POR in January- Romantic Trip for Two

[lnk1229]

We are leaving in 13 days for a trip to WDW for 10 days!!

Starting my trip report now so that I can have time for suggestions, questions and advice. But first lets meet the players...

Me- 23 year old RN from CT, past trips to Disney as a child x5, then my most recent visit with DBF in June 2009
DBF- 27 (soon to be 28) year old graphic designer, Past Disney trips as a child x2 and of course, 2009.

Our last trip was for 5 days at the Carribean Beach Resort.


So here is what we already have planned:
- Dining Reservations @ Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney, Tokyo Dining, Mama Melrose, Tony's Town Square, Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace, Turf Club Bar and Grill, California Grill, and La Cellier, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, and Whispering Canyon Cafe.
- I pre-ordered my photopass CD so plenty of CM pictures and of course, I have ordered a card 16GB card for my camera to take a million pictures for you all!!
- We plan to Drink Around the World, have a Professional Portrait Session @ Grand Floridian, and California Grill reservations at fireworks time!!
- I planned a surprise for my boyfriend... I made a reservation for the Dolphins in Depth Tour for his birthday!!

Your comments, tips, suggestions are always welcome and I would love all the help I can get- when we return I will follow up with a bunch of pictures, updates, and answer as many questions as I can!!

Thanks!!

Chapters:

Day 1: Airport, POR, and Downtown Disney
Day 2: Dolphins in Depth, Epcot, Tokyo Dining
Day 3: Resort Pictures, MK, Crystal Palace, Parades, Fireworks, and... Construction?!
Day 4: Hollywood Studios, Mama Melrose, Fantasmic, and An Hour Long Busride!!
Day 5: Pouring Rain, Chef Mickeys, Tony's TownSquare, Electric Parade and Fireworks
Day 6: Animal Kingdom, Safari, Everest, Dinosaur, Flametree BBQ, Saratoga Springs
Day 7: Animal Kingdom, Tiggers..I mean.. Tigers, Nemo Show and Captain's Grille
Day 8: The Most Magical Day Ever- Magic Kingdom, California Grill
Day 8 (cont.): The Most Magical Day Ever- Magic Kingdom, California Grill (Continued!)
Day 9: Epcot, Attempt at Drinking Around the World, Le Cellier
Day 10: DVC, Hollywood Studios, Fultons, and Packing....

Photopass Photos Taken During Our Trip
More Photopass Photos Of Our Trip
Pictures That I Took During the Trip
More Pictures From Our Trip


*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

[lnk1229]

Here we are with my two favorite characters!

The DBF- willing to humor me! Couldn't love him more...

__________________________________________________


And then there is me!

.......

We leave for Disney in 9 days!!! I am already packed and so excited to go!! I won't be posting photos while we are there simply because I want to be spending as much time out in WDW as I can.. and not in the hotel uploading photos! But as soon as I return I will give you all the details!!

Here's hoping this works... I know I love looking at other people's photos!

 

[jenndla]

You guys are going to have so much fun! What a great time to go - hardly any crowds and the weather isn't too hot. Port Orleans is great for a nice trip with your significant other - take a walk around the grounds at night - so pretty!

There are lots of fun things to do at Fort Wilderness too - movies, campfire sing-a-longs with marshmallows, carriage rides, or just sitting on the beach there to watch the electrical water pageant. If you can squeeze some time in, that's always fun!

No matter what you do, it will be great! Have a great time!

Cheers!

 

[jwwi]

Since you are staying at POR, my favorite moderate resort I have some suggestions. Make sure you take at least one boat ride to DTD, However, if you have time for more than one, take one during the day, one at night. So pretty and relaxing. Eat at Earl of Sandwich at DTD, all of the sandwiches are good, and don't let the long line scare you. Talk to guests around you, the time will pass quickly. Go see Bob the piano player at POR bar. He is so much fun! You can't help but bond with your fellow guests. The pasta station at the food court is so good, the portions are huge, a great bargain.
Most of all have fun. Do you know which area you are requesting? Alligator Bayou or the Mansions? We love the quiet, lush landscaping of AB. Try to get a corner room, it is nice to have two windows, just makes the room seem larger.

 

[lnk1229]

Since you are staying at POR, my favorite moderate resort I have some suggestions. Make sure you take at least one boat ride to DTD, However, if you have time for more than one, take one during the day, one at night. So pretty and relaxing. Eat at Earl of Sandwich at DTD, all of the sandwiches are good, and don't let the long line scare you. Talk to guests around you, the time will pass quickly. Go see Bob the piano player at POR bar. He is so much fun! You can't help but bond with your fellow guests. The pasta station at the food court is so good, the portions are huge, a great bargain.
Most of all have fun. Do you know which area you are requesting? Alligator Bayou or the Mansions? We love the quiet, lush landscaping of AB. Try to get a corner room, it is nice to have two windows, just makes the room seem larger.

