OK, this is my first trip report. I want to give back to this great community who helped me make this trip everything it was.
This was the first trip to Disney for DS1 (14mos). Second visit for DD4 (and me). Here goes...
FEB 14-- DAY 1
Drove our one-way car rental from Jacksonville to Disney (after a weekend visiting friends). DS1 didn't care for the 2.5 hour drive... little did we know illness was setting in. After seemingly 36 hours in the car, we got to SSR... beautiful place (pics on the web don't do it justice). Hoped for early check-in but no rooms were ready. Went to Goodings grocery store to stock up. Decent selection and very close to SSR. Ate lunch at McDonalds and by then our room was ready.
1br villa was very nice. Spacious enough for a family of 4. It would be nice if there was a door separating the jacuzzi & sink part of the bathroom from the bedroom, but the condo setup was still much better than a hotel room. We really valued the separate living space after DS1 went to bed. One minor thing that stunk for us due to DS's age was that all the doors had lever handles instead of round knobs. DS could get everywhere he wanted... and DID! Spent more time keeping him in check than we cared for.
Unloaded groceries and luggage. Dropped off rental car at Avis in DTD Hilton (who needs a car when you have Disney transportation!). And we were off to Epcot! First time at this park and loved it! DD4 did Test Track and loved it! We started the kidcot masks, but only had enough time to do a couple countries. Ride in Mexico was DS1's first ever. Too bad the most memorable part of the ride was the 40 year old man sitting behind DS1 who was constantly coughing right on our son. Kudos to a 40 year old who doesn't know how to cover his mouth when he coughs. And guess who developed a cough 2 days later? I tell ya.
Hit Norway and fastpassed Maelstrom while we watched the Chinese acrobats. Standby was 25 minutes when we got the fastpass. When we returned, standby said 0 minutes and fastpass lane was closed, but we saw a mob of people walking in right ahead of us after the acrobat show was over. I had a feeling we'd get burned and did. After 10 minutes in line, they opened the fastpass back up, but we were "stuck". Oh well, still a fun ride and worth the wait.
Spectro ran on Mon and Fri during our stay, so we decided that tonight would be the least crowded time to view. Took the monorail over to MK and got a great spot on Main Street, just below the train station. Too bad DS1 had enough. From 7:30pm til we returned to our hotel, he cried like never before. It was one of those cries like he just got a shot... but for 2 hours. We didn't know what to do. We kept thinking he'd settle down and opted to ride it out til the parade was over. We immediately bolted for the bus. Lesson learned to pack an "emergency" bottle for the rest of the trip.
Spectro was very entertaining and unique. DD4 was amazed. She didn't care for some of the bizarre-looking masks, but she reacts the same way to any Disney villian.
FEB 15-- DAY 2
8:05 breakfast at CRT. DS1 didn't sleep well, so DW told me to take DD4 to CRT since I "know what I'm doing" (thanks to all of you). Off we went! I thought we could get into MK early, but since the park opened at 8:00 anyway, CMs said no. No biggie... still got some great pics along Main St and in front of the castle. Breakfast was delicious and we immediately went to Fantasyland afterwards. Very short lines for everything. DD4 and I had a blast! It's funny how much attention you get when DD is wearing a Cinderella dress. I checked in on DW... DS was feeling better and they were on their way. Had a fantastic day, especially now that DD could go on Splash Mtn and Big Thunder Mtn RR. Made it special being DD's and my first time on those rides. I love going to Disney and trying something for the first time, whereas DW likes to do everything while we're there.
Left MK around 6:00 thinking we'd walk from SSR to DTD and eat there. "How crowded can it be on a Tue night" we thought. So wrong! Rainforest had 1.5 hour wait, so we grabbed something at the also crowded Wolfgang Puck Express. Good food, but DS1 was again ready to call it a day so we didn't get to "enjoy" it as much as we hoped.
FEB 16-- DAY 3
Went to AK today. Did the Lion King show (so well done), Kilimanjaro Safart and the walking trail. Made our way over to Dinoland, something we didn't do last trip. This was the best place for little kids. It also had a great setup to see the Pooh characters... off the beaten path so lines weren't bad and you stood in one line to see all 3 characters. Went to Tarzan Rocks, which wasn't exactly geared toward kids our age. Oh well, it was a nice break. Caught the Jammin Jungle parade.... very unique and creative!!
Headed to Epcot to eat at The Coral Reef. Good food, but not much of it considering the price. Service was great and so was the view of the aquarium.
