only feel the first quarter turn, then it really feels like your going up. The combo of motion and video really plays with your mind! I do get motion sick, so I took Dramamine before going. We saw several people get disoriented and a few blowing chunks. DON'T EAT BEFORE M:S! Heed the warnings about not moving your head. You can really feel the G's. In fact, you can barely lift your arms. Your chest will the compression when the ride is done after its brief 90 seconds.
We had dinner at Le Cellier that night. Another experience that doesn't live up to the hype. The highlight was a Tuna Tartare appetizer that comes with the Chef's Excursion package. My steak, billed as a strip steak with the tenderness of a filet was anything but. It was overcooked, and would have been dry and mealy at any temperature. DW's filet was good, but I could do just as well on my grill at home. I expect much more of a $30.00 steak.
After breakfast at Perkins the next day (which seemed to take the better part of the morning) we headed to MK. Our first stop was Mickey's Philharmagic. This was absolutely MIND-BLOWING!! It exceeded every expectation we had. Other Disney 3-D projects have tried to engage the other senses and done well. Philharmagic engages all of them. The graphics are stunning - even better than anything Pixar has done. That's how high the bar has been set. It runs every 14 minutes. FP's are available, but as far as I can tell, not necessary. Only one sour note, we tried to go again later, but it went down at 11 am and remained down the rest of the day.
Hours were extended to 11 pm that night, in anticipation of large crowds. Large they were, especially after 7 pm, when other park closures sent people flocking to MK. And this brings me to another standout - Wishes. This, too, exceeded expectations. Be mindful of your location, though. We were in an area between speakers, and lost alot of the sound. Aside from that, Wishes is visually captivating and evokes all of the magic of every WDW trip you've ever had, especially if you went as a kid. I saw many people crying as it finished. Yes, it's THAT magical.
We spent our last two days at GF, just as they started decorating for Christmas. Really cool. We had a last minute dinner at Jiko, which was good, but not as good as usual. We also had dinner at CG, which is the most consistently good restaurant at WDW. We saw Wishes again from the observation deck before dinner. It was magical from Main Street and ethereal from atop the CR. People were crying again.
Our departure was all-too swift in coming. As I write this four days after returning home, I'm still fighting off the post-Disney letdown.
Sounds like you had a very memorable trip! Your report made me even more excited (if that's possible) for our trip - we leave in 19 days and 18 hours. Thanks so much for posting all the details.
) Anyway, I totally got the effect with philharmagic - definately one of the best things to do at WDW!!
