lklasing
Told that I need DA meetings - Disney Anonymous
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
- Messages
- 1,658
Alright Ive never done anything like write a trip report before. I barely wrote book reports in school. But, Ive gotten so much from reading on the Disboards that really benefited us on our trip and the trip itself was so incredible, that I thought Id give a report a try, both for posting here as well as just to have something to always remember how great the trip actually was. So here goes
Who (the names have been changed to protect the innocent and not so innocent):
Me 40 years old went to WDW several times as a kid with family, and then skipped several decades till we started taking the kiddos. Severe case of OCD, which works great for planning WDW trips. In addition, I have been told that I have limitless energy, which works great in implementing WDW trips!
DH Ray 46 years old pretty much same WDW history as me. He always stayed at the Poly as a kid, so thats where we always stay now. No OCD, not nearly as much non-stop energy/craziness as me, but thats what makes us do well together. Weve been married 14 years.
DD Danielle 10 years old High energy, fun girl, proud of being a tween. Loves to bring her favorite dolls and stuffed animals to WDW with the hope that Mousekeeping will arrange them in fun ways while were gone. (It happened most days this trip, though we didnt get any towel animals.)
DD Jodi 8 years old Very cool, laid-back kid with lots of deep thoughts. She takes after Ray in that she enjoys relaxing more than her sister and me. A great collector of anything collectible stickers, Star Wars stuff, rocks, you name it shes got it.
My brother Earl 34 years old Great guy we are exceptionally close. This is our first trip to do together with our kids, but we knew it would work out great. We are lucky to live near each other in the town where we grew up, so we spend a lot of weekend time together with all the kids.
SIL Leigh 35 years old Very fun. She and Earl had their 7-year anniversary on the last day of our trip. Leigh and I have a lot in common lots of energy, lots of planning, lots of excitement. She and I started working together on this trip last August. She and Earl had been together to WDW a couple of years ago on business, but this is their first time to take any kids, which takes us to
My nephew Evan 4 ½ years old. Adorable boy on his first trip to the World. He is BIG into Power Rangers, so that was definitely going to be a big thrust of their trip. He is very much adored by his cousins. We were all so excited about getting to see WDW from the eyes of a little kid again, and he didnt let us down!
(And, last but definitely not least, little Elise 1 year old. A sweetheart of a girl, but alas, she didnt get to go. Everyone has differing opinions about this issue, but Earl and Leigh decided that she would have to wait until she was a little older for her first trip, a decision I fully endorsed. She stayed home with two sets of adoring grandparents.)
When May 2-6, 2007
Where The two families split up we stayed at the Poly, GV concierge, and they stayed at the WL. While Ill obviously have a lot more to say about the Poly than the WL, feel free to fire me questions about either resort Ill get any needed intel from Leigh about WL. (For the record, they loved it and would definitely stay there again!)
Day One Wednesday, May 2 Were all on the same early morning flight. Somehow, the planets must have aligned perfectly, because the travel went off without a hitch.
It was Evans first plane ride (at least that he could remember I think he went on one before), so he was quite the ball of excitement. We were all sitting near each other, so my girls had lots of fun checking out Evans reactions to everything. We landed at MCO right on time and took the tram to the main building. Then, down the escalator, where we happily found our driver waiting on us. 
We used Sunray and it was perfect. Our driver was a very nice guy who helped us get a porter and then went to get the van. I just love it when someones waiting for you when you arrive. I know we could have done it cheaper (free!) if we had used Magical Express, but getting our own transportation has always worked out great for us, so why stop now? Plus, with two families, it was very reasonable. Id definitely use Sunray again.
Jodi in the van
After a quick stop at the Publix (thanks, Leigh, for not killing my husband by shopping for the full 30 minutes!
), we were off to the resorts. First a stop at the WL to drop off Earl, Leigh and Evan (who we heard as he first walked into the WL saying, Where are the toys?), then on to the Poly. We just absolutely love it there. We were greeted by the bell staff with all the right Alohas, then whisked off to Hawaii via the fun golf cart thing, where our room was ready, and it wasnt even 11:00 a.m.! 
I did try to upgrade to LV, having changed my mind about the view in the last couple of weeks, but they had 2 nights when it wasnt available and I wasnt inclined to change rooms mid-trip.
The room (1533) was perfect! (Well, almost perfect it had a few issues (wobbly shower head, leak in sink that they quickly fixed problems that werent big problems.) Weve stayed there before, but not since the renovation, so we were delighted. It didnt occur to me that I didnt take any pictures of the room till right now as Im writing this, but the good news is that the room looked exactly like all the pictures of Poly rooms Ive seen all over the internet, so you can figure out what it looks like.
It was our first time to be on the first floor and we really loved having the patio. No more second floor for us!
