<i>Towncar from Airport - $100, Dinner at Boma - $50, Mickey Key Chain - $5, My Teenager Daughter putting her Arm around me during the Fireworks - Priceless</i>
Background: Mom and daughter, Jessica, age 16, taking our 9th trip to WDW. We were there from Friday to Saturday, 14-22 March. Since Shades of Green was closed, we stayed at the Contemporary for three nights ($89 per night at military rate) and the Swan for five nights ($129 per night at government rate) all at military rate. Our last trip was Spring 2001. I wanted to make this trip special for my daughter so I tried to come up with as many surprises as I could think of and could afford for her. We no longer bring a video camera with us nor do we carry a camera with us every day to the parks. We do bring a camera at once to each park during our trips. Its more important for me to spend time together with my daughter and not spend it looking through a video or camera lenses. I did not keep good enough notes of our trip to include how much waiting time each ride was, everything we ate, etc, etc. Again, I just wanted to have a great time with my daughter.
Trip Report Index:
<b>Day By Day</b> Read about our daily plans and how they all went
<b>Attractions</b> All the rides or places we visited WITHIN the parks
<b>Tips</b> For ourselves and you, just random bits of information
<font size="4">Day By Day</font>
Friday-Hector from Tiffany Towncar picked us up about 7 pm in Orlando and off to Contemporary we went. Our room was on the ground floor of the North Wing. I didnt care for the deco of the room but the bed was nice and firm. Our view was of the lake - not of Magic Kingdom - but still a nice view. Three ducks came to our patio door one morning and I fed them crackers that I had brought for them.
Saturday-Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian. We got to MK early enough to see the singers, dancers and characters show up on the train and sing and dance for us. It was a great opening! MK was not crowded at allwe rode Splash Mountain with no wait and Big Thunder Mountain with a 5- minute wait. But today and for the rest of the week, the weather was beginning to get hot and a little humid. Jessica rode on Cinderellas horse (has a gold ribbon on the tail) on the carousel with Mary Poppins on the horse next to her. While at the castle, Cinderella was standing on the balcony in back of the castle waving to everyone. We were able to find a spot on the railroad hub just minutes prior to the start of the parade. It was a great viewing spot. We rode the Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room and a few other rides. Next time you visit The Haunted Mansion, in the room with the piano playing, look down and see the shadow of the ghost thats playing it. We had dinner at Chef Mickeys, one of our favorites. It was a good night as they not only had the prime rib but catfish, ribs, turkey, chicken and a great pasta dish with white garlic sauce. As usual, it was delicious! I handed Jessica an envelope with Surprise #1a brochure of spa treatments from the Saratoga Springs, formerly the Disney Institute. I had made reservations for her to get a 80- minute Swedish massage, a spa pedicure and a manicure on Sunday morning. Jessica was very surprised as neither one of us had ever gotten any type of spa treatment. We heard a loud noise while getting ready for bed that night and realized that it was the fireworks at MKwe watched them from our patio. That is when Jessica put her arm around me and I just smiled to myself and realized how good life is!
