OKW/VWL June 2-14

[JPDtheJD]

Following along. Glad you are having a blast. Looking forward to hearing of your VWL adventures coming up.

 

[DisneyGal24]

Great report! Love all the details - glad that you are having a great time!

Thanks! This trip has been so relaxed. In the past we've taken a midday break but after last year we decided that we were wasting a lot of time traveling back and forth. Now we are going from RD to 3 or 4 and that's working much better!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Epcot was awesome! We went straight to Test Track. I love every part of this ride. It's always funny to see the crazy creations my kids come up with during the design phase. We rode TT immediately after with our first FP of the day. The stand by line was already at 45 minutes! After the second time the kids wanted to play around in the exit area. For some reason they like sitting in the new cars This gave me a few ideas but if we do that there will be no adding on to DVC, lol! There were also some areas to get pictures made so the kids and I did a few of these while DH rode Mission Space. He was getting the emails with the pictures while waiting in line. We met DH at the exit of Mission Space and the kids played in the indoor play area here for a few minutes before we went to our princess breakfast at Akershus. This meal has become a tradition for us. We took DD by herself in 2011 and have been going back each trip. Prior to this trip DS has declared that he was finished meeting girl characters but it seems that he has a thing for princesses. He met Sofia, Rapunzel, and Cinderella before today. We enjoyed meeting Belle, Cinderella, Aurora (DDs favorite), Ariel (DS favorite), and Snow White (who planted a big kiss right on DS's cheek!). He acted all embarrassed but I think he really liked it! Afterward, we met Duffy. This is one of my kids favorite stuffed animals! More new things for us today: we did Agent P's Adventure. We completed missions in France and China. We really enjoyed this and it made us explore more of the WS than we had before. I really needed all that walking after the princess breakfast! It was incredibly hot today though! We found a nice place to cool off and shop: Mouse Gears. I can look in here forever. We used our second FP at Journey into Imagination with Figment. This was another first. We thought it was really cute. We didn't really need a FP for it but the choices at Epcot are limited. Our final attraction was Spaceship Earth or the big golf ball as the kids call it. We decided to hop on the monorail for a spin. The kids look at the Disney transportation like they are rides! DS gets mad when we don't take the buses to the parks (like today). We ended up getting off at the TTC and getting on the resort monorail. We got off at the Contemporary. We discovered shopping, dining, and pin trading options on our last trip. Tomorrow we will check in to VWL after church!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Epcot was awesome! We went straight to Test Track. I love every part of this ride. It's always funny to see the crazy creations my kids come up with during the design phase. We rode TT immediately after with our first FP of the day. The stand by line was already at 45 minutes! After the second time the kids wanted to play around in the exit area. For some reason they like sitting in the new cars This gave me a few ideas but if we do that there will be no adding on to DVC, lol! There were also some areas to get pictures made so the kids and I did a few of these while DH rode Mission Space. He was getting the emails with the pictures while waiting in line. We met DH at the exit of Mission Space and the kids played in the indoor play area here for a few minutes before we went to our princess breakfast at Akershus. This meal has become a tradition for us. We took DD by herself in 2011 and have been going back each trip. Prior to this trip DS has declared that he was finished meeting girl characters but it seems that he has a thing for princesses. He met Sofia, Rapunzel, and Cinderella before today. We enjoyed meeting Belle, Cinderella, Aurora (DDs favorite), Ariel (DS favorite), and Snow White (who planted a big kiss right on DS's cheek!). He acted all embarrassed but I think he really liked it! Afterward, we met Duffy. This is one of my kids favorite stuffed animals! More new things for us today: we did Agent P's Adventure. We completed missions in France and China. We really enjoyed this and it made us explore more of the WS than we had before. I really needed all that walking after the princess breakfast! It was incredibly hot today though! We found a nice place to cool off and shop: Mouse Gears. I can look in here forever. We used our second FP at Journey into Imagination with Figment. This was another first. We thought it was really cute. We didn't really need a FP for it but the choices at Epcot are limited. Our final attraction was Spaceship Earth or the big golf ball as the kids call it. We decided to hop on the monorail for a spin. The kids look at the Disney transportation like they are rides! DS gets mad when we don't take the buses to the parks (like today). We ended up getting off at the TTC and getting on the resort monorail. We got off at the Contemporary. We discovered shopping, dining, and pin trading options on our last trip. Tomorrow we will check in to VWL after church!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

sounds like a great trip. Very interested about Lion King as couldn't get any FP+ for August

 

[DisneyGal24]

sounds like a great trip. Very interested about Lion King as couldn't get any FP+ for August

We did it with out FP+. I don't think there's a huge advantage to having one. Maybe something will open up for it though.