I really felt compelled to go ahead and unpack as I cant stand to have suitcases laying (lying? I never could figure out which one it is) around, but I tried to restrain myself so we could start having big fun. Plus, Ray was hungry and everyone else was rapidly getting that way too. So, off we go on a monorail ride to the MK! The girls have their pin lanyards ready to go and these hats we got this year. Danielles is just plain white, but Jodis is this odd thing I got at the Target that, unfortunately, covers too much of her face. I regret not figuring this out for all our Photopass pictures till the last day or so. Here are my girls and me as we arrive, thankfully with no hats!
Note the Baggalini I guess now is as good a time as any to fill you in about that. Thanks to several recommendations here, I got one from Amazon, about $30, and really loved it! It was just the right size. In past trips, I have carried more to the parks than I did this time, mainly due to having a smaller bag this time, but that really was a good thing! After 9 months planning (including Disboards, TGMike, the EZ Fun Guide, etc.), do I really need to lug my big ol Unofficial Guide with me every day? Apparently not, and not having it was quite liberating. Plus, my index cards with all my important info fit perfectly, plus my phone, Blackberry (not used for work this trip, but rather to communicate with Earl and Leigh), wallet, camera, and everything else I couldnt live without. I will note, though, that while I loved the Baggalini, it didnt work out so well for Leigh. It didnt fit her right (maybe because shes shorter than me?) and didnt hold all their stuff they had a change of clothes for Evan that apparently took up too much room. Other than Leighs discontent, the only negative I would say about the bag is that the metal buckle right above the cell phone holder part hit right on my collar bone. It was fine the whole way through until our last day, when it really started hurting. Up until then, though, it was perfect for me, and Ill definitely be using it again!
After an almost walk-on ride on Splash Mountain (really there was hardly any wait and it was noon! I love early May!),
we did lunch. I had heard good things about Pecos Bills and it didnt disappoint. Very good fixins bar, by the way. Jodi was happy with her lunch
while Danielle was more concerned about planning our next move.
Then, off to BTMRR with our FPs. We probably could have just skipped doing the FP as the line wasnt long, but it worked out fine. Then, we hit the Haunted Mansion, which we all love. Again, no line at all.
Then we headed to the biggie, at least for Danielle Space Mountain! On the way I tried to get them on IASM, but my girls have decided they wont fall for that again. Even though Danielle loves dolls, theyre both so down on having that song sung to them time after time, I dont think Ill ever get them back in there! 
We also thought about riding Peter Pan, but the line was too long.
Anyway, we get to Space Mountain and drum roll, please WALK ON!
Again, I loooooooove early May! It was Jodis first time to ride it. Her first two trips she was not up for the daredevil stuff, but now that shes practically an adult at age 8 
, she was up for the challenge. I wouldnt say she loved it, but she didnt hate it either. Then, it was time for some ice cream (had to start using up those snack credits! 
) and then on to Buzz. Again, little to no line. Ray won the family point contest by a mile, as he always does.
After so much good luck on our first day, we didnt want to jinx our good luck any more so we headed back to the Poly for one of our favorite vacation activities: POOL TIME! But before I get to the pool time, Ill tell you that I forced the family to ride the boat back to the Poly. Im mean that way. They love the monorail and I do too, but last trip we never took the boat and I love the water, so I forced the issue this time. I promised them it would be the one and only time wed ride the boat, and I meant it. But, fate actually had another plan.
: (Stay tuned for more on that one!) Anyway, we got back and suited up. Gotta love the volcano pool! It was busy, but not packed, and we were lucky to get to a shady table at just the moment someone else was leaving it. So we played for quite a while, feeling very proud of having so much fun time on a travel day. Then, the girls and I cleaned up and headed to the GCH for one of their other favorite vacation activities: gift shop time. . Interestingly, this is Rays least favorite vacation activity, so therein lies the rub. How to juggle two girls that, maybe just because they are girls, have a serious need to shop and spend some of the money theyve been saving for most of a year, and at the same time keep DH happy? I tried to find the answer this whole trip, but didnt, so if you know make sure to tell me! Anyway, we hit both Poly gift shops for a while and then checked in for our dinner at Ohana. Since Ray had now arrived and it was going to be a while for our table (we were a little early for our ADR, but people were already waiting), Ray and I hopped up to the bar for a quick drink before dinner. 
When it was our turn, we were seated at a great window table. Our waiter (Ron?) was great and very sweet to the girls. He even got Danielle excited about participating in the coconut races, and shes usually not into that stuff anymore.
The food was very good and Im very glad we ate there, but it probably wont become a must-do restaurant for us every trip. Of our four big dinners, Ohana ranks fourth, but only because we ate at some incredible places! Anyway, very happy with our dinner, we headed back for a night swim.
After that, we had dessert in the concierge lounge (love Chef Dicks desserts!), had one more glass of wine, and then hit the hay, dreaming about a magical day on the horizon.