Sunday- Complimentary taxi vouchers are provided for WDW resort guests to the spa. We got there about 8:30 and Jessica slipped on her provided robe and slippers. I could tell she was beginning to feel like a princess. I was required to be with her at every moment to include in the locker room. One of the lockers had a window instead of a door which belonged to Minnie. Inside the locker was her dress, hair bow and some pictures of Mickey. It was so cute! All went well and Jessica felt both good and tired after her treatments. It was so quiet during that three hours that I could not wait to get to the parks! I asked the cab driver if he could take us to MGM instead of back to the Contemporary and he agreed to do so. We had a great lunch at The Brown Derby. We used two Vacation Kingdom Lunch vouchers. I ordered the Portobello mushroom cheese ravioli appetizer and Jessica ordered the chicken quesadilla appetizer. For the main course, we both ordered the NY strip steak and shrimp. For dessert, we shared the white chocolate cheesecake and grapefruit cake. The check came to $93 which included tax and tip-we saved $33. We used fast passes at the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show and were asked if we wanted to sit on the Fastest Finger seats as we were walking into the building. Of course, we agreed! Those seats are a lot more comfortable than the audience seats. The line for Rock n Roller was too long but we did ride on the Tower of Terror. We had dinner at another one of our favorites-Ohanas at the Polynesian. I didnt remember the pieces of meat as being as big as they were. We had never tried the peanut sauce and we both agreed that it was very good! Besides the pineapple and caramel dessert that comes with the dinner, I ordered the chocolate mousse which was sooo good! Surprise #2I handed Jessica an envelope with the Swan and Dolphin Resort brochure. We had mentioned once during a previous trip that it would be nice to stay there since our favorite parks are MGM and Epcot. From these boards, I had learned that I could get the government rate at the Swan.
Monday-Our day to check out of the Contemporary and into the Swan. We had breakfast at Trails End, Fort Wilderness for only $10 each which included unlimited drinks. What a deal! We try to eat there at least once every trip. Since we had until 11 am to check out of the Contemporary, we visited the petting zoo and watched the blacksmith for a few minutes. Jessica rented a water mouse for an hour at the Contemporary which she enjoyed very much while I sat by the pool and planned out the rest of our day. We took a cab to the Swan (about $12) and luckily got one of the refurnished rooms-beautiful! The view was directly facing the Dolphin across the walkway. It was room 506 and while there was no balcony, the window was huge. We had lunch at Beaches and Cream with a QC voucher and off to Epcot. I couldnt wait to see the Mime in France. We would end up seeing him 6-7 times during the week! Got to hear the British Invasion in the United Kingdom. Love those Beatles songs! Maureen from these boards had invited us to share their Illuminations Cruise with them so we met them at the Boardwalk. They were a wonderful family. The cruise driver told jokes during the hour ride and we watched IllumiNations under the bridge near France. This was Surprise #3 for Jessica. We had a light dinner of pizza on the Boardwalk which good. We never walked from MGM or Epcot back to the Swan since by the end of each day, we were both usually too tired.
Tuesday-The beds at the Swan were very comfortable. The down blanket was so thick! We felt like we were sleeping on a cloud. Each night we returned to our room, our bed was turned down and some chocolates were left on the pillow. Surprise #4 (and last surprise) was our taking the tour Wild by Design at AK, Jessicas favorite park. It was very interesting and our guide, Paul, was very good. You could tell that he really loved AK and his job. After the tour, we had rotisserie chicken and a turkey wrap at Tusker House. The carrot and chocolate cakes were delicious. We saw Tarzan Rocks and The Lion King show, rode on the Kilimanjaro Safari and the Dinosaur ride which was too bumpy for me. Dinner was at Bomas. It was okay-just too spicy for us. The zebra cakes were very good as well as the other desserts! We took the last of our energy and took the bus to Downtown Disney for a visit to The World of Disney and Once Upon a Toy Store. The heat slowed us down a little during our whole trip. It was also starting to get crowded in the parks now.
Wednesday-Breakfast at Cape May, Beach Club. Had Krispy Kreme donuts on the buffet. Took the boat to MGM where we watched the Streetmosphere characters. They are one of the best things, in my opinion, at MGM. Saw the Little Mermaid show and watched the Army Men. Took the boat to Epcot and had lunch at Mitsukoshi, Japan, Epcot. We used one Vacation Kingdom Lunch voucher. I ordered the shrimp appetizer and steak and lobster for the main course. Dessert was the chestnut cake. Total bill with tax and tip came to $40, saving us $10. I paid for Jessicas meal of steak and chicken with cash. We shared the appetizer and dessert. We have never eaten at a Japanese restaurant so that was a first for us. We had an entertaining chef and the meal was fun. We saw the Balancing Act and the Mime in France. They are both so funny! Test Track and Journey into Imagination was down due to a power surge. We went back to the Swan and went swimming.