FEB 17-- DAY 4
Back to MK. Another fun day. Had to do Philharmagic again because it's so well done! Park was much more crowded than Tuesday since the Pres Day and Daytona people were trickling in. Lines were longer so we didn't get to do as much, but still had fun. Ate dinner at Crystal Palace. Good food for a buffet and it was very open and bright inside. Pooh characters seemed to rush a bit, but we had just seen them yesterday so it didn't bother us.
FEB 18-- DAY 5
First time at MGM for DD, DS and me. HAD to go see Jo-Jo right off the bat. pretty cool the way she and Goliath come out of the trailer. DD was so excited! I read in the UOG how the show spacing at MGM lets you see more things compared to Universal. Can't speak for Universal, but we were able to see so much in a pretty short span at MGM (Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, visit Incredibles characters, etc). DD wanted to do ToT, but I wanted to test it out first. I think she'd be OK with the ride itself, if it wasn't for the Twilight Zone stuff (might spook her). But there was a 5/6 year old and she seemed to love it. Regardless, I didn't push it. Save something for next time.... which is also what I did with the Rock N Rollercoaster. Hats off to the Disney photographer for capturing the best pics of DS with Woody and Buzz. We originally did the PhotoPass just so we could easily send pics to friends and family, but these 2 shots were too good to pass up (even at $13 for a 5x7). Dinner at the 50s Primetime Cafe was fun. Food was good too. We loved the decor and the "mind your manners" philosophy enforced by the waiter.
FEB 19-- DAY 6
Always sad to leave, no matter how tiresome the trip has been due to DS not feeling well. Spent the day at World Showcase finalizing the kidcot mask. DD and DW had a blast while DS and I "strolled" around and took in the scenery. Too bad some of the stands (esp. crepes in France and shaved ice in Japan) weren't open til 12/12:30. Again, something to look forward to next time. After the mask was complete, DD and DW went on Test Track one last time and we were off. Went back to SSR and ate lunch at the Artists Palette. VERY good food and pretty quick. I wish we would have tried it out earlier in our trip.
We're already looking forward to our next trip in 2 years (maybe sooner
I know this wasn't a great trip report, but I hope I was able to offer some help to others, especially those with kids the same age as ours.
This was the first trip to Disney for DS1 (14mos). Second visit for DD4 (and me). Here goes...
FEB 14-- DAY 1
Drove our one-way car rental from Jacksonville to Disney (after a weekend visiting friends). DS1 didn't care for the 2.5 hour drive... little did we know illness was setting in. After seemingly 36 hours in the car, we got to SSR... beautiful place (pics on the web don't do it justice). Hoped for early check-in but no rooms were ready. Went to Goodings grocery store to stock up. Decent selection and very close to SSR. Ate lunch at McDonalds and by then our room was ready.
1br villa was very nice. Spacious enough for a family of 4. It would be nice if there was a door separating the jacuzzi & sink part of the bathroom from the bedroom, but the condo setup was still much better than a hotel room. We really valued the separate living space after DS1 went to bed. One minor thing that stunk for us due to DS's age was that all the doors had lever handles instead of round knobs. DS could get everywhere he wanted... and DID! Spent more time keeping him in check than we cared for.
Unloaded groceries and luggage. Dropped off rental car at Avis in DTD Hilton (who needs a car when you have Disney transportation!). And we were off to Epcot! First time at this park and loved it! DD4 did Test Track and loved it! We started the kidcot masks, but only had enough time to do a couple countries. Ride in Mexico was DS1's first ever. Too bad the most memorable part of the ride was the 40 year old man sitting behind DS1 who was constantly coughing right on our son. Kudos to a 40 year old who doesn't know how to cover his mouth when he coughs. And guess who developed a cough 2 days later? I tell ya.
Hit Norway and fastpassed Maelstrom while we watched the Chinese acrobats. Standby was 25 minutes when we got the fastpass. When we returned, standby said 0 minutes and fastpass lane was closed, but we saw a mob of people walking in right ahead of us after the acrobat show was over. I had a feeling we'd get burned and did. After 10 minutes in line, they opened the fastpass back up, but we were "stuck". Oh well, still a fun ride and worth the wait.
