sweetinmaine
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2005
- Messages
- 5,686
Our traveling party consisted of my husband, our daughter, son in-law, 2 grandsons and myself. Our son and "daughter in-law" were meeting us in Florida the next day. After a 3 hour delay, waiting on the runway in Burlington, VT, we left for Florida. JetBlue did a great job in getting us on connecting flights at JFK so much so, that when we arrived in Florida, it was only two hours later than it should have been. They were great and will get my vote as "Best Airline to Fly With". Employees are friendly and caring and take pride in their jobs. It shows. At the airport in Orlando, we had pre-arranged travel plans with Mears Shuttle to get us to POR. We were so excited to that we would be traveling on a Disney Cruise Line bus. Having done a Disney 
2 years ago, being on the bus brought back many wonderful memories. 
We were dropped off at POR and met by the wonderful porters who took our bags and told us to give them a call after we are in our rooms and they would deliver our bags to us. What a relief! Last year we carried our bags through the resort, this year we knew better.
There was no one at check in so we didn't have to wait in any line. At check in I soon discovered that even after 4 phone calls before I left VT, no one really paid too close attention to what we had requested over the phone. Our requests were a) a mansion, because my son in-law is having back surgery and can't do the stairs at AB. And with 2 young children, carrying items up and down the stairs wouldn't work. b) connecting rooms 1 standard, 1 king (so that we could help with the children c) non-smoking (allergies to smoke) d) crib for our grandson. The original room they assigned us was on the second floor of Building 38 in AB. The rooms would not be connecting nor would one of them be king (already paid for this). We explained the situation and were given different rooms in Magnolia Terrace which was the mansion we had requested when the ressies were made. One change though, our king room was not going to happen so they put us in rooms next door to each other (not connecting but close enough) (2 standards) and gave us water view rooms. For our daughter, this was an upgrade and they did not charge us. Our rooms, #8535 and #8536 were on the bottom floor right near the quiet pool. They were wonderful!
We were glad that we asked them to change the original room assignments.
On day 2 we went to Magic Kingdom to introduce our youngest grandson (1 yr old) to Mickey and friends. Our 3 yr old grandson met the characters on the Disney Cruise when he was 1. No sooner had we made it through the entrance when it started to rain. We thought it would be just a passing shower but no, it rained all day. We bought the rain ponchos and made the best of it. The kids and grandkids went on the rides that they had planned on going on and we still had a great time. Disney must love the rainy weather as everyone in the park quickly purchased the rain ponchos. At $9. for adults and $7 for children sizes they made a fortune that day! Never the less, we had fun. The only event that I would note as a disappointment this day would be the Carousel of Progress. My husband and I took our youngest grandson in with us while the others were on the Buzz Lightyear Ride. The Carousel broke down and restarted 5 times. Over the intercom they were saying to please remain seated. After the 5th time, people were starting to get afraid and someone got a door open and everyone walked out. They really should shut this down and fix it. Many times on the DIS board I read that this occured. We thought it was fixed.
On the 3rd day we met up with our son and "daughter in-law" at Sea World. We hadn't rented a car so Guest Services at POR arranged for a taxi from the resort to Sea World. A mini bus showed up. Total cost = $20 including tip to get us all to SW. Yellow Cab Company (407-422-2222) It was a beautiful day, sunny and in the 70's. No 20's for us! The park was not
so we enjoyed the day. The taxi ride back was another $20. Still cheaper than renting a car!.
On the 4th day we chose to do a 'rest at the resort' day. We went cane fishing at the fishing hole on Ol' Man Island. We rented a boat for my son and grandson and then rented a bicycle for several trips around the resort. The weather was wonderful and we spent time in the pools, choosing the quiet pool next to us over the main pool. No one was in the quiet pool and we had it to ourselves. In the evening my husband and I took the boat to Downtown Disney for our "daughter in-law's" birthday celebration. We ate at Rainforest Cafe. That was very and we had to eat on the deck. In the past, we've always enjoyed this restaurant. Eating on the deck you loose the ambiance of the whole rainforest atmosphere. 
