Our trip - day 1 arrival & IllumiNations Cruise

01Sweetpea

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Messages
1,607
Cast:
ME – turned 37 on this trip, first time planning a trip, and boy did we have fun!
DH – 34 – couldn’t believe how many hours I spent planned this trip, but he gets it now!
ODS – 11
YDS – 8

After months and months of planning with countless hours on the DISboards our vacation was finally here!

2/27 – Won’t bore you with the details but we got up at 5:45, my dad picked us up at 6:30 and off we were to LaGuardia to catch our 11am flight. Got to the airport a bit too early (8am) sat around for 3 hours and off we were to Disney. Now it should be mentioned that when we left NY the forecast was for 45 degree weather in NY. I had been watching the weather in FL for our trip and had only packed 1 extra pair of long pants for the flight home, had the kids bring their light jackets for the flight, but DH & I decided not to wear jackets. Imagine our surprise when we arrive at Orlando airport and it was only 47 degrees!

Mauro was our driver from Tiffany Town car. He was waiting for us when we got off the plane, very professional, got our bags and off we were to POR. Ride took less than ½ hour. Mauro was kind enough to tell us the weather wouldn’t be much better tomorrow (oh great!).

Arrive at POR. Holly checked us in, she was very sweet. I had originally booked at room in Bldg 14, then modified it to bldg 27. When we arrived she had a room for us in Bldg 14, but switched us to Bldg 27 when I asked. We had room 2723, a great room, neat, clean, had a hairdryer and iron already in the room. Also had a trundle bed which we did NOT ask for, but came in handy. Got settled in, went to the gift shop to buy DH & I sweatshirts, and off to Epcot.

Arrived in Epcot around 4:30 and headed to Test Track. The wait was for 20 minutes that turned into over 1 hour since the ride broke. This was the longest line we waited in for the entire trip!! Had we known the ride would be down for that long, we would have gotten off and returned. Went to Electric Umbrella for dinner, nothing spectacular, basic burger, fries, chicken strips. Now off to the highlight of the day… our IllumiNations cruise!

We walked over to BC/YC and since we were early we walked over to the Dolphin to check out the resort, and get some hot chocolate. The lobby is beautiful, and the resort is huge. We got lost looking for Tubbi’s, but finally found our way, got our hot chocolate and headed back to the marina.

Checked in with our boat operator (Taula), and then got to meet 2 DISers – Big V his family and Jaimee and her son. First let me say, Big V and his family are the nicest people you can ever meet. They were so sweet to bring all the kids hats from WI, and boy did they come in handy that night (thanks again!) It was such a treat and pleasure to share our cruise with them, and their daughter is such a sweetie. Jaimee is so sweet, and her little boy is adorable. My 8yo and her little boy ran and ran until we got on the boat. I think that one of the great thing about kids, no matter what the ages are, they all seem to get along, at least ours did. The 4 kids ran to the back of the boat and hung out together, and the adults were able to sit up front, hang out and talk.

We left the dock, went over by Swan/Dolphin, then headed down by MGM. Taula had a lot of info to share, and although we were cold, enjoyed the ride. We then headed over to Epcot to watch the fireworks. They were spectacular, although I didn’t get why they had one of the barges burning, I felt it was distracting. I even had to ask Scott if was suppose to be burning or if it was an accident. It was a great way to watch the fireworks, and even better because we got to share it with 2 great families!!

We headed back to the dock, caught a cab back to POR, and called it a night.

The not so great… It was COLD!!! We joked for most of the night “Why did we leave NY for this?”

The great… IllumiNations, and sharing it with Big V and his family, Jaimee and her son!

Day 2... Animal Kigdom and Crystal Palace...
 
Sounds great-- except for that darn weather. There is nothing worse than escaping a norther winter, than to end up in a Florida cold front!!!
 
good thing for Maine winter gear........I laughed when you said you got lost looking for Tubbis......we stayed at the dolphin and took us a few turns to find it too.......thanks so much for telling us about your cruise and BIG V.......it is soooooo wonderful to meet other disers
 
Thanks for sharing, sounds like your trip was off to a wonderful and magical start. Waiting for more.
 

Thanks for the report Eileen! It was wonderful of you to share your Illuminations Cruise with us and it was so nice to meet some NY Dissers! It was a very cold evening, and the blankets that they had for us sure did feel good. Illuminations is my favorite WDW fireworks show and that is the BEST way to see it!::yes:: I'm glad the weather warmed up for you for the rest of your vacation! Can't wait to read all about it!
Scott
 
Hiya, Sweetpea!

I'm happy to see your reports! I was a little shocked when we arrived 2/27 as well. I had brought a heavy winter coat but no lighter jacket. It was a pretty good excuse to invest in a hoodie!

Looking forward to reading the rest,
Amy

Oh, hey--we got lost looking for Tubbi's, too. They sure hide it well.
 
Looking forward to your reports as well. My son will be 12 when we go...Wondering what he will like and not like. Did your 11 year old get autographs?
 
My 11yo enjoyed getting autographs more than my 8yo. He got a ton, especially at rope drop at Ecpot and when world Showcase opened, I think 15 total within those 2 hours!
 
I love reading trip reports, but not too good at taking notes while on vacation.:rolleyes:
 














Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top