Up next: Now which park were we going to today??
Who (the names have been changed to protect the innocent and not so innocent):
Me 40 years old went to WDW several times as a kid with family, and then skipped several decades till we started taking the kiddos. Severe case of OCD, which works great for planning WDW trips. In addition, I have been told that I have limitless energy, which works great in implementing WDW trips!
DH Ray 46 years old pretty much same WDW history as me. He always stayed at the Poly as a kid, so thats where we always stay now. No OCD, not nearly as much non-stop energy/craziness as me, but thats what makes us do well together. Weve been married 14 years.
DD Danielle 10 years old High energy, fun girl, proud of being a tween. Loves to bring her favorite dolls and stuffed animals to WDW with the hope that Mousekeeping will arrange them in fun ways while were gone. (It happened most days this trip, though we didnt get any towel animals.)
DD Jodi 8 years old Very cool, laid-back kid with lots of deep thoughts. She takes after Ray in that she enjoys relaxing more than her sister and me. A great collector of anything collectible stickers, Star Wars stuff, rocks, you name it shes got it.
My brother Earl 34 years old Great guy we are exceptionally close. This is our first trip to do together with our kids, but we knew it would work out great. We are lucky to live near each other in the town where we grew up, so we spend a lot of weekend time together with all the kids.
SIL Leigh 35 years old Very fun. She and Earl had their 7-year anniversary on the last day of our trip. Leigh and I have a lot in common lots of energy, lots of planning, lots of excitement. She and I started working together on this trip last August. She and Earl had been together to WDW a couple of years ago on business, but this is their first time to take any kids, which takes us to
My nephew Evan 4 ½ years old. Adorable boy on his first trip to the World. He is BIG into Power Rangers, so that was definitely going to be a big thrust of their trip. He is very much adored by his cousins. We were all so excited about getting to see WDW from the eyes of a little kid again, and he didnt let us down!
(And, last but definitely not least, little Elise 1 year old. A sweetheart of a girl, but alas, she didnt get to go. Everyone has differing opinions about this issue, but Earl and Leigh decided that she would have to wait until she was a little older for her first trip, a decision I fully endorsed. She stayed home with two sets of adoring grandparents.)
When May 2-6, 2007
Where The two families split up we stayed at the Poly, GV concierge, and they stayed at the WL. While Ill obviously have a lot more to say about the Poly than the WL, feel free to fire me questions about either resort Ill get any needed intel from Leigh about WL. (For the record, they loved it and would definitely stay there again!)
Day One Wednesday, May 2 Were all on the same early morning flight. Somehow, the planets must have aligned perfectly, because the travel went off without a hitch.
It was Evans first plane ride (at least that he could remember I think he went on one before), so he was quite the ball of excitement. We were all sitting near each other, so my girls had lots of fun checking out Evans reactions to everything. We landed at MCO right on time and took the tram to the main building. Then, down the escalator, where we happily found our driver waiting on us. We used Sunray and it was perfect. Our driver was a very nice guy who helped us get a porter and then went to get the van. I just love it when someones waiting for you when you arrive. I know we could have done it cheaper (free!) if we had used Magical Express, but getting our own transportation has always worked out great for us, so why stop now? Plus, with two families, it was very reasonable. Id definitely use Sunray again.
Jodi in the van
After a quick stop at the Publix (thanks, Leigh, for not killing my husband by shopping for the full 30 minutes!
), we were off to the resorts. First a stop at the WL to drop off Earl, Leigh and Evan (who we heard as he first walked into the WL saying, Where are the toys?), then on to the Poly. We just absolutely love it there. We were greeted by the bell staff with all the right Alohas, then whisked off to Hawaii via the fun golf cart thing, where our room was ready, and it wasnt even 11:00 a.m.! I did try to upgrade to LV, having changed my mind about the view in the last couple of weeks, but they had 2 nights when it wasnt available and I wasnt inclined to change rooms mid-trip. The room (1533) was perfect! (Well, almost perfect it had a few issues (wobbly shower head, leak in sink that they quickly fixed problems that werent big problems.) Weve stayed there before, but not since the renovation, so we were delighted. It didnt occur to me that I didnt take any pictures of the room till right now as Im writing this, but the good news is that the room looked exactly like all the pictures of Poly rooms Ive seen all over the internet, so you can figure out what it looks like.
It was our first time to be on the first floor and we really loved having the patio. No more second floor for us!I really felt compelled to go ahead and unpack as I cant stand to have suitcases laying (lying? I never could figure out which one it is) around, but I tried to restrain myself so we could start having big fun. Plus, Ray was hungry and everyone else was rapidly getting that way too. So, off we go on a monorail ride to the MK! The girls have their pin lanyards ready to go and these hats we got this year. Danielles is just plain white, but Jodis is this odd thing I got at the Target that, unfortunately, covers too much of her face. I regret not figuring this out for all our Photopass pictures till the last day or so. Here are my girls and me as we arrive, thankfully with no hats!
