suevee
<font color=red>I am in a frenzy!<br><font color=r
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2000
- Messages
- 2,227
I started out writing daily trip reports, but things are starting to blur. It was all so wonderful! But, I thought there were some things about our trip that might be helpful to others.
First -the weather- be prepared for everything. This trip we definitely packed everything including the kitchen sink. And we were glad we did! The weather went from 40's in the night to 83 degrees in the day. Some days were cloudy, some drizzly, and some great! Big lesson here was if swimming is important to your family and you have a nice day - change your plans for the day to take advantage of the pool. We did and don't regret it one bit. We had three great pool days out of ten. It relaxed us and made the trip even more special for the kids.
Second-the parks- check out where the cheerleaders are!!!
I mistakenly schedualed our day at MGM with the cheerleaders. The girls were great, but the park was crowded!!! In fact over all I found the parks more crowded than last year when we went at the end of February, but not as crowded as June. EE mornings really were worth it at MK for our group. The kids went on ride after ride with practically no waits. Big lesson here was be aware of big groups visiting specific parks.
Third - the restaurants - We had a PS almost every day. And we were glad we did. The one day we didn't towards the end of the trip we couldn't find a restaurant open in MGM, so we went to Konas at the Poly. Overall quality was good, with a big disappointment in food quality at dinner at Chef Mickey's. Last time we went I said I wouldn't be back here....but....my granddaughter requested it for our last dinner. Our to DO list restaurants are: O'hanas, Kona's, Chystal Palace Breakfast, Le Cellier, Hollywood and Vine, Concourse Steakhouse and Beaches and Cream (with vouchers). Our so-so list was Rainforest Cafe at AK. Our newbies were lunches at the Wilderness Lodge, Liberty Tree Tavern and Tusker House at AK, all good. Our Disappointments were Chef Mickey's. Our wanted to do but missed this time were Sci-Fi, Trail's End Buffetaria, and Narcosees. Big Lesson here is don't expect great food with characters, except if you are big breakfast eaters.
Fourth - your schedual - Know what you want to do and what kind of rides you like and plan accordingly. Have a basic idea of the layout of the park before you go. This is a time saver. The place is so big and overwhelming that if you don't plan, you may feel lost. That being said, feel free to dump those plans if something better comes along. Our second night we had planned to go to Epcot for Illuminations, but dinner took longer than expected because the kids were having such fun. So we dumped our plans for Epcot, went to MK to see Fireworks at 7pm. then back to resort for late night swimming. Kids were very happy and had a better time than being dragged to Epcot. We went to Epcot later and had a blast! Big Lesson here is structure is good as long as you don't structure the fun. Be flexible.
Fifth - the resorts - Take the time to enjoy your resort. I know most people spend little time at their resorts... but if you are staying longer than a few days the resort can offer a very relaxing alternative to the parks. Part of the best times of this trip was reading by the pools in the sun while the children played. Also watching MK fireworks from the pool at the Poly is beyond belief. Big Lesson here was go commando in the morning then lay back and mellow the rest of the the day. The best of both worlds.
Sixth - Magical Moments- One magical day I will always remember was taking my granddaughter (age 8) around Epcot. Poppy pooped out around 1pm and went back to the resort after lunch(he had a headache) So DGD and I decided to stay just a "few more hours" and we ended up closing down the park. We visited all the Epcot stations, sampled various fare from different countries, shopped a little, checked out the sidewalk entertainers, and watched those movies no one else in our group ever wanted to watch.
The second most magical time of our trip was watching our DGD cross the line from IASW to Dinasaurs. She has always been hesitant to do any "big" rides (just like her grandmother) but this time she was ready to start riding on the rides I can't do!!! She was so proud of herself. Before she has always hung with me, which is nice for me but a little tame for her. Now she is ready to fly with the others. Big Lesson here is the marvel of watching a child try new things without fear is the most precious gift of all. It is a big relief to know that my own personal fear of heights and speed won't hold her back from having fun with her peers.
Next time we go in February I believe we will go the last part of the month. I believe the crowds in February will vary because of the Cheerleaders, Daytona, Mardi Gras, and early spring breaks as well as various conventions, but the weather would probably be better at the end of the month. However, if offered an opportunity to go to WDW, I would not turn it down no matter what time of the year!!!