On the 5th day we went to Animal Kingdom. It was a nice day all around. While AK is not a favorite park of mine, I still am amazed at the Lion King show. I
the "monkeys" and the talent of all the singers and dancers. They definitely rate high marks! This is an awesome show, not to be missed. Take the kids to Camp Mickey / Minnie as the characters spent time interacting with the grandkids more here, than anywhere else.
On the 6th day we spent the day at the resort again. My son and daughter in-law, who were staying at the Contemporary Resort, came over to POR in the morning and spent the day with us. We met up with my in-laws, who live in Auburndale, FL and took the boat to Downtown Disney for lunch. I highly recommend the "Earl of Sandwich" as a place to grab a nice lunch. Sandwiches were $4.95 (made on Asian bread) and you add the sides. A salad was $.99, chips were $1.00. They had plenty of seating even for a group our size. Dessert was at Ghirardeli's which is a "Don't Miss"! Banana Splits and Hot Fudge Sundaes were $6.95 a piece. A little pricey but 1) you're on vacation and 2) they almost compare to our Ben and Jerry's
Day 7 brought us to Disney MGM Studios which we heard they wanted to refer to as Disney Studios now. Not sure if this will happen or not. There were no lines in the morning and everyone got right on the "Great Movie Ride" as planned. This was a little startling for our 3 yr old grandson especially when the 'robber' comes out with the cap guns. We've spent time teaching about how bad guns were and here we were caught up in the middle of a 'gun fight'.
As the after noon progressed more lines started to form. After the 30 minute rain storm we headed for Aerosmith Rock and Roller coaster as well as Tower of Terror. The kids used FastPass so we had no more than 15 minute wait once it was their turns. We ate lunch at the ABC Commissary. We had Asian Noodles and Fish and Chips. Both were very good. The kids got a mousse dessert and said that it was delicious.
On Day 8 we went to EPCOT. I love this park. We ate our way around the World Showcase stopping for a sit down meal in Japan. We saw a short skit in Great Britain that was great. The World Showcase Players performed here and I recommend you take in one of their performances. Short and sweet. As we were leaving here the Characters made an appearance and we got autographs and pictures for the grandkids. As we completed the Showcase and headed to Mission Space, the characters made another appearance next to Mexico. There were few lines and in some cases no one had to wait. My daughter and husband went on Mission Space and both thought that it was a bit much for Disney. Maybe they are getting old???
As we were leaving the park my grandson (3) found the water fountains that spout out of the ground and continued to get totaly soaked! He had as much fun running through these as he did all of the rides. All was well enough though because as we were leaving, we got another little rain shower. 
A few notes that I'd point out:
1) Use the Disney Photopass. It looks like a little credit card. Each time a Disney photographer takes your picture, they run it through a little swipe. When you get home you can view the pictures on-line. This way, you are included in the pictures too. Someone isn't missing because they were taking the photos. Yes, the pictures are a little pricey $12.95 for a 5" x 7" but it's vacation, a Disney vacation.
2) The meals we ate were mostly at the resort food court. The food is good! POR has a wonderful rib dinner with all the fixin's for $9.99. The rest of the stuff is great too! Nothing I wouldn't recommend.
3) If you get a chance, go to the lounge and listen to Piano man Bob. He's hillarious! Very talented.
4) Check the resort map that they give you when you check in for the closest bus stop. We were always walking to the main stop when there was a stop right behind our building. Know that they pick up and drop off the French Quarter guests first. And the last place they stop in POR in the morning is the main bus stop just outside the general store.
5) There are 2 really not so nice ladies who work in guest services at this resort. It felt like I was putting them out by asking a question about tickets. I guess not everyone has a good day at Disney
Maybe they need an extra sprinkling of pixie dust 
6) The mansions have all been remodeled and are wonderful. No bugs and no dirt that I saw. I the place and am planning another trip to POR in the fall.
7) My son stayed at the Contemporary Resort while we stayed at POR. He spent more time at POR with us saying that we had a beautiful resort with beautiful grounds and with so much to do. A Deluxe resort
is not always a better resort
8) While this report is about my trip and my memories, don't put off going to Disney because you can't afford it or the kids are too young or they won't remember it. You get one chance in life, live it up! Disney style!
