Day 8 - Reflections and Recommendations
Cast:
PoohFanKC, 39, dad and husband (me);
DW, 39, lets me do the planning, but has veto power;
DD, 11; DS, 9; DS, 7.
Dates: June 1 - June 8, 2002
Resort: Port Orleans Riverside (Dixie Landings)
Trip: Second trip for all of us, first was in 2000.
The trip home was uneventful. Bell service showed up precisely when scheduled at 7:30 am. Thom, our towncar driver, was also right on schedule at 8:15 am. We did a little shopping at the airport Disney store since we had a lot of time to kill before the 10:45 flight. After a brief layover in Memphis, we were back in Kansas City. We were in our driveway by 4:00 pm.
Although we were sad to go, we also knew that we had packed a lot of WDW into our week. Our trip consisted of 2 days in Epcot, 1 ½ in MK, 1 day in MGM, 1 day at DQ, and a long ½ day in AK. We saw everything on our must-see list in all four parks. We also had time to rest and enjoy the experience.
As I review the trip report I have posted, I fear that it appears a little more commando-style that it really was. True, we used FP extensively to reduce our queue times. True, we saw and experienced many attractions in a relatively short amount of time. True, we were in two different parks every day. However, the time and trouble for one person (me) to go a little ahead to grab FPs for the next attraction was fairly minimal. We generally were not criss-crossing the parks just to get FPs, but were just looking ahead to the next attraction that was on the path. For example, at MK, one visit was devoted to the left side of the park and another was devoted to the right. By not ranging over the entire park, this allowed us to experience more attractions per hour of park time than most. We took out-of-park breaks every day and always switched parks, primarily to allow us to vary the pace and add variety to the day. We find the parks so very different in mood and focus that just by switching parks, the freshness of the new park gives us a boost. We never felt rushed or felt that we couldnt take a detour or break. We did quite a bit of shopping, lots of people watching, and a fair bit of just wandering. We never actually had touring plans for our days. I always knew the first ride we wanted to do and generally what we wanted to see during a half day visit. We also knew about when we would plan on leaving the parks (and usually stayed longer). We adjusted this loose plan based upon showtimes, ride closures, queue times, FP availability and the whims of our family. Knowing the parks and knowing what we wanted to see and what we were willing to skip took us a long way. That is the best way to prepared for a WDW trip. Thanks to all who have posted their experiences and tips on the DIS Boards.
Also evident in a re-reading of my own posts is that we were not food-focused this trip. We did enjoy large, slow-paced meals on our out-of-park days, but usually just ate in the room or munched from our snacks in the parks. When we needed it, we bought from counter service and cart vendors. I notice that for a lot of people, a sit down meal each day is almost required. For others, a sit down meal just cuts down on park time. Put us firmly in the second group.
It may also appear that we didnt spend much money while there. First, there is no way to have a WDW vacation without spending significant amounts of money. Before booking the trip, I read a lot on this board and others about how to save money without losing out on the magic of a WDW vacation. We put together our own package, took advantage of resort discounts and discount codes, bought discount admission passes before we arrived (5 day PH) and filled our off day with DQ and mini-golf (which came with the resort booking). We used coupons on Tiffany Towncar and Planet Hollywood. We also used the Disney Club card where we could. We brought a lot of things from home, especially food, but also ponchos, film, sunscreen, etc.... We also did a grocery stop upon arrival to get fresh food and water. Dont get me wrong. We saved money, but this allowed us to make the trip as long as it was. But for the savings, we probably would have shortened the trip by at least a day. Instead, the savings more than we paid for an extra nights lodging to allow us travel-only days on each side of the stay.
I was constantly aware that our kids had changed considerably in the two years since their first visit to WDW. They decided against character autographs and numerous character meets, especially the older two. They had little or no fear of any attraction in the parks, although no one wanted to do the Alien Encounter this time - last time I took the older two, which was simply a mistake. There was little of the bickering or fighting that one might expect during a week of intense family together time. True, we had a few rough moments, but amazingly few considering how much time we were together. Also, this trip there was less pool time. The kids had been out of school for over a week and had already visited the pool at home on several occasions, so their desire for beginning of summer pool time had been somewhat quenched. We had fun as a family in a way that doesnt happen often enough in everyday life. I want to hold onto that for a while before the kids get too old to hug me in public or laugh at my jokes.
I also notice that the trip reports, despite their immensity, leave out lots. For example, I completely failed to mention that during one of the trips to MK we saw the Hall of Presidents show (we liked it). Our mousekeeping service was good, although not flashy, and we were often greeted with towel creations and stuffed animal arrangements. We had numerous happy interactions with CMs that didnt make the reports. While outlining our days, I tried to focus on things that I had not read before (ie: DQ, some money saving tips, what to do when you lose a park pass, the perfect ToD parade spot, Disney bedtime stories in the rooms) and leave some of the rest unsaid.
Finally, I have enjoyed reading other peoples trip reports and gleaning bits of information that might make my trip better or more complete. I wanted to return the favor so that the next persons trip might be just a little bit better. However, much of these trip reports has been for me. Not to brag and not to gloat, but partly to relive the week, partly to record the trip for my family, and partly to close this chapter so that I can get back to "normal" life. We do not expect to return to WDW for quite some time, barring success in one of the many sweepstakes and contests I have entered. There are so many other places to visit, inside and outside of the U.S., that we do not plan to return to Orlando until we have grandchildren. This may be sacrilege to say on what DW affectionately refers to as "mousegeeks.com" but we have done enough of WDW for a while.
Thanks for reading and letting me share my experiences, thoughts and advice. I hope that your next trip is improved in some way by my reports. Even if you use them as a guide of what not to do, I hope I made them worth your time to read.
