ww52
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2001
- Messages
- 1,057
Day 3:
Change in strategy; skip the EE parks (good thing I didnt have a written itinerary). Went to Universal early (the other family went later). As we remembered, this is a much hotter park than any at WDW. While I object to the concept in general, we opted for buying their ExpressPass ($25 extra) which in effect buys you one FastPass for nearly every ride to be used whenever you want. Because of my BILs extreme sensitivity to the heat, it was worth it. Rides: Shrek (great attraction), Earthquake, Jaws, Twister, Men in Black, Back to the Future, T2 (probably best 3-D attraction overall), and Jimmy Neutron.
Back to Swan for lunch at the quiet pool; then later dinner at Cape May. It was our anniversary, and we wanted to celebrate it with the whole family. I also arranged to have flowers delivered from the WDW florist for my wife. Before the trip, I mentioned each time I called the Swan that it was our anniversary, but they did nothing. Thought maybe there would be a card or chocolate mint. No problem, but I was a bit surprised since each time I mentioned it they noted it without saying we dont do anything.
Rain most of the evening no parks; met with our friends for a drink later in the evening. Swan/Dolphin lacks many comfortable lounges except Shulas. Also the wine is very overpriced - $8-$9 a glass for the least expensive. Beer was priced reasonable for a hotel. CL prices of $4 and $2.75 cheap by comparison.
Worth mentioning CL as Ive said in other posts, its probably not worth the extra money (its not a true concierge level there is only a lounge no separate check-in or staff to handle reservations - and it is closed for most of the day), but using points it was great; didnt use it for the evening very often but the quick breakfast was great, getting water for the parks very welcome (we brought a small soft cooler to carry them in); MamaT and Thabo were everything that everyone says. (MamaTs nickname derives from her real name of Teresa, later nicknamed Mother Teresa, or MamaT. Thabos name is pronounced Tah-bo.) MamaT showed us the very large suite in the middle of the 12th floor with a baby grand piano, a small kitchen, three baths, two bedrooms, living room, dining area; two or three balconies for just $2000 a night. Very nice of her to do that she made a special trip to get the key to get in just for us.
Also need to mention that we were very happy with our decision to stay at the Swan. Its a deluxe hotel in every way for nearly the price of a moderate. Location is excellent; the atmosphere perfect for our family (with our kids being older, having all the little Disney touches is less important); staff is very friendly and helpful concierge available for everyone and we made our few PSs through them. And yes, the heavenly beds are every bit as good as advertised. Our friends were at the Dolphin and they were equally impressed. By the way, the issue with the motion detectors on the AC never surfaced we had heard that the AC turned off when sleeping due to lack of motion in the room but that didnt seem to make the room warm and with the heat we had during our trip, we would have noticed.
Day 4:
Three of us went to IOA; again bought the $25 ExpressPass, but that may not have been worth it this time; my BIL stayed back along with one son and my wife; other family went to TL we never made it there. Wanted to but heat and crowds made the Grotto pool (never crowded) a better alternative. Still no waves or lazy river.
Rides: Hulk twice (not me loops usually bother me now, but RnRc didnt for some reason probably the theming makes you forget about it), Dr. Doom, Spider-Man (best overall attraction in my opinion), J-Park, Dragons twice (not me), Cat in the Hat, and Rip-off Falls (or was that Rip-Saw Falls?). It was no Splash Mountain, but the drop was a bit better.
Whole family went to Epcot-WS for lunch at Mexico; then met up with our friends. Did the Mexico boat ride, listened to a great band there as well as looking around, did the same at Canada with the band Off-Kilter, did Maelstrom, went through Morocco, Japan, China, UK, Germany, France, Italy (not in this order obviously). Saw a great band called Baka Beyond in the pavilion outside the American Adventure. They were a mix of African and Celtic music, with members from four different countries. Then saw American Adventure, and then Illuminations. (We got a good spot by the US area; this was the fourth or fifth time we saw it and weve never camped out a space and always got a good view.)
Day 5:
Nothing in the morning; our friends left today. Went to GF to show BIL and to see the new pool; everyone missed staying there, but we quickly reminded ourselves of the price difference and convenience to Epcot/MGM, which it turns out we went to six times in total. By the way, we parked in the GF general lot we didnt get a limited time sticker nor were we told there would be a time limit. Lunch at the Swan quiet pool again, then back to Epcot WS. Saw Italy, France, China, Japan again. BIL and older son did American Adventure again. Then had dinner at Germany with the oom-pah band. Then back to MGM for One Mans Dream and Fantasmic but not my two sons. We all liked One Mans Dream a lot, but especially my BIL. Got to Fantasmic at 8:00, line was open; good seats two or three sections from the far left; could see the left and center waterscreens just fine. Fantasmic was a great show my wife wasnt expecting much but really enjoyed it. My daughter taped most of it and did a great job. In fact, she was the videographer this trip it was nice having someone else do it, but I would have taped more or different things throughout the trip.
Should mention that we took always took the boat to and from MGM (though one night it would have been quicker to walk back) and usually walked to Epcot (always faster than the boat, but sometimes we were just too hot or tired). Actually, a quick compromise coming back is taking the boat from Epcot to BW, and then walking.