It doesn't get any better than this!
9) Hakuna Matada (no worries) Enjoy life!
See ya real soon!!
2 years ago, being on the bus brought back many wonderful memories. We were dropped off at POR and met by the wonderful porters who took our bags and told us to give them a call after we are in our rooms and they would deliver our bags to us. What a relief! Last year we carried our bags through the resort, this year we knew better.
There was no one at check in so we didn't have to wait in any line. At check in I soon discovered that even after 4 phone calls before I left VT, no one really paid too close attention to what we had requested over the phone. Our requests were a) a mansion, because my son in-law is having back surgery and can't do the stairs at AB. And with 2 young children, carrying items up and down the stairs wouldn't work. b) connecting rooms 1 standard, 1 king (so that we could help with the children c) non-smoking (allergies to smoke) d) crib for our grandson. The original room they assigned us was on the second floor of Building 38 in AB. The rooms would not be connecting nor would one of them be king (already paid for this). We explained the situation and were given different rooms in Magnolia Terrace which was the mansion we had requested when the ressies were made. One change though, our king room was not going to happen so they put us in rooms next door to each other (not connecting but close enough) (2 standards) and gave us water view rooms. For our daughter, this was an upgrade and they did not charge us. Our rooms, #8535 and #8536 were on the bottom floor right near the quiet pool. They were wonderful!
We were glad that we asked them to change the original room assignments.On day 2 we went to Magic Kingdom to introduce our youngest grandson (1 yr old) to Mickey and friends. Our 3 yr old grandson met the characters on the Disney Cruise when he was 1. No sooner had we made it through the entrance when it started to rain. We thought it would be just a passing shower but no, it rained all day. We bought the rain ponchos and made the best of it. The kids and grandkids went on the rides that they had planned on going on and we still had a great time. Disney must love the rainy weather as everyone in the park quickly purchased the rain ponchos. At $9. for adults and $7 for children sizes they made a fortune that day! Never the less, we had fun. The only event that I would note as a disappointment this day would be the Carousel of Progress. My husband and I took our youngest grandson in with us while the others were on the Buzz Lightyear Ride. The Carousel broke down and restarted 5 times. Over the intercom they were saying to please remain seated. After the 5th time, people were starting to get afraid and someone got a door open and everyone walked out. They really should shut this down and fix it. Many times on the DIS board I read that this occured. We thought it was fixed.
On the 3rd day we met up with our son and "daughter in-law" at Sea World. We hadn't rented a car so Guest Services at POR arranged for a taxi from the resort to Sea World. A mini bus showed up. Total cost = $20 including tip to get us all to SW. Yellow Cab Company (407-422-2222) It was a beautiful day, sunny and in the 70's. No 20's for us! The park was not
so we enjoyed the day. The taxi ride back was another $20. Still cheaper than renting a car!.On the 4th day we chose to do a 'rest at the resort' day. We went cane fishing at the fishing hole on Ol' Man Island. We rented a boat for my son and grandson and then rented a bicycle for several trips around the resort. The weather was wonderful and we spent time in the pools, choosing the quiet pool next to us over the main pool. No one was in the quiet pool and we had it to ourselves. In the evening my husband and I took the boat to Downtown Disney for our "daughter in-law's" birthday celebration. We ate at Rainforest Cafe. That was very
and we had to eat on the deck. In the past, we've always enjoyed this restaurant. Eating on the deck you loose the ambiance of the whole rainforest atmosphere. On the 5th day we went to Animal Kingdom. It was a nice day all around. While AK is not a favorite park of mine, I still am amazed at the Lion King show. I
the "monkeys" and the talent of all the singers and dancers. They definitely rate high marks! This is an awesome show, not to be missed. Take the kids to Camp Mickey / Minnie as the characters spent time interacting with the grandkids more here, than anywhere else.On the 6th day we spent the day at the resort again. My son and daughter in-law, who were staying at the Contemporary Resort, came over to POR in the morning and spent the day with us. We met up with my in-laws, who live in Auburndale, FL and took the boat to Downtown Disney for lunch. I highly recommend the "Earl of Sandwich" as a place to grab a nice lunch. Sandwiches were $4.95 (made on Asian bread) and you add the sides. A salad was $.99, chips were $1.00. They had plenty of seating even for a group our size. Dessert was at Ghirardeli's which is a "Don't Miss"! Banana Splits and Hot Fudge Sundaes were $6.95 a piece. A little pricey but 1) you're on vacation and 2) they almost compare to our Ben and Jerry's
Day 7 brought us to Disney MGM Studios which we heard they wanted to refer to as Disney Studios now. Not sure if this will happen or not. There were no lines in the morning and everyone got right on the "Great Movie Ride" as planned. This was a little startling for our 3 yr old grandson especially when the 'robber' comes out with the cap guns. We've spent time teaching about how bad guns were and here we were caught up in the middle of a 'gun fight'.