Thursday-Got to MK about 8:30 am since it was an early entry day. It was busy that day. The line for Space Mountain was long so we got a fast pass and rode it later in the day. Our last ride at MK was the Railroad where we rode around the park for one whole trip without getting off. Our lunch was planned for LOriginale Alfredo of Rome, Italy, Epcot. We were able to order the antipasti, a bottle of water, soda, a pork dish and dessert using one voucher. My meal came to $76, saving us $46! The waitress even asked me if I wanted to order a glass of wine! The meal and service was wonderful. Saw the mime again and took the boat back to MGM to see Fantasmic! For the first time, we seat in the front row. It was definitely a great view. We had gotten there about 45 minutes early. After the show, the line for the boat back to the Swan was sooo long so we decided to slowly walk back. I was starting to get a blister by now so we ended up taking a cab for $6 and $4 tip to Beach Club where we had a snack at Beaches and Cream. That was the best $10 I spent in a long time!
Friday-Our last day was to be spent at MGM and Epcot since we were so close to them. It stated to rain in the middle of the day so we got to see Millionaire three times in a row using the Fastpass. We again sat on the main floor in the comfortable seats. At one point, the audience started doing the wave. There were some Spring Breakers in the group that started it. We had lunch at Prime Time but our waiter was not very entertaining. We had planned on eating at Le Cellier Steakhouse, Canada, Epcot, but still wanted to see the Beauty and the Beast show in MGM. I had the fried chicken and Jessica had the pot roast. We used our last two Vacation Kingdom Lunch vouchers, saving only $1. We saw Beauty and the Beast, and as usual, it was outstanding. Back to Epcot to ride on Test Track but the line was about an one hour long wait. Ended our night at Epcot to see for the last time, who else? The Mime!!!
Saturday-Had breakfast at the Garden Grove Café at the Swanlots of food to include made-to-order omelets and eggs benedict. We fed the last of the crackers to the ducks and fish. Hector picked us up and I volunteered at the counter to get bumped for a later flight. We were not bumped. In Texas, we did volunteer and were bumped twice, waiting an extra three hours, but earning $400 each in vouchers! Plus we got to fly to Kansas City first class! We have never flew first class so I told Jessica that was her fifth and final surprise!
<font size="4">Attractions We Visited</font>
Magic Kingdom
WDW Railroad
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin
Transit Authority
Cinderellas Golden Carrousel
The Enchanted Tiki Room
The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
The Haunted Mansion
Jungle Cruise
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pans Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Tow Sawyer Island
MGM
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
Fantasmic!
Muppet Vision 4D
Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Voyage of The Little Mermaid
Walt Disney: One Mans Dream
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Play It!
Epcot
World Showcase
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Spaceship Earth
Animal Kingdom
DINOSAUR
Festival of the Lion King
Its Tough to be a Bug!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Primeval Whirl
Tarzan Rocks!
The Tree of Life
<font size="4">Tips</font>
* My Mickey Mouse watch broke during the trip-try to bring at least two cheap watches with you. I had four watches on my dresser at home that cost $5 each. I purchased another Mickey watch in one of the parks for $30.
* Get some more Connections vouchersespecially the Vacation Kingdom Lunch vouchers. I figured we saved about $135, saving the most at LOriginale Alfredo, Epcot. It was nice ordering appetizers where we may not have without the vouchers.
* The Contemporary didnt have a sleep timer on the TV but the Swan did which we liked.
* The Contemporary had a free Disney Magazine in the room
* Since water in the mini bar at the Swan cost $2.50 and I didnt see any soda machines, next trip we will use the grocery stop with Tiffany Town car and purchase water and soda
* If you take a nap at the Swan during the day, put out the Do Not Disturb sign as the mini-bar staff member comes around during the day to take inventory.
