Rajah
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 1999
Cast:
Rajah/Tammi -- As usual, trip report writer and trip planner
VonDrake/Michael -- Rajah's DH, whose conference is our excuse for the trip this time
Guest Cast:
Art -- our CM friend, pin-fanatic, and all around cool guy
Marsha and Tom -- aka Mackey Mouse and her DH from the DIS
Carol, Jen, and Kristin -- aka CarolAnnK and her daughters from the DIS
"Aaron" -- another solo IOA guest
Dates: Feb 28 through Mar 4, 2001
Destination: WDW, and for Rajah, USF and IOA as well
Name: "Swimsuit edition" -- keep reading to find out why, though one tip: always take your swimsuit, even if you don't think you'll want it
-------------
Rent a car. We've always gone with Tiffany Towncar in the past, never figured a car would be worth it. Boy were we wrong!! You can still use Disney transportation even if you've rented a car, but having the car gave us freedom to drive when we were running late, or run out to the store if we wanted to. It was also a *heckuva* lot easier to get from anywhere to Downtown Disney (that is, Disneyquest) with a car than it is with Disney transportation.
If you intend to stay at the Swan or Dolphin, look into the various discounts you can get. At this time, I know of government, teacher, annual passholder, and nurse discounts. All are very much looking into!
Be flexible. Just because you have PS somewhere for a certain time, if someone's not feeling well, don't force them. Just because you originally meant to go to Epcot, doesn't mean you can't quickly change your mind and go to Magic Kingdom. The key point to enjoying a Disney trip really is to be flexible.
Be aware of what you're getting into if you're going to get your tickets through TicketRES. Since they're no longer allowed to mail them home, you have to be present no matter where you get them. If you're going to have a car, I recommend going with the "pick up yourself" option. Sending them to the hotel still requires you to be there, and the hours may not be convenient for you, and the guy who delivered my tickets was late both in calling to set up the delivery and in arriving. I personally don't think I'll use TicketRES again, but it is a good service if you know you're going to be at the hotel during delivery hours, know you're supposed to contact the ticket providers (who are contracted to Dreams), and have all the relevant phone numbers, or if you're willing to go pick them up yourself.
If you *ever* feel the call to the pools, then *never* leave your swimsuit at home. Even if you think "oh, I take this every time and never use it", take it anyway. Otherwise, the one time you don't take it will be the time you wish you had.
If you're driving in Orlando, make sure to take an Orlando map with you. One isn't necessarily provided.
Enights are great!
Keep your ears open if you're trying to watch for people you may know. That's how I caught the phrase "Safari Steve", which was the key to our chance DIS encounter
If you've done a ride before and absolutely hated it, you'll remember that! So if you're nervous about going on a ride but have done it before and don't have a strong "I hated this and am never going again" feeling, that probably means you enjoyed it and it's worth another shot Especially if you have friends with you.
If you're interested in sushi and want to eat at Kimonos, be aware they have Karaoke and get rather loud around 7 or 8 pm. If you like Karaoke, that's fine. If you don't, make sure you go early in the evening.
When you come out of the self-parking lot of the Grand Floridian, turn right
If you turn left, you'll end up in employee-only areas.
Save mini-golf for later in the day or when it's cool. That golf course gets hot when it's warm outside.
IMHO, Rock 'n Roller was more intense than either Fire or Ice on Dueling Dragons.
There are a couple of things Disney could learn from Universal: first, put more ride-specific signs up so it's easier to find things, second, add temporarily-free lockers outside the coasters where you can stow your stuff while riding without having to go all the way back to the main entrance. Splash, Thunder, Space, and Rock 'n Roller/Tower of Terror are the biggest attractions this would be good for.
If it's going to rain while you're at the park and you won't be able to go back to the hotel to change later, take a backpack or bag with some dry clothes with you into the park, and leave them in a locker. Then, when you're ready to go, stop by the locker and the restrooms and change there. That way you don't have to run around in wet clothes either until you can find someplace with a restroom or you get to where you're going.
You *do* get wetter on Dudley Doright's Ripsaw Falls at IOA than you do on Splash Mountain, but if you have a poncho and a bag around your camera, it should be okay.
Even if it's raining, take your sunglasses into the park. You never know when you might need them.
If you're only interested in seeing fireworks themselves, a good place to view them is from Fantasyland, along the water's edge of what used to be 20,000 Leagues. If you want to see the castle as well, Fantasyland is not where you should be. The best place to see both the fireworks and the castle is in the hub or along Main Street.
If you're a late riser and just can't make it to breakfast by 11am, stay at the Dolphin. You can still get breakfast at the Coral Cafe until 11:30 M-F, and S&S until noon. It's more costly than fast-food breakfast, but not quite as expensive as a character breakfast. Also, if you're curious what the Japanese apparently eat for breakfast, check out the selection in the Coral Cafe.
