Spring Break Review from a Disney Vet who never Posts

[pavicich]

Ok-I’m always reading however never post. I’d like to remedy that by providing a review of our trip over spring break (March 30-April 7) and hopefully helping others out by providing insight that may serve as helpful….

We are DVC owners and travel to WDW every year at this time. This year we stayed at BLT (this is our second trip to this resort-last time was 2009). We brought my parents (happy to return the favor as they are also DVC members and share their points with us and take us often) and were in a 2 bedroom lakeview room with the view of MK. We also were on the DxDP and appreciate the ease of paying/planning in advance (we think planning and talking about the upcoming adventures are half of the fun).

We flew down direct Friday night and arrived at 9:30. We were fortunate to walk right onto the ME bus however had to visit OKW, SSR, POR, POFQ, POLY, VWL before we were finally dropped off at BLT. We have stayed at OKW, SSR, AKV and VWL over the past few years and appreciate them all. However, since our daughter is 4 right now we really value staying so close to MK and the ease of the monorail.

My mom met us in the BLT lobby and took us right up to the room as she had checked in earlier-this enabled us to not have to bother with checking in and picking up keys to the world over in the Contemporary. It is so nice getting there the night before so you truly have the entire Saturday to enjoy-we have waited in lounges including the Outer Rim for hours to get into a room-if it were just us it would be a treat however with a small child-it isn’t a good experience! We were happy with the improvements to the rooms at BLT-especially the locks on the bathroom doors and the hiding of the TV cords behind the walls. Furniture (especially kitchen table) looked scratched due to color of the finish and there was a stain in the carpet by the desk in the Master bedroom. Other than that the rooms were very clean.

Another reason we choose to still do the dining plan is our daughter LOVES the character meals and dinner shows (well, 2 of them anyway). We try to do Chef Mickey’s first thing mainly because it is a nice way for her to start the vacation and get the meeting of the “Big 5” out of the way. This enables us to skip waiting for them the rest of the week as we know we will see them at a meal or two (or more….). In our opinion while the meals are expensive, it beats wasting time waiting in lines to see all of these characters. If someone were to do a cost analysis of how much the price is to be there and how much you may spend waiting in line to fill an autograph book the meals may not look so bad! Forgive me if this analysis has already been done-if anywhere I know it would have been done on the Dis!

After our Sat Brunch at CM’s we were ready to relax by the pool all day prior to taking the boat over to Mickey’s Backyard BBQ for dinner that night. The weather was great however the pool does seem to be a bit too small (yes, I am fully aware I travel during a busy time of year-it’s still small). I look forward to the days when she is older and will tolerate just laying on the beach outside the gate. It is empty every time we are there.

The boatride over to FW is always nice-love that we may get another option to stay there! Regardless, must say that while the food at the BBQ is fine with us for what it is, our daughter just has not warmed to this show. We took her when she was almost 3 and she didn’t like it then-we assumed she was a tad young. Well, it turns out she still feels the same way-She doesn’t like the crowds of kids that merge on the dance floor (probably part of being an only child)-it makes her uncomfortable. This being said, for other parents that are reading this please know there were other children that did seem to enjoy the show very much.

Next Post- our first park day at MK !

 

[pavicich]

The next day was our first park day. We believe in the power of rope drop and will testify to it’s greatness to anyone! We already live in the eastern time zone so it is no big deal for us to get up at 6 and be out the door by 630 as this is similar to our schedule at home. With our daughter in the stroller my husband and I make the walk to the gate in less than 10 minutes. Once she is out of the stroller this walk will take longer for sure. MK opened at 7 all week.

We always zip straight to Dumbo (which we do twice) and then did every other ride in fantasy land and adventure land prior to our 1015 at Crystal Palace. The character interaction at CP is always good-we far prefer breakfast here over dinner. After breakfast we did Liberty square and revisited some shops and then it was time for BBB at 2pm.