* The Dolphin had ironing boards and irons in the laundry room. If you must iron, it would be a good time to do it while you do the laundry. I couldn't understand why the Swan didnt have a laundry room, all it would take is one room. I thought it looked and felt tacky walking across the walkway from the Dolphin to the Swan carrying damp shirts and a laundry bag!
* Next trip, we will go on another tour in one of parks.
* Make a list of the attractions that you really want to do and do those early in your trip. It looks like my list was a little too long so it was a little disappointing that we didnt do it all. For our next trip, the list will be a lot shorter.
* Next trip were going to schedule a non-park day for sleeping in late, swimming, visiting Downtown, strolling the Boardwalk, boating, eating at Trails End, etc, etc. This way we wont rush all these things just so we could get to the parks!
* I purchased two music CDsDisneys Magic in the Streets which has music from MKs Share a Dream Come True Parade, MGMs Disney Stars and Motorcars Parade Medley, and AKs Mickeys Jammin Jungle Parade and Where Magic Lives which has music beginning with All Aboard! from the Railroad to Fantasy in the Sky with Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me), Impressions de France and Be Our Guest for a total of 20 songs in between. Great music!
* The X-ray machine at the airport, according to the screener, damages film 800 speed and higher. I mailed our film home in two different padded envelopes.
* Keep putting our names on the bumping list at the airport.
* We used to return home the day before we had to return back to work and school. Since I was hoping to get bumped, we left WDW on Saturday instead of Sunday. It was a good idea since we were not only able to rest on Sunday but we had a chance to reflect on our trip.
Feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them at the best of my ability.
<img src="http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/f25ef718/bc/Vacation/__tn_tree+of+life.jpg?bcbRNi.Akep87WSE"border="0">
Tree of Life! Wonderful view.
<img src="http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/f25ef718/bc/Vacation/__tn_safari.jpg?bcbRNi.AJuYGofw2"border="0">
From the moving Kilimanjaro Safaris van! Great capture.
__________________
Jodi
Background: Mom and daughter, Jessica, age 16, taking our 9th trip to WDW. We were there from Friday to Saturday, 14-22 March. Since Shades of Green was closed, we stayed at the Contemporary for three nights ($89 per night at military rate) and the Swan for five nights ($129 per night at government rate) all at military rate. Our last trip was Spring 2001. I wanted to make this trip special for my daughter so I tried to come up with as many surprises as I could think of and could afford for her. We no longer bring a video camera with us nor do we carry a camera with us every day to the parks. We do bring a camera at once to each park during our trips. Its more important for me to spend time together with my daughter and not spend it looking through a video or camera lenses. I did not keep good enough notes of our trip to include how much waiting time each ride was, everything we ate, etc, etc. Again, I just wanted to have a great time with my daughter.
Trip Report Index:
<b>Day By Day</b> Read about our daily plans and how they all went
<b>Attractions</b> All the rides or places we visited WITHIN the parks
<b>Tips</b> For ourselves and you, just random bits of information
<font size="4">Day By Day</font>
Friday-Hector from Tiffany Towncar picked us up about 7 pm in Orlando and off to Contemporary we went. Our room was on the ground floor of the North Wing. I didnt care for the deco of the room but the bed was nice and firm. Our view was of the lake - not of Magic Kingdom - but still a nice view. Three ducks came to our patio door one morning and I fed them crackers that I had brought for them.