As the after noon progressed more lines started to form. After the 30 minute rain storm we headed for Aerosmith Rock and Roller coaster as well as Tower of Terror. The kids used FastPass so we had no more than 15 minute wait once it was their turns. We ate lunch at the ABC Commissary. We had Asian Noodles and Fish and Chips. Both were very good. The kids got a mousse dessert and said that it was delicious.On Day 8 we went to EPCOT. I love this park. We ate our way around the World Showcase stopping for a sit down meal in Japan. We saw a short skit in Great Britain that was great. The World Showcase Players performed here and I recommend you take in one of their performances. Short and sweet. As we were leaving here the Characters made an appearance and we got autographs and pictures for the grandkids. As we completed the Showcase and headed to Mission Space, the characters made another appearance next to Mexico. There were few lines and in some cases no one had to wait. My daughter and husband went on Mission Space and both thought that it was a bit much for Disney. Maybe they are getting old???
As we were leaving the park my grandson (3) found the water fountains that spout out of the ground and continued to get totaly soaked! He had as much fun running through these as he did all of the rides. All was well enough though because as we were leaving, we got another little rain shower. A few notes that I'd point out:
1) Use the Disney Photopass. It looks like a little credit card. Each time a Disney photographer takes your picture, they run it through a little swipe. When you get home you can view the pictures on-line. This way, you are included in the pictures too. Someone isn't missing because they were taking the photos. Yes, the pictures are a little pricey $12.95 for a 5" x 7" but it's vacation, a Disney vacation.
2) The meals we ate were mostly at the resort food court. The food is good! POR has a wonderful rib dinner with all the fixin's for $9.99. The rest of the stuff is great too! Nothing I wouldn't recommend.
3) If you get a chance, go to the lounge and listen to Piano man Bob. He's hillarious! Very talented.
4) Check the resort map that they give you when you check in for the closest bus stop. We were always walking to the main stop when there was a stop right behind our building. Know that they pick up and drop off the French Quarter guests first. And the last place they stop in POR in the morning is the main bus stop just outside the general store.
5) There are 2 really not so nice ladies who work in guest services at this resort. It felt like I was putting them out by asking a question about tickets. I guess not everyone has a good day at Disney
Maybe they need an extra sprinkling of pixie dust 6) The mansions have all been remodeled and are wonderful. No bugs and no dirt that I saw. I
the place and am planning another trip to POR in the fall.7) My son stayed at the Contemporary Resort while we stayed at POR. He spent more time at POR with us saying that we had a beautiful resort with beautiful grounds and with so much to do. A Deluxe resort
is not always a better resort8) While this report is about my trip and my memories, don't put off going to Disney because you can't afford it or the kids are too young or they won't remember it. You get one chance in life, live it up! Disney style!
It doesn't get any better than this!9) Hakuna Matada (no worries) Enjoy life!
See ya real soon!!
.
. I really didn't want to lug my camera around - as my DD said, I'll probably forget it on a ride! But I also didn't want to not have any photos from our visit. Our last visit was in 1995 and my DD remembers nothing from that trip.