First -the weather- be prepared for everything. This trip we definitely packed everything including the kitchen sink. And we were glad we did! The weather went from 40's in the night to 83 degrees in the day. Some days were cloudy, some drizzly, and some great! Big lesson here was if swimming is important to your family and you have a nice day - change your plans for the day to take advantage of the pool. We did and don't regret it one bit. We had three great pool days out of ten. It relaxed us and made the trip even more special for the kids.
Second-the parks- check out where the cheerleaders are!!!
I mistakenly schedualed our day at MGM with the cheerleaders. The girls were great, but the park was crowded!!! In fact over all I found the parks more crowded than last year when we went at the end of February, but not as crowded as June. EE mornings really were worth it at MK for our group. The kids went on ride after ride with practically no waits. Big lesson here was be aware of big groups visiting specific parks.Third - the restaurants - We had a PS almost every day. And we were glad we did. The one day we didn't towards the end of the trip we couldn't find a restaurant open in MGM, so we went to Konas at the Poly. Overall quality was good, with a big disappointment in food quality at dinner at Chef Mickey's. Last time we went I said I wouldn't be back here....but....my granddaughter requested it for our last dinner. Our to DO list restaurants are: O'hanas, Kona's, Chystal Palace Breakfast, Le Cellier, Hollywood and Vine, Concourse Steakhouse and Beaches and Cream (with vouchers). Our so-so list was Rainforest Cafe at AK. Our newbies were lunches at the Wilderness Lodge, Liberty Tree Tavern and Tusker House at AK, all good. Our Disappointments were Chef Mickey's. Our wanted to do but missed this time were Sci-Fi, Trail's End Buffetaria, and Narcosees. Big Lesson here is don't expect great food with characters, except if you are big breakfast eaters.
Fourth - your schedual - Know what you want to do and what kind of rides you like and plan accordingly. Have a basic idea of the layout of the park before you go. This is a time saver. The place is so big and overwhelming that if you don't plan, you may feel lost. That being said, feel free to dump those plans if something better comes along. Our second night we had planned to go to Epcot for Illuminations, but dinner took longer than expected because the kids were having such fun. So we dumped our plans for Epcot, went to MK to see Fireworks at 7pm. then back to resort for late night swimming. Kids were very happy and had a better time than being dragged to Epcot. We went to Epcot later and had a blast! Big Lesson here is structure is good as long as you don't structure the fun. Be flexible.
Fifth - the resorts - Take the time to enjoy your resort. I know most people spend little time at their resorts... but if you are staying longer than a few days the resort can offer a very relaxing alternative to the parks. Part of the best times of this trip was reading by the pools in the sun while the children played. Also watching MK fireworks from the pool at the Poly is beyond belief. Big Lesson here was go commando in the morning then lay back and mellow the rest of the the day. The best of both worlds.
Sixth - Magical Moments- One magical day I will always remember was taking my granddaughter (age 8) around Epcot. Poppy pooped out around 1pm and went back to the resort after lunch(he had a headache) So DGD and I decided to stay just a "few more hours" and we ended up closing down the park. We visited all the Epcot stations, sampled various fare from different countries, shopped a little, checked out the sidewalk entertainers, and watched those movies no one else in our group ever wanted to watch.
The second most magical time of our trip was watching our DGD cross the line from IASW to Dinasaurs. She has always been hesitant to do any "big" rides (just like her grandmother) but this time she was ready to start riding on the rides I can't do!!! She was so proud of herself. Before she has always hung with me, which is nice for me but a little tame for her. Now she is ready to fly with the others. Big Lesson here is the marvel of watching a child try new things without fear is the most precious gift of all. It is a big relief to know that my own personal fear of heights and speed won't hold her back from having fun with her peers.
Next time we go in February I believe we will go the last part of the month. I believe the crowds in February will vary because of the Cheerleaders, Daytona, Mardi Gras, and early spring breaks as well as various conventions, but the weather would probably be better at the end of the month. However, if offered an opportunity to go to WDW, I would not turn it down no matter what time of the year!!!