BBB was an interesting experience-glad we did it once but prob not again. There is not enough space for viewing your little princess be transformed-was a bit disappointed that others had 5 adults watching their transformation and there wasn’t enough space for me to sit-anywhere. My husband had to stay in the lobby and I didn’t have a seat-didn’t really think this was set up very well when others were there with a viewing party of 4 and 5 plus. So I basically jammed myself next to the corner of the round couch as close to her chair as I could be without totally blocking the aisle. My daughter was asked if she wanted the princess bun or crazy hair. She responded with crazy. She was then asked if she wanted one color or rainbow. She picked rainbow. Now-I knew where this was going and I had a feeling she was not going to like the result however made one of those parenting choices to not step on her decisions. This was her treat to experience. After it was all done and she was spun to view the final product my heart broke a little. She was polite to the fairy godmother and thanked her but as she held my hand tight while we were paying she had me bend down and whispered to me “Mommy, I am not going to eat in the castle like this” in the most sad/disappointed voice. I let her know that there was nothing to worry about and that we would take care of it. We paid and proceeded on that brisk walk back to the hotel where she got right into the shower and had me wash everything off transforming her back into the normal little princess that she is. Live and learn!

That night we went back for dinner at CRT. I really get amazed when people try to reason their way into see Cinderella inside the castle with no reso and no intention to eat there. I understand the desire to see her however everytime we somehow have to stand behind someone at the podium trying to do this. It never fails and frankly, some of the excuses we hear are pretty amusing. Nevertheless, dinner here was fantastic-an engagement even happened! Last year the windows were covered as they were being worked on so this year it was nice to have it open and bright again. Service was excellent and the food was also. My mother who has eaten at every restaurant and counts Flying Fish and Artist’s Point as her fav’s thought her stuffed chicken was one of the best meals she has ever had.

My parents had also got my daughter the new Her Royal Highness package. For those wondering, the tiara is MUCH nicer than the one provided via the BBB princess bun package. We had chosen the Ariel cake which was larger than I thought. They boxed it up for us and we took it back to the room. The balloon on the table was a nice touch also. While my parents headed back, we did some more rides (love jungle cruise at night) and were home to watch the fireworks with a piece of cake before bed.

Next Post-Always rest after a park day!

 

[pavicich]

Day 3-4....

After park days we usually try to do a pool day. We started the day with another tradition-brunch at Ohana’s. I grew up staying at the POLY pre DVC and our family always would eat at Minnie’s Menehue Review for breakfast. This tradition has carried into today. Love the interaction with Stitch especially and the views if you are lucky enough to get a window seat are gorgeous. Also like that they have moved the check in podium to the other side of the lobby-this makes it way more organized. While we waited we used snack credits at the Kona coffee stand and then had a nice meal.

Now, I should note here that my mom is Celiac and has to eat Gluten free. We no longer put this on our reservations as she knows what she can and cannot eat and none of us need the attention from the chef-the first time it is a nice unexpected gesture however she is fully aware of what she can eat and what she shouldn’t so it just isn’t necessary. She simply asked for the gluten free waffles and they came right away (and were delicious).

After brunch, we took the monorail back and had another great pool day. I have to mention here that the pool/kids activity staff was the best I have ever seen. The girls working even got in the pool with their clothes on and were going down the big slide after dares from the kids! Was really fun to watch-have never seen this before!

That night was dinner at HDDR. Since we were on dining plan we had category 2-we were seated main floor halfway back on the side. Seats were great. The entire family LOVES this show and passed the time waiting for it to start by having a drink on the porch while watching our little one play hula hoop. After the show we decided to take a carriage ride around the fort. This is always nice but one unexpected thing that happened this time was that my daughter’s allergies were triggered and she had a stuffy nose the next few days. No big deal, but this hadn’t happened the last time we did it. Just something to note for those that may also suffer from allergies as a consequence.

Tuesday was our day at Epcot. Normally would have gotten fastpasses for Soarin right away however with the new rule enforcement didn’t want to get them too early. Therefore went straight to Test Track. Walked right on and then part of the group headed to Norway for our Akershaus reso and I went to Soarin to get the fastpasses hoping they would be timed for when we were done with Brunch (they were). Played in the butterfly garden for a few minutes and then met up at Akershaus. Character rotation here was SLOW. Food is always good-we love the cold bar/hot plate combination (esp the potatoes!)
Did Norway, Mexico and then went over to Soarin and then did Nemo and the rest (skipped Ellen this time-wish they would update this already!!!). Spent a while in Innoventions and walked the world showcase. Had dinner at Le Cellier. Must say-our opinion only-but this has kind of lost its luster for us-food is the same (cheddar cheese soup and filet for me) but just didn’t seem as good for some reason. Also-the kids choices here are almost non-existent. My daughter wouldn’t eat anything on the kids menu. We have eaten here every trip for the past 5 years however may skip it next time. Looking forward to try Hacienda next time maybe or revisit Biergarten or Rose and Crown.Flowers and Topiaries were gorgeous and festive as usual.