Thanks for the post!! We have heard amazing things about Earl of Sandwich and actually wrote it into our "game plan" after you suggested it... We definitely will have to plan a boat ride to DTD!!

I actually don't know how to make a room request... I just figured we would arrive there and see where they place us. I was really hoping for the mansions because they look so quaint and romantic but after hearing about cozy AB.. I am sure no matter where they place us I will be happy! Getting so close now- 4 days!!

 

[KatGarcia]

I wanna hear all about it!

If you get a CM named Felita at the front desk tell her Kat & Kc say Hi (she's a friend and former co-worker).

 

[rndmr2]

Hope you have a good time on your trip, can't wait to hear all about it when you get home. I have been to WDW many times as you can see in my sig but the most recent trip was at POR and I think that is my favorite one of them all so far! We were in the mansions section (Magnolia Terrace, it was a really convenient location, not too far of a walk to the pool or the main building/food court. I also recommend the horse and carriage ride, we did that and it is really nice. I have pics of the room/resort and carriage ride in my TR below, most are in the first 2 pages.

 

[lnk1229]

We are 4 days away!!

I am watching the weather channel closely.. it looks like we are expecting a ton of snow the day before we are supposed to leave!

I did purchase the travel insurance when we booked with Disney and I know that protects us a bit... wondering if anyone else has ever been in a similar situation and has any information for me?

It has gotten to a point where when I type "W" in my search bar.. 'weather.com' now comes up before 'walt disney world' .... NOT GOOD!!

Trying to remain positive....

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[jwwi]

I am so happy that you will try Earl of Sandwich, it is so good, and the prices are reasonable. I live in a very snowy part of the country, try not to stress too much about the weather. If possible you could check to see if you can take an earlier flight due to the weather, the airline may not charge you any change fee.

Have a ton of fun, you will love the resort.

 

[irishdancer86]

Hi, cross fingers you get away ok...

10 days at Port Orlenans sounds so good! Looking forward to reading your trip report upon your return! You look like a lovely fun couple!

 

[lnk1229]

Hi, cross fingers you get away ok...

10 days at Port Orlenans sounds so good! Looking forward to reading your trip report upon your return! You look like a lovely fun couple!

Thanks!! Loved your trip report!! Now even more excited to go!!!

 

[lnk1229]

So... within 24 hours we should hopefully be on a plane to WDW!! I say hopefully of course because of the weather! The DBF and I dug out my car and are now just finishing up some last minute things around the house...laundry, packing, and cleaning.... and snuggling with the DK (DISney Kitty!!)

Pictures of the snow!

I decided to climb into the un-plowed portion of our street to show you all how deep it was... in my Minnie ears of course!!

 

[20thingamabobs]

How exciting you're leaving so soon and have 10 days in WDW! My 2night/3day half marathon trip was just too short this past weekend... I hope some of that snow clears away and you have a safe trip to Florida! The weather was really nice last weekend so that's something to look forward too!

Also, I can't wait to read your TR. Especially about the Dolphins in Depth Tour! We did the Epcot DiveQuest Tour Saturday after our half marathon and it was SOOO much fun! Definitely a cool experience so I hope you like the Dolphin Tour just as much!

 

[lnk1229]

How exciting you're leaving so soon and have 10 days in WDW! My 2night/3day half marathon trip was just too short this past weekend... I hope some of that snow clears away and you have a safe trip to Florida! The weather was really nice last weekend so that's something to look forward too!

Also, I can't wait to read your TR. Especially about the Dolphins in Depth Tour! We did the Epcot DiveQuest Tour Saturday after our half marathon and it was SOOO much fun! Definitely a cool experience so I hope you like the Dolphin Tour just as much!

Loved reading your trip report!- After reading it I got to thinking.. maybe if I started training now I might survive the half marathon in 2012... then I remembered I have 10 days of Disney Dining ahead of me.. and that may set me back a few months of training!! No amount of jumping jacks will make up for 10 days of Dole whips and ice cream sundaes!

All I can say is kuddos to you for making it! Totally an inspiration!

...Now- Time for bed!
I got a TERRIBLE nights sleep last night because I was so worried about the storm and so excited for Disney!! Tonight I am relying on some Nyquil and a warm bath!!

The next time I sign back in it will be right after my trip and I should have tons of pictures and memories to share!!

 

[lnk1229]

Hello Fellow Dis-ers!!

We arrived home this afternoon- I took over 2,500 pictures to share... but of course not all of them will make it on here... right now I am in the process of uploading them to photobucket so they can be shared as I tell you all about our trip!!