Change in strategy; skip the EE parks (good thing I didnt have a written itinerary). Went to Universal early (the other family went later). As we remembered, this is a much hotter park than any at WDW. While I object to the concept in general, we opted for buying their ExpressPass ($25 extra) which in effect buys you one FastPass for nearly every ride to be used whenever you want. Because of my BILs extreme sensitivity to the heat, it was worth it. Rides: Shrek (great attraction), Earthquake, Jaws, Twister, Men in Black, Back to the Future, T2 (probably best 3-D attraction overall), and Jimmy Neutron.
Back to Swan for lunch at the quiet pool; then later dinner at Cape May. It was our anniversary, and we wanted to celebrate it with the whole family. I also arranged to have flowers delivered from the WDW florist for my wife. Before the trip, I mentioned each time I called the Swan that it was our anniversary, but they did nothing. Thought maybe there would be a card or chocolate mint. No problem, but I was a bit surprised since each time I mentioned it they noted it without saying we dont do anything.
Rain most of the evening no parks; met with our friends for a drink later in the evening. Swan/Dolphin lacks many comfortable lounges except Shulas. Also the wine is very overpriced - $8-$9 a glass for the least expensive. Beer was priced reasonable for a hotel. CL prices of $4 and $2.75 cheap by comparison.
Worth mentioning CL as Ive said in other posts, its probably not worth the extra money (its not a true concierge level there is only a lounge no separate check-in or staff to handle reservations - and it is closed for most of the day), but using points it was great; didnt use it for the evening very often but the quick breakfast was great, getting water for the parks very welcome (we brought a small soft cooler to carry them in); MamaT and Thabo were everything that everyone says. (MamaTs nickname derives from her real name of Teresa, later nicknamed Mother Teresa, or MamaT. Thabos name is pronounced Tah-bo.) MamaT showed us the very large suite in the middle of the 12th floor with a baby grand piano, a small kitchen, three baths, two bedrooms, living room, dining area; two or three balconies for just $2000 a night. Very nice of her to do that she made a special trip to get the key to get in just for us.
Also need to mention that we were very happy with our decision to stay at the Swan. Its a deluxe hotel in every way for nearly the price of a moderate. Location is excellent; the atmosphere perfect for our family (with our kids being older, having all the little Disney touches is less important); staff is very friendly and helpful concierge available for everyone and we made our few PSs through them. And yes, the heavenly beds are every bit as good as advertised. Our friends were at the Dolphin and they were equally impressed. By the way, the issue with the motion detectors on the AC never surfaced we had heard that the AC turned off when sleeping due to lack of motion in the room but that didnt seem to make the room warm and with the heat we had during our trip, we would have noticed.
Day 4:
Three of us went to IOA; again bought the $25 ExpressPass, but that may not have been worth it this time; my BIL stayed back along with one son and my wife; other family went to TL we never made it there. Wanted to but heat and crowds made the Grotto pool (never crowded) a better alternative. Still no waves or lazy river.
Rides: Hulk twice (not me loops usually bother me now, but RnRc didnt for some reason probably the theming makes you forget about it), Dr. Doom, Spider-Man (best overall attraction in my opinion), J-Park, Dragons twice (not me), Cat in the Hat, and Rip-off Falls (or was that Rip-Saw Falls?). It was no Splash Mountain, but the drop was a bit better.
Whole family went to Epcot-WS for lunch at Mexico; then met up with our friends. Did the Mexico boat ride, listened to a great band there as well as looking around, did the same at Canada with the band Off-Kilter, did Maelstrom, went through Morocco, Japan, China, UK, Germany, France, Italy (not in this order obviously). Saw a great band called Baka Beyond in the pavilion outside the American Adventure. They were a mix of African and Celtic music, with members from four different countries. Then saw American Adventure, and then Illuminations. (We got a good spot by the US area; this was the fourth or fifth time we saw it and weve never camped out a space and always got a good view.)
Day 5:
Nothing in the morning; our friends left today. Went to GF to show BIL and to see the new pool; everyone missed staying there, but we quickly reminded ourselves of the price difference and convenience to Epcot/MGM, which it turns out we went to six times in total. By the way, we parked in the GF general lot we didnt get a limited time sticker nor were we told there would be a time limit. Lunch at the Swan quiet pool again, then back to Epcot WS. Saw Italy, France, China, Japan again. BIL and older son did American Adventure again. Then had dinner at Germany with the oom-pah band. Then back to MGM for One Mans Dream and Fantasmic but not my two sons. We all liked One Mans Dream a lot, but especially my BIL. Got to Fantasmic at 8:00, line was open; good seats two or three sections from the far left; could see the left and center waterscreens just fine. Fantasmic was a great show my wife wasnt expecting much but really enjoyed it. My daughter taped most of it and did a great job. In fact, she was the videographer this trip it was nice having someone else do it, but I would have taped more or different things throughout the trip.
Should mention that we took always took the boat to and from MGM (though one night it would have been quicker to walk back) and usually walked to Epcot (always faster than the boat, but sometimes we were just too hot or tired). Actually, a quick compromise coming back is taking the boat from Epcot to BW, and then walking.
