Peak, holiday season trip-crowded but great

[disneycruiser2007]

Came back yesterday after a peak season trip. Fantastic time. Magic Kingdom was packed. We weren't closed out of any parks. We went each day as early as we could. Our memories will last a lifetime for our two girls, grade school and pre-school. We had 3 generations in our family and we all loved it. There is truly something for everyone at Disney. There were strategies we felt were critical - all of the reviews we read everywhere really really helped us (informational and neutral, negative and positive) prepare for the crowds, long-lines, food planning, transportation and reservations. I was somewhat cynical and a little apprehensive about the crowd, Magic Kingdom was the most crowded, Epcot the least since it was so large. I just wanted to say kudos to Disney for being so nice to children and really trying to put little kids first at the parks. That is their strength to us. Our larger family really grew closer and was enriched by the experience. Thanks to Disney for a wonderful vacation. PS I did read about the stomache virus going around - on the Nemo ride we saw vomit from a small child who threw up in front of us, but we (from elderly to young) were all fine for the week and didn't experience a hint of illness. We did stay off-site, so most meals and snacks were self-cooked/snacks pre-packaged, and gotten from the grocery, but we ate 2 signature dinners, snacks, and at least a couple of times counter food preparations at DW. The places we ate were not at the places where problems had been reported. We did wash our hands frequently and use wipes in between. Utensils/drinking bottles were machine washed/sanitized very regularly. We also took precautions to shower/bathe etc, oral hygiene for each of us to wash of the park germs from the day. All of us had previously gotten the flu shot. Disney still has the magic to us.

 

[disneycruiser2007]

Itinerary:

1st day: Christmas Day - extended plane delay (broken, reboarded a second plane, also had mechanical problems, bumpy ride), resulting in late arrival and closure of car rental agency and condo has no restaurant. Pre-scheduled taxi/limo pick-up with meet & greet called to let know, when arrived called again and they picked up (in meantime someone there who didn't know we pre-booked said there was no way they could pick up due to business), luckily someone found our reservation and called us back to reassure us they would pick-up. Driver allowed complimentary stop to let us pick up groceries at a small grocery/semi convenient store (was willing to help us order pizza or arrange for restaurant drop-off/pick-up). Ended up overbuying and had food for the whole week and a little more.

2nd day: Epcot - due to children's issues and other items we didn't really get off to as early as we'd hoped before taking the trip, we were a little "off-schedule" from the touring guide - this was the best park although we didn't know it at the time. Spent the day trying to get Fastpasses and rides. Dinner reservations at Nine Dragons - yummy food, interesting and delicious desserts, and great seats to the Candlight Processional! Processional was very moving, singers fantastic, the speaker wonderful. If we had to use one word - Amazing.

3rd day: Magic Kingdom, bumper to bumper people, couldn't really move up main street well. Got sucked into Tomorrow land despite ourselves so ended up waiting over an hour for the Astro Orbiter, but two fast passes (one complimentarily spit out when ordering the first) worked very well. Spent other rides, e.g., Dumbo, waiting over an hour etc, and got a little separated from each other/lost. Cell phones work great (but noisy background sounds drown them out, bring ear piece). Long day, waiting til night past kids' bedtimes really didn't ease the crowds. Still had a good time overall since we knew this would be the busiest park.

4th day: Animal Kingdom - walking paths get really narrow in places and therefore increasingly crowded in the afternoon. Morning, amazingly easy to run to the safari ride. Shows were great! Loved all three. However - they fill-up fast. At night - Cinderella's Royal Table - Magic Kingdom dinner. We found the food excellent, and the show real for the girls and wonderful for the adults. The Cinderella dinner was a highlight for us.

5th day:Hollywood Studios, surprisingly this was fairly crowded too. Fast Passes run out quickly. However, we did get to see a lot (though not all we liked). Some of us returned to see the Christmas lights (terrific) and see the laser show (awesome but little kids may get scared of the really loud noises, fire lake and bad guys).

6th day: early morning stop to Soarin which we tried multiple times our first trip to Epcot w/o success. Whole family loved it. Toured countries "fly by" really quickly.

 

[disneycruiser2007]

Magic Kingdom crowd at the mid-morning show

 

[disneycruiser2007]

FASTPASS to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Magic Kingdom

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A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartache whatever you wish for you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come shining through. SpectroMagic Parade, Magic Kingdom

 

[disneycruiser2007]

[/IMG]

FASTPASS Early morning Kilamanjaro Safari, Animal Kingdom, Disney World
This is a great photo of a white rhino. He caused delays in the safari trucks because he was crossing the road.

 

[world1]

thanks for posting this- I liked the photos.

 

[vdarrell]

I see your user name is disneycruiser have you taken Disney Cruise?
We are in the process of gathering info on a Disney cruise and would love to get info from others who have.

I'm glad after such a rocky start with the plane you had a nice time and kept the germs at bay.

 

[disneycruiser2007]

vdarrell,

The seven of us went on a cruise in December 2007, on the 4-day Wonder. It was terrific. I used to be cynical, but Disney rocks! Please ask any questions, although I'm sure as a veteran you know more than we do.

Thanks for the comments.


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The above is from Hollywood Studios at the Disney Playhouse. Great for small kids, boys and girls alike.

 

[vdarrell]

vdarrell,

The seven of us went on a cruise in December 2007, on the 4-day Wonder. It was terrific. I used to be cynical, but Disney rocks! Please ask any questions, although I'm sure as a veteran you know more than we do.

Thanks for the comments.




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The above is from Hollywood Studios at the Disney Playhouse. Great for small kids, boys and girls alike.

I'm not a veteran cruiser this will be our first cruise...I'm a virgin cruiser who is gathering as much info as possible.
I will probably be taking you up on your offer...THANKS