Went back to the pool and had a night swim. Love the huge firepit right next to the pool at BLT. This makes for a really cool place to sit and warm up after getting out of the water and just relaxing atmosphere all around!

 

[pavicich]

Days 5-8...

Wednesday Brunch was at the Wave-FANTASTIC. Cannot believe how whenever we eat here it is empty. Glad the secret is not out I guess? This was our first time experiencing the breakfast buffet-AWESOME. Loved the eggs benedict especially-achieving a good eggs benedict on a buffet is a feat in itself. Had another great pool day and then headed off to the Luau. Now-hadn’t done the Luau since I was a kid as my mom said I got bored and they had to leave early. My daughter however begged to go so we decided to give it a try. So glad we did! We are not bone in chicken people however we thought the food was all very good, service was excellent and really all enjoyed the show! Will do this again for sure. Guess it is her warm up for Aulani once she is old enough to handle the flight?! Left our daughter with my parents and had a nice evening at Top of the World lounge. Didn’t get crowded until 25 minutes prior to fireworks up there!

Thursday we were back at MK. Did fantasy land and then tomorrow land. Again, did everything prior to our 11am lunch reso at the Plaza. Was nice to just have a normal sandwich for the first time in a few days! Got a great table in the round section on the window overlooking the castle. While we were there a chef came out to speak to a family. He ended up having to bring the binder out! Feel bad for those who have that serious an allergy-must be hard if you don’t know what you can eat! I think the man literally spent 20+ minutes with this family. Only Disney!

Went back after lunch and took naps/rested. Then back for dinner at LTT and waited for fairies. My request is to please do a meal with the fairies! This line is insane and it would be a nice option-could pair it with a peter pan/pirate theme perhaps so as not to leave the boys out. I just don’t know why there are so many princess meals and not one with the fairies (oh yes, and while I am at it can we please add Rapunzel somewhere? I will NEVER wait in the line as it currently stands-insanity!!!) God bless the parents that wait the 2 hours to see the EXTREMELY POPULAR Tangled characters!

Friday we went to AK. Started with Tough to be a Bug which our little one did not like (I even had her sit forward for the poking sequence so she never felt it). Walked to the safari and walked right on-saw tons of animals! Showed up early at 930 for our 1000 Tusker House reso and they sat us anyway. I have to mention-was surprised that Donald isn’t “allowed” to sign autographs here? There was no one else there waiting to get in (as we showed up early) and they would not allow it. Thought this was odd?! This was our first time eating here and we thought it was good. To be honest, after a while all the breakfast food starts to taste the same so having some unique choices was nice. Did both the Lion King and Nemo shows, won 2 toys at Dinoland and just enjoyed the rest of the day. Headed back mid afternoon and took a rest prior to dinner that night at Narcossee’s.
I saw it on the boards recently and will support that Narcossee’s definitely has it’s groove back! Best meal of the week-best filet I have had on property EVER. Last year had the surf/turf and swore would never get it again. This year got the filet on its own and could have cut it with a butter knife. Cannot beat the press pot coffee to close the meal. It was all fantastic. Service was incredible. So happy to say that Narcossee’s has redeemed itself-really enjoy eating here on the water and watching all the boat traffic and MK from afar.

The next and last day we slept in and headed down to have lunch at the Wave prior to getting on the ME. Had the best ruben sandwich in a while here-again, it was completely empty except for one other table.
ME back to MCO picked us up first and then VWL, POLY, Grand Floridian and then we were finally on our way. Was a great trip!

Closing remarks:
Used most of our snacks for Smart Water this week-at $3.50 a bottle thought it was a good deal. Next year we are thinking of trying VGC for a change-we’ll see if we can get in at 7 months. If not you know where we will be! Thanks for reading!