 

[DisneyGal24]

Yesterday was our resort switch day. We checked into VWL around 10:45. We decided to tour the resort and grounds to get our bearings a bit. Hunger set in so we had a tasty QS lunch at Roaring Forks. Afterward we were eager to hit the pool. While in the pool we received the text that our room was ready. We are almost at the VERY end of a long hallway and our view is of an area where CMs unload those supply carts. I am going to list the likes and dislikes of the studio. Keep in my mind that I am not a super picky person. None of these things are deal breakers for me at all. Likes: storage (two closets), fold down bed (DS slept here), comfy queen bed. Dislikes: paint on cabinets is coming off around handles, mismatched handles on bathroom door. We unloaded the van and bell services brought our luggage up quickly. Before we could get settled in we had a decision to make. DH has a cyst on his back for a while now. When we got down here Monday it started hurting and getting bigger. Finally, the pain was getting too much. He decided to go to CentraCare. The drained the infection and packed it. He goes back on Tuesday. Turner drug delivered his prescriptions last night. During all this we had a 5:30 dinner reservation at O'Hana. The plan was to meet him there. At about 4:30 the kids and I went down to the boats. The resort boats were docked due to lightning in the area but the Magic Kingdom boat was running. I figured we could just hop the resort monorail from MK and arrive at the Poly in plenty of time. I should have known better! It's never that easy with the monorail! We get on the monorail ramp, which was packed, a train pulls up but we didn't make that one. The CM announces that the next train is having maintenance problems and will be delayed. He directs people to the resort boats (which I guess he didn't know weren't running). Then it starts pouring down rain, thundering, and lightning. We were fortunate that we were under the awning waiting for the monorail because lots of people were stuck on that ramp getting soaked by the torrential downpour! Finally, we got on the monorail and arrived by 5:40. DH arrived by 6:00 and we were seated shortly after. DH had really been looking forward to this meal. Several co-workers have been so the expectations were high. The food was outstanding but unfortunately DH only ate a few bites. He was in a lot of pain. He had to leave the table and sit in the van. We finally got back to the resort and had Turner Drug deliver his antibiotic and pain medicine. Needless to say he slept like a baby last night! No more pool or water parks for him but at least he can still enjoy the parks!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Back to MK! The bus ride from VWL to MK was very short. I think our wait for the bus was longer than the actual ride We arrived at 8:15 and had a great view of the opening show. Before lunch we rode Buzz, Mad Tea Party, 7DMT (FP+), Barnstormer, Dumbo (let the kids play for a bit), Magic Carpets (FP+) and BTMR (FP+). We also did the Move It, Shake It Dance Party. This is so much fun! We had a 12:05 lunch reservation for Crystal Palace. The kids loved meeting Pooh and the gang but the food was definitely underwhelming! I think we will mark this one off the list. In fact, we had a dinner reservation for Chef Mickeys for Friday night but I talked the kids out of it because the food would be practically the same. Anyway, after lunch we made the unwise decision the watch the Dream Along with Mickey Show in the blazing heat! Yikes! It was crazy hot. We made it though and went to Country Bear jamboree because DD was begging to do it and it was air conditioned! Once we did a little pin and vinylmation trading it was time to go back to the resort. Tomorrow, Animal Kingdom, DHs follow up appt at Centra Care, and dinner at Trails End!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Animal Kingdom was fantastic! We decided to drive to the park today because DH had his follow up doctors appointment. We pulled through the AK gates at about 8:20 and noticed that park hours were 8 to 8! What! That can't be! I don't know how we missed that! Our original (park opening at 9) plan was to go straight to EE and then use our FP+ to ride it again. Since we didn't get through the park entrance until 8:30ish we decided to just take our time getting to EE and we assumed the stand by line would be pretty long. Wrong again! The stand by time was only 5 minutes so we hopped right in. I think EE gets better every time I ride it but my kids get more freaked out. :/ When we got off the ride DS and DD both said no more.After a few minutes DS was ready to go again so DH and DS used our FPs for it. DD and I took the opportunity to trade pins. Next we went on the Jungle Trek. DD earned a few more Wilderness Explorer badges along the way. My favorite part of this was the bat section. Those things were huge!! By the time we were finished it was time for our FP for Kali River Rapids. I haven't rode this since 2005. DS was my ride buddy. My terrible luck with water rides continued. I always get absolutely drenched and today was no exception. DS and I got every bit of a huge wave that crashed over our raft on the last drop. Initially DH and I talked about bringing towels and changes of clothes for after this ride but we had a rough morning. All that was forgotten! DH was able to dry off DS a little but there was no hope for me. We headed to lunch at Pizzafari with me dripping wet. DH and the kids traded Vinylmations while I tried to dry out in the sun. We used our last FP at the Nemo show. We arrived just they were opening the doors an were able to walk right in with our FPs. This is an awesome show! We hit the Boneyard next and let the kids run off some energy. The last attraction of the day was Flights of Wander. We had never done this before hit we are so glad we did. After the show we noticed some very dark clouds approaching. The closer we got to the exit the more thunder and lighting there was. Luckily we made it to the van before the rain! We went straight to DHs follow up doctors appointment. He is healing up but still no swimming or heavy lifting! We had dinner reservations at Trails End. It was outstanding! It wasn't just a buffet it was home cooking! It's on our must do list now. Tomorrow... Epcot in the rain!