Saturday-Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian. We got to MK early enough to see the singers, dancers and characters show up on the train and sing and dance for us. It was a great opening! MK was not crowded at allwe rode Splash Mountain with no wait and Big Thunder Mountain with a 5- minute wait. But today and for the rest of the week, the weather was beginning to get hot and a little humid. Jessica rode on Cinderellas horse (has a gold ribbon on the tail) on the carousel with Mary Poppins on the horse next to her. While at the castle, Cinderella was standing on the balcony in back of the castle waving to everyone. We were able to find a spot on the railroad hub just minutes prior to the start of the parade. It was a great viewing spot. We rode the Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room and a few other rides. Next time you visit The Haunted Mansion, in the room with the piano playing, look down and see the shadow of the ghost thats playing it. We had dinner at Chef Mickeys, one of our favorites. It was a good night as they not only had the prime rib but catfish, ribs, turkey, chicken and a great pasta dish with white garlic sauce. As usual, it was delicious! I handed Jessica an envelope with Surprise #1a brochure of spa treatments from the Saratoga Springs, formerly the Disney Institute. I had made reservations for her to get a 80- minute Swedish massage, a spa pedicure and a manicure on Sunday morning. Jessica was very surprised as neither one of us had ever gotten any type of spa treatment. We heard a loud noise while getting ready for bed that night and realized that it was the fireworks at MKwe watched them from our patio. That is when Jessica put her arm around me and I just smiled to myself and realized how good life is!
Sunday- Complimentary taxi vouchers are provided for WDW resort guests to the spa. We got there about 8:30 and Jessica slipped on her provided robe and slippers. I could tell she was beginning to feel like a princess. I was required to be with her at every moment to include in the locker room. One of the lockers had a window instead of a door which belonged to Minnie. Inside the locker was her dress, hair bow and some pictures of Mickey. It was so cute! All went well and Jessica felt both good and tired after her treatments. It was so quiet during that three hours that I could not wait to get to the parks! I asked the cab driver if he could take us to MGM instead of back to the Contemporary and he agreed to do so. We had a great lunch at The Brown Derby. We used two Vacation Kingdom Lunch vouchers. I ordered the Portobello mushroom cheese ravioli appetizer and Jessica ordered the chicken quesadilla appetizer. For the main course, we both ordered the NY strip steak and shrimp. For dessert, we shared the white chocolate cheesecake and grapefruit cake. The check came to $93 which included tax and tip-we saved $33. We used fast passes at the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show and were asked if we wanted to sit on the Fastest Finger seats as we were walking into the building. Of course, we agreed! Those seats are a lot more comfortable than the audience seats. The line for Rock n Roller was too long but we did ride on the Tower of Terror. We had dinner at another one of our favorites-Ohanas at the Polynesian. I didnt remember the pieces of meat as being as big as they were. We had never tried the peanut sauce and we both agreed that it was very good! Besides the pineapple and caramel dessert that comes with the dinner, I ordered the chocolate mousse which was sooo good! Surprise #2I handed Jessica an envelope with the Swan and Dolphin Resort brochure. We had mentioned once during a previous trip that it would be nice to stay there since our favorite parks are MGM and Epcot. From these boards, I had learned that I could get the government rate at the Swan.
Monday-Our day to check out of the Contemporary and into the Swan. We had breakfast at Trails End, Fort Wilderness for only $10 each which included unlimited drinks. What a deal! We try to eat there at least once every trip. Since we had until 11 am to check out of the Contemporary, we visited the petting zoo and watched the blacksmith for a few minutes. Jessica rented a water mouse for an hour at the Contemporary which she enjoyed very much while I sat by the pool and planned out the rest of our day. We took a cab to the Swan (about $12) and luckily got one of the refurnished rooms-beautiful! The view was directly facing the Dolphin across the walkway. It was room 506 and while there was no balcony, the window was huge. We had lunch at Beaches and Cream with a QC voucher and off to Epcot. I couldnt wait to see the Mime in France. We would end up seeing him 6-7 times during the week! Got to hear the British Invasion in the United Kingdom. Love those Beatles songs! Maureen from these boards had invited us to share their Illuminations Cruise with them so we met them at the Boardwalk. They were a wonderful family. The cruise driver told jokes during the hour ride and we watched IllumiNations under the bridge near France. This was Surprise #3 for Jessica. We had a light dinner of pizza on the Boardwalk which good. We never walked from MGM or Epcot back to the Swan since by the end of each day, we were both usually too tired.