I have the day off from work tomorrow and in between grocery shopping, loads of laundry, and spoiling the kitty I will start the official trip reporting!!

I am thinking I will go with a day-by-day format, with detail descriptions of the major things we did including the Dolphins in Depth Tour, The POR resort, California Grill dinner, and many other adventures along the way!!

Until then- photo editing and sleep! Night all- stay tuned!

 

[lnk1229]

We arrived at the airport about an hour early which worked out well because the entire airport was shut down due to a suspicious package. Despite all that our flight did leave within 20 minutes of its scheduled departure time. The flight was fine and when we arrived we were greeted by Disney's Magical Express!!

We arrived at the resort after dark so we quickly checked in and started the LONG walk to our room. We found our room finally- a decent 15 minute walk from the nearest bus station. A few pictures I captured that night...

The Room:

So- we settled into the room, freshened up, and then caught a bus to Downtown Disney...
We had dinner reservations at the Rainforest Cafe which was good because when we arrived the wait was 1.5 hours!! We were seated fairly quickly and had a cozy table for two net to a gorgeous fish tank. We then met our awesome waiter Tryne. He brought us our drinks and even convinced us to try the volcano- an elaborate chocolate brownie sundae for dessert!

We went shopping and that's the night Mike got hooked on Vinylmations... a collectible from Disney. He found the StarWars Series and continued to collect them throughout our visit.. by the end of our trip we transported 30 home!!

So after some shopping we went to bed fairly early... the next day was going to be a big day- I had planned Mike's birthday surprise for the morning!!

 

[teachermommy78]

Joining In!!! We'll be staying at POR in June! That 15 minute walk scares me a lot. We'll have a car, though. Is there parking throughout the resort? We have 3 small kids who will probably all zonk out from the parks to the resort each night. Carrying them long distance does not sound appealing!!!

 

[lnk1229]

Joining In!!! We'll be staying at POR in June! That 15 minute walk scares me a lot. We'll have a car, though. Is there parking throughout the resort? We have 3 small kids who will probably all zonk out from the parks to the resort each night. Carrying them long distance does not sound appealing!!!

Hey! Great hearing from you....

POR has parking throughout the resort so no matter what you should be able to park closely to your room...
2 questions/thoughts: Did you book through Disney? Because if you did you do have the option to "check-in" online 10 days prior to your stay and during that process you can make the request to be near transportation and on the first floor...
-and-
Do your strollers collapse/are they easy to carry?
We saw several families with these HUGE strollers and contraptions for carrying children and it is SO not the way we will choose to travel in the future... the smaller and lighter your stroller the better because each time you board the buses they must be folded! If you plan to use your car the entire time this may not be such a big deal but if your room is close to a bus station I must say we found the buses to be super easy!!

Overall- I would say POR has a lot to offer and I would hope you would stay tuned to see the pictures and review I do of the resort.. We were two young adults staying for 10 days... I am sure Disney thought they were doing us a favor by getting us away from the main resort area!

 

[lnk1229]

So- We woke up at 8:20a on Friday and jumped on a bus towards Epcot. We arrive early for our 9:45 tour and waited by Guest Relations for our tour guides. They arrived just on time and we took a few moments to introduce ourselves. Cyrus was our guide for the tour and he seemed like a fun, down-to-earth guy. Mike instantly made friends with another person and his mom on the tour when he mentioned that he works for WWE and there was another group of 4 family members... So our group was at its max. capacity of 8 people. After introductions we signed waivers, gave them our shoe size for water shoes, and then went backstage. (Please be aware- you may not take a single picture backstage so the ONLY picture we have is the one they took for us.)

Once backstage we spent nearly 2 hours learning about the dolphins (their anatomy, social behaviors, their training, etc.) First thing we did was store all of our belongings in secure, individual lockers. (All jewelry/hair-ties/clips must be removed for the tour-only exception he mentioned would be eyeglasses) Then we learned about dolphin anatomy, dolphin's food, and we met two of the dolphins in the smaller holding tank. After thank we learned about dolphins in the wild and Disney's efforts to keep Florida's dolphins safe. After that it was time to change into our bathing suits/wetsuits. Disney placed in another locker our wet shoes and wetsuits (they must have read our body types and provided the correct size suit.. no one asked me what size I was and it fit like a glove... as it should). After the wardrobe change they paraded us through the Living Seas and it was finally time to see the dolphins!!