 

[catherines_mama]

Sounds like a great time and glad DH is doing well. I enjoy your relaxed touring and you just don't need to fit IT ALL in. Not when you'll be back.

Trails End sounds good and half-way thru a long trip, home cooking sounds right on the money.

 

[DisneyGal24]

We are really looking forward to Epcot today. Right now it's sunny so we will see how it goes. I think Epcot will be the perfect place to be in the rain.

 

[DisneyGal24]

Crazy, crazy morning! We were at the buses by 8:00 and we saw three DTD buses, two MK, three HS, two AK and no Epcot buses! Finally, one arrived and parked in the wrong pick up spot and people Started loading but a lady on a scooter was left off because the driver didn't see her. The bus was packed! We made it to Epcot by 8:50 and they were already letting people in. We made it through by 9:10. We are in the stand by line for Soarin' now and the wait is already at 35 minutes. What a frustrating morning but we are rolling with it! I guess we should've drove!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Hollywood Studios day! We arrived at about 8:20. This morning and they started letting us in at about 8:45. We went straight to Toy Story Mania. DH beat us as usual but we had a blast. On the way out we saw one of the green army men and got a quick picture. Then we went to Star Tours and watched the Jedi Training Academy afterward. DS was mesmerized by this so I think we might sign him up for it on our next trip. We rode Star Tours again with our FP and then went to meet Phineas and Ferb. These guys are always silly. Ferb took DS's hat and put it on his ear. Next, we split up. DD wanted to watch the Muppets 3D and DS wanted to meet Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater. We had split FPs too. DS and I rode Toy Story Mania while DD and DH rode RNR. We met up for lunch on Sunset. We like this area because there are options for everyone. After a tasty lunch we headed to the Animation area to meet Ralph and Vanellope. The kids enjoyed the art activities in there also. We traded pins and Vinylmations on our way to the Indiana Jones show. Unfortunately the show was cut short due to lightning. This sent the kids into meltdown mode. The cure for a meltdown? A snack of course! We grabbed snacks and sought shelter until the thunder and lightning stopped. This put everyone in a better mood. We did a little shopping and got seated early for the Beauty and the Beast show. We were a little concerned this show might get canceled too because it was raining again but we made it! I absolutely love this show! Our final event of the night was the Star Wars dinner at Hollywood and Vine. This was AMAZING! Great character interaction and awesome food! Looking forward to wrapping this trip up with a visit to MK tomorrow!