Tuesday-The beds at the Swan were very comfortable. The down blanket was so thick! We felt like we were sleeping on a cloud. Each night we returned to our room, our bed was turned down and some chocolates were left on the pillow. Surprise #4 (and last surprise) was our taking the tour Wild by Design at AK, Jessicas favorite park. It was very interesting and our guide, Paul, was very good. You could tell that he really loved AK and his job. After the tour, we had rotisserie chicken and a turkey wrap at Tusker House. The carrot and chocolate cakes were delicious. We saw Tarzan Rocks and The Lion King show, rode on the Kilimanjaro Safari and the Dinosaur ride which was too bumpy for me. Dinner was at Bomas. It was okay-just too spicy for us. The zebra cakes were very good as well as the other desserts! We took the last of our energy and took the bus to Downtown Disney for a visit to The World of Disney and Once Upon a Toy Store. The heat slowed us down a little during our whole trip. It was also starting to get crowded in the parks now.
Wednesday-Breakfast at Cape May, Beach Club. Had Krispy Kreme donuts on the buffet. Took the boat to MGM where we watched the Streetmosphere characters. They are one of the best things, in my opinion, at MGM. Saw the Little Mermaid show and watched the Army Men. Took the boat to Epcot and had lunch at Mitsukoshi, Japan, Epcot. We used one Vacation Kingdom Lunch voucher. I ordered the shrimp appetizer and steak and lobster for the main course. Dessert was the chestnut cake. Total bill with tax and tip came to $40, saving us $10. I paid for Jessicas meal of steak and chicken with cash. We shared the appetizer and dessert. We have never eaten at a Japanese restaurant so that was a first for us. We had an entertaining chef and the meal was fun. We saw the Balancing Act and the Mime in France. They are both so funny! Test Track and Journey into Imagination was down due to a power surge. We went back to the Swan and went swimming.
Thursday-Got to MK about 8:30 am since it was an early entry day. It was busy that day. The line for Space Mountain was long so we got a fast pass and rode it later in the day. Our last ride at MK was the Railroad where we rode around the park for one whole trip without getting off. Our lunch was planned for LOriginale Alfredo of Rome, Italy, Epcot. We were able to order the antipasti, a bottle of water, soda, a pork dish and dessert using one voucher. My meal came to $76, saving us $46! The waitress even asked me if I wanted to order a glass of wine! The meal and service was wonderful. Saw the mime again and took the boat back to MGM to see Fantasmic! For the first time, we seat in the front row. It was definitely a great view. We had gotten there about 45 minutes early. After the show, the line for the boat back to the Swan was sooo long so we decided to slowly walk back. I was starting to get a blister by now so we ended up taking a cab for $6 and $4 tip to Beach Club where we had a snack at Beaches and Cream. That was the best $10 I spent in a long time!
Friday-Our last day was to be spent at MGM and Epcot since we were so close to them. It stated to rain in the middle of the day so we got to see Millionaire three times in a row using the Fastpass. We again sat on the main floor in the comfortable seats. At one point, the audience started doing the wave. There were some Spring Breakers in the group that started it. We had lunch at Prime Time but our waiter was not very entertaining. We had planned on eating at Le Cellier Steakhouse, Canada, Epcot, but still wanted to see the Beauty and the Beast show in MGM. I had the fried chicken and Jessica had the pot roast. We used our last two Vacation Kingdom Lunch vouchers, saving only $1. We saw Beauty and the Beast, and as usual, it was outstanding. Back to Epcot to ride on Test Track but the line was about an one hour long wait. Ended our night at Epcot to see for the last time, who else? The Mime!!!