Cast:
PoohFanKC, 39, dad and husband (me);
DW, 39, lets me do the planning, but has veto power;
DD, 11; DS, 9; DS, 7.
Dates: June 1 - June 8, 2002
Resort: Port Orleans Riverside (Dixie Landings)
Trip: Second trip for all of us, first was in 2000.
The trip home was uneventful. Bell service showed up precisely when scheduled at 7:30 am. Thom, our towncar driver, was also right on schedule at 8:15 am. We did a little shopping at the airport Disney store since we had a lot of time to kill before the 10:45 flight. After a brief layover in Memphis, we were back in Kansas City. We were in our driveway by 4:00 pm.
Although we were sad to go, we also knew that we had packed a lot of WDW into our week. Our trip consisted of 2 days in Epcot, 1 ½ in MK, 1 day in MGM, 1 day at DQ, and a long ½ day in AK. We saw everything on our must-see list in all four parks. We also had time to rest and enjoy the experience.
As I review the trip report I have posted, I fear that it appears a little more commando-style that it really was. True, we used FP extensively to reduce our queue times. True, we saw and experienced many attractions in a relatively short amount of time. True, we were in two different parks every day. However, the time and trouble for one person (me) to go a little ahead to grab FPs for the next attraction was fairly minimal. We generally were not criss-crossing the parks just to get FPs, but were just looking ahead to the next attraction that was on the path. For example, at MK, one visit was devoted to the left side of the park and another was devoted to the right. By not ranging over the entire park, this allowed us to experience more attractions per hour of park time than most. We took out-of-park breaks every day and always switched parks, primarily to allow us to vary the pace and add variety to the day. We find the parks so very different in mood and focus that just by switching parks, the freshness of the new park gives us a boost. We never felt rushed or felt that we couldnt take a detour or break. We did quite a bit of shopping, lots of people watching, and a fair bit of just wandering. We never actually had touring plans for our days. I always knew the first ride we wanted to do and generally what we wanted to see during a half day visit. We also knew about when we would plan on leaving the parks (and usually stayed longer). We adjusted this loose plan based upon showtimes, ride closures, queue times, FP availability and the whims of our family. Knowing the parks and knowing what we wanted to see and what we were willing to skip took us a long way. That is the best way to prepared for a WDW trip. Thanks to all who have posted their experiences and tips on the DIS Boards.
Also evident in a re-reading of my own posts is that we were not food-focused this trip. We did enjoy large, slow-paced meals on our out-of-park days, but usually just ate in the room or munched from our snacks in the parks. When we needed it, we bought from counter service and cart vendors. I notice that for a lot of people, a sit down meal each day is almost required. For others, a sit down meal just cuts down on park time. Put us firmly in the second group.
It may also appear that we didnt spend much money while there. First, there is no way to have a WDW vacation without spending significant amounts of money. Before booking the trip, I read a lot on this board and others about how to save money without losing out on the magic of a WDW vacation. We put together our own package, took advantage of resort discounts and discount codes, bought discount admission passes before we arrived (5 day PH) and filled our off day with DQ and mini-golf (which came with the resort booking). We used coupons on Tiffany Towncar and Planet Hollywood. We also used the Disney Club card where we could. We brought a lot of things from home, especially food, but also ponchos, film, sunscreen, etc.... We also did a grocery stop upon arrival to get fresh food and water. Dont get me wrong. We saved money, but this allowed us to make the trip as long as it was. But for the savings, we probably would have shortened the trip by at least a day. Instead, the savings more than we paid for an extra nights lodging to allow us travel-only days on each side of the stay.
I was constantly aware that our kids had changed considerably in the two years since their first visit to WDW. They decided against character autographs and numerous character meets, especially the older two. They had little or no fear of any attraction in the parks, although no one wanted to do the Alien Encounter this time - last time I took the older two, which was simply a mistake. There was little of the bickering or fighting that one might expect during a week of intense family together time. True, we had a few rough moments, but amazingly few considering how much time we were together. Also, this trip there was less pool time. The kids had been out of school for over a week and had already visited the pool at home on several occasions, so their desire for beginning of summer pool time had been somewhat quenched. We had fun as a family in a way that doesnt happen often enough in everyday life. I want to hold onto that for a while before the kids get too old to hug me in public or laugh at my jokes.
I also notice that the trip reports, despite their immensity, leave out lots. For example, I completely failed to mention that during one of the trips to MK we saw the Hall of Presidents show (we liked it). Our mousekeeping service was good, although not flashy, and we were often greeted with towel creations and stuffed animal arrangements. We had numerous happy interactions with CMs that didnt make the reports. While outlining our days, I tried to focus on things that I had not read before (ie: DQ, some money saving tips, what to do when you lose a park pass, the perfect ToD parade spot, Disney bedtime stories in the rooms) and leave some of the rest unsaid.
Finally, I have enjoyed reading other peoples trip reports and gleaning bits of information that might make my trip better or more complete. I wanted to return the favor so that the next persons trip might be just a little bit better. However, much of these trip reports has been for me. Not to brag and not to gloat, but partly to relive the week, partly to record the trip for my family, and partly to close this chapter so that I can get back to "normal" life. We do not expect to return to WDW for quite some time, barring success in one of the many sweepstakes and contests I have entered. There are so many other places to visit, inside and outside of the U.S., that we do not plan to return to Orlando until we have grandchildren. This may be sacrilege to say on what DW affectionately refers to as "mousegeeks.com" but we have done enough of WDW for a while.
Thanks for reading and letting me share my experiences, thoughts and advice. I hope that your next trip is improved in some way by my reports. Even if you use them as a guide of what not to do, I hope I made them worth your time to read.
I'm sorry to see your reports come to an end! I enjoyed reading yours and Puffkin's to see what each of you did on the same day. It sounds like you have a lovely family. Thanks for sharing with us .