 

[shortkathleen]

I am really enjoying your report! We are headed to OKW in July for an adult get away! This will be our first time having a car with us. Have you found driving to the parks to be a faster option than taking the buses?

 

[DisneyGal24]

I am really enjoying your report! We are headed to OKW in July for an adult get away! This will be our first time having a car with us. Have you found driving to the parks to be a faster option than taking the buses?

At OKW the buses were fine. We were at the first stop (Peninsular Rd.) so we would have to ride to the other stops before heading to the park. We could have walked across the bridge to HH and got on the bus there which is the last stop and went straight to the parks. I don't know if it was faster but it cut out the waiting around. We drove to HS, AK, and EP.

 

[DisneyGal24]

Last day! We went to MK and it was an adventure from the beginning. There were two tour groups there and it was really crowded at RD. On the way down Main Street we saw a guy nearly flip his double jogging stroller with his kids in it when he tried to pop it up on the curb and missed! Then a lady in a scooter that was with them nearly ran over a woman and her daughter. I don't know if the scooter malfunctioned or what but she couldn't stop it! We made it safely to Buzz and rode it twice. Then to Teacups, Barnstormer, Dumbo, Under the Sea, Carousel, and Philharmagic. When we came out of Philharmagic it was raining. We headed over to 7DMT for our FP but of course it was down due to storms. They said we could use our FP anytime later in the day. At this point it was barely raining, but we decided to got eat lunch at Casey's Corner before the lunch rush. We actually saw the little opening ceremony at the restaurant. It's a good thing we decided to do that because it starting pouring down rain and storming again. The eating area at Casey's became packed! After lunch we went to Pirates (FP), Tiki Room (another first for us) and checked on BTMR because we had a FP but it was down. From there we traded pins and Vinylmations and DD and DH did Country Bear Jamboree. We went back to 7DMT to use our FP but the lines were crazy. We decided to catch the Dream Along with Mickey show and head back to the resort for quick swim. We had dinner reservations at Whispering Canyon. This place is so much fun. Our waiter Simon really got into and loved teasing us. The food was was awesome! While sitting at dinner DH was looking at possible FP options for that night since we missed BTMR and 7DMT. Guess what popped up: 9:25-10:25 Anna and Elsa!!! we waited until we got back to MK to tell DD. She had really wanted to meet them but we were unable to book a FP prior to our trip so we told her it would be next trip. She was thrilled! We found a spot for the parade in front of Hall of Presidents. Two couples were nice enough to share some of the area they had staked out We decided to view the fireworks from Fantasyland. We wanted to be as close to Princess Fairytale Hall as we could because we wanted to use our FPs right after after the fireworks. We found a great spot and the fireworks were awesome!! Anna and Elsa were fantastic and DD was just overjoyed to meet them. We only waited about 5 minutes! What an amazing way to end the trip!

 

[disney ny]

Glad your trip ended so nicely. What a nice surprise for your last night and it sounds like you had a great time!

 

[mercydisney]

I really enjoyed your trip report. Thanks for sharing.

 

[DisneyGal24]

I really enjoyed your trip report. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

 

[DisneyGal24]

Final random thoughts; *We LOVED OKW! I really didn't know how I would like the condo style, spread out resort. Maybe it was because we had an awesome location, building 26. It was so relaxing and we loved the resorts overall location to everything. *We had lots of great dining experiences: T-Rex, Rainforest at AK, 50s Prime Time, Hollywood & Vine Star Wars Dinner, Akershus, O'Hana, Trails End and Whispering Canyon. Trails End was a last minute change because we needed to move our WCC to another day. Such a pleasant surprise! If we go back to Crystal Palace it will be for breakfast only. Lunch was not good. *VWL was underwhelming. I really thought this would be the resort I would love. I think there were a few reasons for this: 1) We live in the mountains and I think I prefer the palm trees/Florida feel while on vacation! Lol! 2) Our room was at the end of a LONG hallway with a view of the unloading area for carts. 3) we were far away from the main lodge and Roaring Forks. If we stay here again I am going to request close to elevators so that will help some with the distance. Transportation was a little disappointing but I think that's because it was so awesome at OKW.