Saturday-Had breakfast at the Garden Grove Café at the Swanlots of food to include made-to-order omelets and eggs benedict. We fed the last of the crackers to the ducks and fish. Hector picked us up and I volunteered at the counter to get bumped for a later flight. We were not bumped. In Texas, we did volunteer and were bumped twice, waiting an extra three hours, but earning $400 each in vouchers! Plus we got to fly to Kansas City first class! We have never flew first class so I told Jessica that was her fifth and final surprise!
<font size="4">Attractions We Visited</font>
Magic Kingdom
WDW Railroad
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin
Transit Authority
Cinderellas Golden Carrousel
The Enchanted Tiki Room
The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
The Haunted Mansion
Jungle Cruise
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pans Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Tow Sawyer Island
MGM
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
Fantasmic!
Muppet Vision 4D
Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Voyage of The Little Mermaid
Walt Disney: One Mans Dream
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Play It!
Epcot
World Showcase
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Spaceship Earth
Animal Kingdom
DINOSAUR
Festival of the Lion King
Its Tough to be a Bug!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Primeval Whirl
Tarzan Rocks!
The Tree of Life
<font size="4">Tips</font>
* My Mickey Mouse watch broke during the trip-try to bring at least two cheap watches with you. I had four watches on my dresser at home that cost $5 each. I purchased another Mickey watch in one of the parks for $30.
* Get some more Connections vouchersespecially the Vacation Kingdom Lunch vouchers. I figured we saved about $135, saving the most at LOriginale Alfredo, Epcot. It was nice ordering appetizers where we may not have without the vouchers.
* The Contemporary didnt have a sleep timer on the TV but the Swan did which we liked.
* The Contemporary had a free Disney Magazine in the room
* Since water in the mini bar at the Swan cost $2.50 and I didnt see any soda machines, next trip we will use the grocery stop with Tiffany Town car and purchase water and soda
* If you take a nap at the Swan during the day, put out the Do Not Disturb sign as the mini-bar staff member comes around during the day to take inventory.
* The Dolphin had ironing boards and irons in the laundry room. If you must iron, it would be a good time to do it while you do the laundry. I couldn't understand why the Swan didnt have a laundry room, all it would take is one room. I thought it looked and felt tacky walking across the walkway from the Dolphin to the Swan carrying damp shirts and a laundry bag!
* Next trip, we will go on another tour in one of parks.
* Make a list of the attractions that you really want to do and do those early in your trip. It looks like my list was a little too long so it was a little disappointing that we didnt do it all. For our next trip, the list will be a lot shorter.
* Next trip were going to schedule a non-park day for sleeping in late, swimming, visiting Downtown, strolling the Boardwalk, boating, eating at Trails End, etc, etc. This way we wont rush all these things just so we could get to the parks!
* I purchased two music CDsDisneys Magic in the Streets which has music from MKs Share a Dream Come True Parade, MGMs Disney Stars and Motorcars Parade Medley, and AKs Mickeys Jammin Jungle Parade and Where Magic Lives which has music beginning with All Aboard! from the Railroad to Fantasy in the Sky with Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me), Impressions de France and Be Our Guest for a total of 20 songs in between. Great music!
* The X-ray machine at the airport, according to the screener, damages film 800 speed and higher. I mailed our film home in two different padded envelopes.
* Keep putting our names on the bumping list at the airport.
* We used to return home the day before we had to return back to work and school. Since I was hoping to get bumped, we left WDW on Saturday instead of Sunday. It was a good idea since we were not only able to rest on Sunday but we had a chance to reflect on our trip.
Feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them at the best of my ability.
<img src="http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/f25ef718/bc/Vacation/__tn_tree+of+life.jpg?bcbRNi.Akep87WSE"border="0">
Tree of Life! Wonderful view.
<img src="http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/f25ef718/bc/Vacation/__tn_safari.jpg?bcbRNi.AJuYGofw2"border="0">
From the moving Kilimanjaro Safaris van! Great capture.
__________________
Jodi
I really enjoyed it and it sounds like you both had a great time. Thanks for sharing all the little details and welcome back