We walked up to the GIANT tank (we were told the tank at the Living Seas Pavilion can fit the Epcot ball inside of it and still have 20 feet of wiggle room around the edges!) and met the two trainers. Our trainers then walked us into the tank (water was a chilly 76 degrees). We then sat on the bench while the trainers called over the dolphins. We first took our pictures with the dolphin- each person gets one picture.. they can chose to be in the picture alone or with another individual. After pictures they showed us tricks, behaviors and we rubbed down the dolphins. Calvin was our dolphin for the first set of tricks- the youngest dolphin at Epcot. We sent at least 30 minutes in the water with the dolphins. After meeting the dolphins we were able to shower and change into clothing. We were given cute little drawstring backpacks to hold our wet clothing. We then met in a small room to review the program and ask any last questions. We then were escorted back to the front of the park.
Overall thoughts- we loved the tour and it was well worth the money! The dolphins were totally into meeting us and loved the extra attention- I would not worry one second about their participation even though Disney says they have the right to choose not to participate in the "hopeful interaction." Cons- It is only 30 minutes in the water and time cannot be increased, We were starving after the interaction but we didn't eat breakfast so I suggest you do, and no option to buy additional photos... yet. Having said that- we would do this tour again in a heartbeat- love, love, loved it!!

After the tour we spent the remainder of the day in Epcot. We rode "Test Track Dummies", ate a quick service lunch in Japan (D- at best.. ), took a few pictures with Disney characters, margaritas in Mexico and continued our tour around the Worlds Pavilion and then dinner at Japan's Tokyo dining. I ordered the Sushi Deluxe and I must say it was a lot of fun but a bit outside my normal comfort level. I ended up loving it but its not for everyone... raw squid?! Can't believe I enjoyed it!!

We picked up my Duffy Teddybear on the way out of the park- we did have a early night because it was a long exhausting day!! Duffy quite enjoyed the spare bed in our room!

 

[lnk1229]

Hey All- Sorry it has taken me a bit longer to post this... I returned back to work for three days and because I work night shifts I am a zombie during the days I work... I am totally not built for the nocturnal life.. as evidenced by my post at 3:30am on my day off!

So- where was I? Ah yes- Day#3... I woke up before DBF and I decided to tour the resort and capture as many pictures as I could for you guys! So here it is... POR in January. I think this resort is beautiful and has plenty of southern charm... what do you think?

Alright- so there is it, a few of my favorites from my morning walk. I walked to the general store and purchased a resort mug for soda during our stay. I must say- for us- it was an excellent way to save money. Our first night there we returned to our hotel room thirsty and walked to the vending machine- $2.25 for an 8oz can of coke?! We purchased the mug for $14 and used it the entire stay. After the DBF woke up we were off to MK.

I packed with me the autograph book I had made.. I turned this book into my autograph book- it has every character you could possibly think of and I had it spiral bound to make it easier to open it wide for characters to sign! Here is the book after I had Mickey sign it...

So we arrived at MK and I was so excited to walk down Main Street... until I saw the giant crane looming behind the castle and blockades over many of the building fronts... It seems Disney picked January as the month to spruce up Main Street.. I later learned the changes were likely due to the changes in the Wishes Pre-show- I guess they are now taking photos throughout the day with Disney's Photopass photographers and projecting them onto the castle prior to wishes...??? Don't quote me on that as I didn't get a chance to see it up close during our stay... instead I think I saw it from afar at the top of the California Grille... but that's later in our stay and another post...

So after a few photos we ran straight to Space Mountain.. the last time we were at Disney it was closed fro renovations so we just HAD to experience it this time! Well worth it- we got there just in time to get the last fast passes of the day! We waited in line for the Buzz Lightyear ride and then it was time to have lunch. I had made lunch reservations at the Crystal Palace. Along the way we ran into the Parade...

Crystal Palace was well worth it for a family with kids- its a buffet so there is plenty of options that are sure to please both kids and adults. We met all of the characters and enjoyed the food. However- having said that- We will probably not return to the Crystal Palace again before we have children. We have never really loved buffet-style meals at Disney and it was clearly meant to be for kids. I would have like to have spent our table service meal elsewhere now knowing the types of meals we would later have!!! Here is the original reason I wanted to go- DBF is a HUGE Tigger fan!

So after lunch we boarded the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and then Thunder Mountain. We got off the ride and... ran into another parade!!

We "toodled" around Liberty Square and Frontierland... looking in shops, pin trading, and riding the Haunted Mansion. It was finally time for our Fastpasses on Space Mountain!! WE LOVED IT!! When we got out of the ride it was fireworks time and we didn't feel like battling the crowds on Main Street so we opted to view the fireworks from Tomorrowland- its the way to go if you don't mind missing the view of the castle...

After fireworks we were finally hungry after stuffing ourselves silly at Crystal Palace- So we had QS meal at Cosmic Rays- it was nothing spectacular I thought but DBF loved it. After a quick dinner it was finally dark enough to hide the giant crane so we got a picture.

-vs.-

We rode the bus back to our resort, grabbed soda and fell asleep VERY quickly!!