-Rajah
<table><tr><td width="50%">
</td><td valign="center">
</td></tr></table>
cdrtrisal@aol.com
(Links will return when I find a new place to host the sites)
Rajah/Tammi -- As usual, trip report writer and trip planner
VonDrake/Michael -- Rajah's DH, whose conference is our excuse for the trip this time
Guest Cast:
Art -- our CM friend, pin-fanatic, and all around cool guy
Marsha and Tom -- aka Mackey Mouse and her DH from the DIS
Carol, Jen, and Kristin -- aka CarolAnnK and her daughters from the DIS
"Aaron" -- another solo IOA guest
Dates: Feb 28 through Mar 4, 2001
Destination: WDW, and for Rajah, USF and IOA as well
Name: "Swimsuit edition" -- keep reading to find out why, though one tip: always take your swimsuit, even if you don't think you'll want it
-------------
Rent a car. We've always gone with Tiffany Towncar in the past, never figured a car would be worth it. Boy were we wrong!! You can still use Disney transportation even if you've rented a car, but having the car gave us freedom to drive when we were running late, or run out to the store if we wanted to. It was also a *heckuva* lot easier to get from anywhere to Downtown Disney (that is, Disneyquest) with a car than it is with Disney transportation.
If you intend to stay at the Swan or Dolphin, look into the various discounts you can get. At this time, I know of government, teacher, annual passholder, and nurse discounts. All are very much looking into!
Be flexible. Just because you have PS somewhere for a certain time, if someone's not feeling well, don't force them. Just because you originally meant to go to Epcot, doesn't mean you can't quickly change your mind and go to Magic Kingdom. The key point to enjoying a Disney trip really is to be flexible.
Be aware of what you're getting into if you're going to get your tickets through TicketRES. Since they're no longer allowed to mail them home, you have to be present no matter where you get them. If you're going to have a car, I recommend going with the "pick up yourself" option. Sending them to the hotel still requires you to be there, and the hours may not be convenient for you, and the guy who delivered my tickets was late both in calling to set up the delivery and in arriving. I personally don't think I'll use TicketRES again, but it is a good service if you know you're going to be at the hotel during delivery hours, know you're supposed to contact the ticket providers (who are contracted to Dreams), and have all the relevant phone numbers, or if you're willing to go pick them up yourself.
If you *ever* feel the call to the pools, then *never* leave your swimsuit at home. Even if you think "oh, I take this every time and never use it", take it anyway. Otherwise, the one time you don't take it will be the time you wish you had.
If you're driving in Orlando, make sure to take an Orlando map with you. One isn't necessarily provided.
Enights are great!
Keep your ears open if you're trying to watch for people you may know. That's how I caught the phrase "Safari Steve", which was the key to our chance DIS encounter
If you've done a ride before and absolutely hated it, you'll remember that! So if you're nervous about going on a ride but have done it before and don't have a strong "I hated this and am never going again" feeling, that probably means you enjoyed it and it's worth another shot
Especially if you have friends with you.If you're interested in sushi and want to eat at Kimonos, be aware they have Karaoke and get rather loud around 7 or 8 pm. If you like Karaoke, that's fine. If you don't, make sure you go early in the evening.
When you come out of the self-parking lot of the Grand Floridian, turn right
If you turn left, you'll end up in employee-only areas.Save mini-golf for later in the day or when it's cool. That golf course gets hot when it's warm outside.
IMHO, Rock 'n Roller was more intense than either Fire or Ice on Dueling Dragons.
There are a couple of things Disney could learn from Universal: first, put more ride-specific signs up so it's easier to find things, second, add temporarily-free lockers outside the coasters where you can stow your stuff while riding without having to go all the way back to the main entrance. Splash, Thunder, Space, and Rock 'n Roller/Tower of Terror are the biggest attractions this would be good for.
If it's going to rain while you're at the park and you won't be able to go back to the hotel to change later, take a backpack or bag with some dry clothes with you into the park, and leave them in a locker. Then, when you're ready to go, stop by the locker and the restrooms and change there. That way you don't have to run around in wet clothes either until you can find someplace with a restroom or you get to where you're going.
You *do* get wetter on Dudley Doright's Ripsaw Falls at IOA than you do on Splash Mountain, but if you have a poncho and a bag around your camera, it should be okay.
Even if it's raining, take your sunglasses into the park. You never know when you might need them.
If you're only interested in seeing fireworks themselves, a good place to view them is from Fantasyland, along the water's edge of what used to be 20,000 Leagues. If you want to see the castle as well, Fantasyland is not where you should be. The best place to see both the fireworks and the castle is in the hub or along Main Street.
If you're a late riser and just can't make it to breakfast by 11am, stay at the Dolphin. You can still get breakfast at the Coral Cafe until 11:30 M-F, and S&S until noon. It's more costly than fast-food breakfast, but not quite as expensive as a character breakfast. Also, if you're curious what the Japanese apparently eat for breakfast, check out the selection in the Coral Cafe.
-Rajah
<table><tr><td width="50%">
</td></tr></table>
cdrtrisal@aol.com
(Links will return when I find a new place to host the sites)