Spectro ran on Mon and Fri during our stay, so we decided that tonight would be the least crowded time to view. Took the monorail over to MK and got a great spot on Main Street, just below the train station. Too bad DS1 had enough. From 7:30pm til we returned to our hotel, he cried like never before. It was one of those cries like he just got a shot... but for 2 hours. We didn't know what to do. We kept thinking he'd settle down and opted to ride it out til the parade was over. We immediately bolted for the bus. Lesson learned to pack an "emergency" bottle for the rest of the trip.
Spectro was very entertaining and unique. DD4 was amazed. She didn't care for some of the bizarre-looking masks, but she reacts the same way to any Disney villian.
FEB 15-- DAY 2
8:05 breakfast at CRT. DS1 didn't sleep well, so DW told me to take DD4 to CRT since I "know what I'm doing" (thanks to all of you). Off we went! I thought we could get into MK early, but since the park opened at 8:00 anyway, CMs said no. No biggie... still got some great pics along Main St and in front of the castle. Breakfast was delicious and we immediately went to Fantasyland afterwards. Very short lines for everything. DD4 and I had a blast! It's funny how much attention you get when DD is wearing a Cinderella dress. I checked in on DW... DS was feeling better and they were on their way. Had a fantastic day, especially now that DD could go on Splash Mtn and Big Thunder Mtn RR. Made it special being DD's and my first time on those rides. I love going to Disney and trying something for the first time, whereas DW likes to do everything while we're there.
Left MK around 6:00 thinking we'd walk from SSR to DTD and eat there. "How crowded can it be on a Tue night" we thought. So wrong! Rainforest had 1.5 hour wait, so we grabbed something at the also crowded Wolfgang Puck Express. Good food, but DS1 was again ready to call it a day so we didn't get to "enjoy" it as much as we hoped.
FEB 16-- DAY 3
Went to AK today. Did the Lion King show (so well done), Kilimanjaro Safart and the walking trail. Made our way over to Dinoland, something we didn't do last trip. This was the best place for little kids. It also had a great setup to see the Pooh characters... off the beaten path so lines weren't bad and you stood in one line to see all 3 characters. Went to Tarzan Rocks, which wasn't exactly geared toward kids our age. Oh well, it was a nice break. Caught the Jammin Jungle parade.... very unique and creative!!
Headed to Epcot to eat at The Coral Reef. Good food, but not much of it considering the price. Service was great and so was the view of the aquarium.
FEB 17-- DAY 4
Back to MK. Another fun day. Had to do Philharmagic again because it's so well done! Park was much more crowded than Tuesday since the Pres Day and Daytona people were trickling in. Lines were longer so we didn't get to do as much, but still had fun. Ate dinner at Crystal Palace. Good food for a buffet and it was very open and bright inside. Pooh characters seemed to rush a bit, but we had just seen them yesterday so it didn't bother us.
FEB 18-- DAY 5
First time at MGM for DD, DS and me. HAD to go see Jo-Jo right off the bat. pretty cool the way she and Goliath come out of the trailer. DD was so excited! I read in the UOG how the show spacing at MGM lets you see more things compared to Universal. Can't speak for Universal, but we were able to see so much in a pretty short span at MGM (Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, visit Incredibles characters, etc). DD wanted to do ToT, but I wanted to test it out first. I think she'd be OK with the ride itself, if it wasn't for the Twilight Zone stuff (might spook her). But there was a 5/6 year old and she seemed to love it. Regardless, I didn't push it. Save something for next time.... which is also what I did with the Rock N Rollercoaster. Hats off to the Disney photographer for capturing the best pics of DS with Woody and Buzz. We originally did the PhotoPass just so we could easily send pics to friends and family, but these 2 shots were too good to pass up (even at $13 for a 5x7). Dinner at the 50s Primetime Cafe was fun. Food was good too. We loved the decor and the "mind your manners" philosophy enforced by the waiter.
FEB 19-- DAY 6
Always sad to leave, no matter how tiresome the trip has been due to DS not feeling well. Spent the day at World Showcase finalizing the kidcot mask. DD and DW had a blast while DS and I "strolled" around and took in the scenery. Too bad some of the stands (esp. crepes in France and shaved ice in Japan) weren't open til 12/12:30. Again, something to look forward to next time. After the mask was complete, DD and DW went on Test Track one last time and we were off. Went back to SSR and ate lunch at the Artists Palette. VERY good food and pretty quick. I wish we would have tried it out earlier in our trip.
We're already looking forward to our next trip in 2 years (maybe sooner
I know this wasn't a great trip report, but I hope I was able to offer some help to others, especially those with kids the same age as ours.