Note the Baggalini I guess now is as good a time as any to fill you in about that. Thanks to several recommendations here, I got one from Amazon, about $30, and really loved it! It was just the right size. In past trips, I have carried more to the parks than I did this time, mainly due to having a smaller bag this time, but that really was a good thing! After 9 months planning (including Disboards, TGMike, the EZ Fun Guide, etc.), do I really need to lug my big ol Unofficial Guide with me every day? Apparently not, and not having it was quite liberating. Plus, my index cards with all my important info fit perfectly, plus my phone, Blackberry (not used for work this trip, but rather to communicate with Earl and Leigh), wallet, camera, and everything else I couldnt live without. I will note, though, that while I loved the Baggalini, it didnt work out so well for Leigh. It didnt fit her right (maybe because shes shorter than me?) and didnt hold all their stuff they had a change of clothes for Evan that apparently took up too much room. Other than Leighs discontent, the only negative I would say about the bag is that the metal buckle right above the cell phone holder part hit right on my collar bone. It was fine the whole way through until our last day, when it really started hurting. Up until then, though, it was perfect for me, and Ill definitely be using it again!After an almost walk-on ride on Splash Mountain (really there was hardly any wait and it was noon! I love early May!),
we did lunch. I had heard good things about Pecos Bills and it didnt disappoint. Very good fixins bar, by the way. Jodi was happy with her lunch
while Danielle was more concerned about planning our next move.
Then, off to BTMRR with our FPs. We probably could have just skipped doing the FP as the line wasnt long, but it worked out fine. Then, we hit the Haunted Mansion, which we all love. Again, no line at all.
Then we headed to the biggie, at least for Danielle Space Mountain! On the way I tried to get them on IASM, but my girls have decided they wont fall for that again. Even though Danielle loves dolls, theyre both so down on having that song sung to them time after time, I dont think Ill ever get them back in there! We also thought about riding Peter Pan, but the line was too long.Anyway, we get to Space Mountain and drum roll, please WALK ON!
Again, I loooooooove early May! It was Jodis first time to ride it. Her first two trips she was not up for the daredevil stuff, but now that shes practically an adult at age 8 , she was up for the challenge. I wouldnt say she loved it, but she didnt hate it either. Then, it was time for some ice cream (had to start using up those snack credits! ) and then on to Buzz. Again, little to no line. Ray won the family point contest by a mile, as he always does. After so much good luck on our first day, we didnt want to jinx our good luck any more so we headed back to the Poly for one of our favorite vacation activities: POOL TIME! But before I get to the pool time, Ill tell you that I forced the family to ride the boat back to the Poly. Im mean that way. They love the monorail and I do too, but last trip we never took the boat and I love the water, so I forced the issue this time. I promised them it would be the one and only time wed ride the boat, and I meant it. But, fate actually had another plan.
: (Stay tuned for more on that one!) Anyway, we got back and suited up. Gotta love the volcano pool! It was busy, but not packed, and we were lucky to get to a shady table at just the moment someone else was leaving it. So we played for quite a while, feeling very proud of having so much fun time on a travel day. Then, the girls and I cleaned up and headed to the GCH for one of their other favorite vacation activities: gift shop time. . Interestingly, this is Rays least favorite vacation activity, so therein lies the rub. How to juggle two girls that, maybe just because they are girls, have a serious need to shop and spend some of the money theyve been saving for most of a year, and at the same time keep DH happy? I tried to find the answer this whole trip, but didnt, so if you know make sure to tell me! Anyway, we hit both Poly gift shops for a while and then checked in for our dinner at Ohana. Since Ray had now arrived and it was going to be a while for our table (we were a little early for our ADR, but people were already waiting), Ray and I hopped up to the bar for a quick drink before dinner. When it was our turn, we were seated at a great window table. Our waiter (Ron?) was great and very sweet to the girls. He even got Danielle excited about participating in the coconut races, and shes usually not into that stuff anymore.
The food was very good and Im very glad we ate there, but it probably wont become a must-do restaurant for us every trip. Of our four big dinners, Ohana ranks fourth, but only because we ate at some incredible places! Anyway, very happy with our dinner, we headed back for a night swim.
After that, we had dessert in the concierge lounge (love Chef Dicks desserts!), had one more glass of wine, and then hit the hay, dreaming about a magical day on the horizon.
Up next: Now which park were we going to today??
It was very cool! We were presented a certificate with our name on it and they took our picture in front of the boat before we took off. (I know I still have that poloroid somewhere, but cant find it. 
and ride for our second time this trip. Once again, Jodi did fine, but afterward she declared she had had enough of that ride for this trip. 
That family was very luck to run into you! You were your very own Dream Team!!
