jeters_boy
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2006
- Messages
- 134
I've never done a trip report, but figured better late than never!
Here was our basic outline:
Swan (1 night)
Beach Club (7 nights)
Parks:
Magic Kingdom (2 days + Halloween party)
EPCOT (2 days)
Hollywood Studios (1 day)
Animal Kingdom (1 day)
Epic Universe (1 day)
The Swan: Highly Underrated!
This was our (me, wife, kids aged 12 and 14) first time staying at the Swan. From the outside looking in, I always assumed it was solid but unspectacular. But let me tell you, it was WAY better than that! We loved everything about it. It seems like their maintenance team goes above and beyond. When you're inside, it doesn't feel like it was built in 1990. It feels brand new. We will be back!
Beach Club Pool Area: Elite
This was also our first stay at the Beach Club. We'd always peered over that fence when dining at Beaches & Cream, wishing we could try out the pool area. Finally got to do that, and it didn't disappoint. The slide was great and the sand bottom and lazy river were hits as well. The resort is on par with Boardwalk - which we also love - but the shorter walk to Epcot and the pool area nudge BC a little ahead in the power rankings.
Halloween Party: First Time
We've been to a Christmas party, but this was our first Halloween party. The kids loved all that "free" candy, and I enjoyed about 10 mini bags of M&M's myself. The lines for the rides were nice and short, and the parade was way better in person than YouTube. The special edition of Space Mountain was a super nice touch.
Epic Universe: The Good & the Bad
We ventured to Epic for one day. We didn't buy the special line skipping pass (didn't think we'd need it on a weekday in September), but in hindsight we probably should have. But those things aren't cheap.
Mario Kart was underrated (I was told it was not a good ride, but we thought it was awesome), and Monsters Unchained and Hiccup's Wing Gliders were 5-star rides; can't wait to ride those again on our next visit.
I think the Epic layout could be better. There's a lot of crisscrossing from one land to another, and the big space in the middle (Celestial Park) was just a long pass-through for us. Stardust was closed but we were skipping that one anyway.
We really enjoyed the Pizza Moon theming and atmosphere.
Teppan Edo: Massive Hit
I didn't know what to expect going in. What an experience. Our kids were captivated, never once tempted to look at their phones which is really saying something. The food being delicious was just the icing on the cake. This will be a must-do going forward.
Crowds: Worse Than Expected
We thought we were being clever, traveling down on a seemingly random week in September. There were pockets of low wait times here & there, but the majority of the time it seemed like busy season. Wait times were 40+ minutes for most rides most of the time we were there. Here again, probably should've splurged on the passes.
Random Cool Moment:
One of the CM's stationed in Tomorrowland recognized my wife by the magic band she wore the last time we were there 15 months ago. We couldn't believe it considering the number of people they must see every day working there!
Next Trip:
Likely next summer, and maybe to DL this time! We'll see...
Here was our basic outline:
Swan (1 night)
Beach Club (7 nights)
Parks:
Magic Kingdom (2 days + Halloween party)
EPCOT (2 days)
Hollywood Studios (1 day)
Animal Kingdom (1 day)
Epic Universe (1 day)
The Swan: Highly Underrated!
This was our (me, wife, kids aged 12 and 14) first time staying at the Swan. From the outside looking in, I always assumed it was solid but unspectacular. But let me tell you, it was WAY better than that! We loved everything about it. It seems like their maintenance team goes above and beyond. When you're inside, it doesn't feel like it was built in 1990. It feels brand new. We will be back!
Beach Club Pool Area: Elite
This was also our first stay at the Beach Club. We'd always peered over that fence when dining at Beaches & Cream, wishing we could try out the pool area. Finally got to do that, and it didn't disappoint. The slide was great and the sand bottom and lazy river were hits as well. The resort is on par with Boardwalk - which we also love - but the shorter walk to Epcot and the pool area nudge BC a little ahead in the power rankings.
Halloween Party: First Time
We've been to a Christmas party, but this was our first Halloween party. The kids loved all that "free" candy, and I enjoyed about 10 mini bags of M&M's myself. The lines for the rides were nice and short, and the parade was way better in person than YouTube. The special edition of Space Mountain was a super nice touch.
Epic Universe: The Good & the Bad
We ventured to Epic for one day. We didn't buy the special line skipping pass (didn't think we'd need it on a weekday in September), but in hindsight we probably should have. But those things aren't cheap.
Mario Kart was underrated (I was told it was not a good ride, but we thought it was awesome), and Monsters Unchained and Hiccup's Wing Gliders were 5-star rides; can't wait to ride those again on our next visit.
I think the Epic layout could be better. There's a lot of crisscrossing from one land to another, and the big space in the middle (Celestial Park) was just a long pass-through for us. Stardust was closed but we were skipping that one anyway.
We really enjoyed the Pizza Moon theming and atmosphere.
Teppan Edo: Massive Hit
I didn't know what to expect going in. What an experience. Our kids were captivated, never once tempted to look at their phones which is really saying something. The food being delicious was just the icing on the cake. This will be a must-do going forward.
Crowds: Worse Than Expected
We thought we were being clever, traveling down on a seemingly random week in September. There were pockets of low wait times here & there, but the majority of the time it seemed like busy season. Wait times were 40+ minutes for most rides most of the time we were there. Here again, probably should've splurged on the passes.
Random Cool Moment:
One of the CM's stationed in Tomorrowland recognized my wife by the magic band she wore the last time we were there 15 months ago. We couldn't believe it considering the number of people they must see every day working there!
Next Trip:
Likely next summer, and maybe to DL this time! We'll see...