The Reed Family’s 2011 Visit to the World 2-25 to 3-3-11

[bareed]

The Reed Family’s 2011 Visit to the World 2-25 to 3-3Friday February 25: We left cold Western Schuylkill County Pennsylvania at 3:00pm for Walt Disney World. Over our last three trips we were averaging around a 14 ½ hour car ride only stopping twice for gas and a quick bite for supper. DW and I find that the traffic is more manageable driving straight through and it is also easier with the kids (DD 11 and DS 5) sleeping for most of the trip. Things were going smoothly until we got off of I-270 and merged onto I-95 near the MD/VA line as our 70mph pace was quickly slowed to 20mph and bumper to bumper traffic. The traffic delay cost us about 90 minutes more than normal and after it cleared we stopped at Chick-fil-a in Ashland, VA. We filled up with gas ($3.19) in Kenny, NC. and then again at Kings Island, GA. ($3.15). We encountered no further traffic problems and we pulled into the Wilderness Lodge just after 7am Saturday February 26. By doing the online check in earlier in the week and being early before most check ins arrive we were able to check in and begin unpacking our bags in our room within 10 minutes; also very exciting was that we were finally (after 4 tries) able to be the flag family of the lodge March 2nd. I had faxed a request to the Wilderness Lodge the Wednesday before our departure for our favorite bear faced room on the 4th or 5th floor overlooking the lake, geyser, and pool area and the room entrance overlooking the NE corner of the lobby. We were granted our request and this time we did not have to wait for housekeeping to move into our home away from home. Though DW and I were very tired from our long drive after freshening up and unpacking we headed down to the boat dock for a trip to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived at MK soon after the 8am park opening, the sun was shining brightly and it was in the mid 70’s already! Passing under the railroad archways and looking up Main Street toward the castle is always amazing and a great start to our vacation. Lots of construction was going on in the MK with Tony’s, the Kodak Building, and the Candy store all having fancy painted canvases covering each building to hide construction. While it is very noticeable, the artfully painted canvases certainly helped give you a feel of what you normally would be able to see. The back of the castle facing toward Dumbo is also under construction and canvased and the bridge leading to Adventure Land is being repaired only allowing a small walkway through it, and don’t forget Toontown is closed and all of the construction going on behind the scenes in Fantasy Land. We headed to Tomorrow Land first getting on Buzz Lightyear and Astro Orbiter before doing the parent swap on Space Mountain. We skipped Stich’s ride because it is our least favorite of all the parks. While DW and DD were on Space Mt., I took DS to meet Mickey and Minnie in their new greeting spot beside Space Mt. The line was very short and within 10 minutes we were meeting up with DW and DD. We planned to go on Indy 500 next but it was posting a 70 minute wait and over flowing lines so instead we decided to hit Starlight Café to cash in our first free dining points and curb our hunger from our long drive. I got the barbeque sandwich and the others got cheese burgers and fries with chocolate cake. Everything was very good and filling but even though we were having an early lunch the café was certainly filling up fast. Our next stop was to meet the White Rabbit and ride the Tea Cups which seem to get faster every year! With the temperature still climbing quickly and Fantasy Land seemingly mobbed we decided to head back to the Wilderness Lodge for a swimming break. (Walt Disney World set a record high of 93 degrees for Feb. 26 & 27) The pool was crowded but not packed and it certainly felt great swimming and playing on the water slide compared to the cold temperatures in PA. the day before. DS and DD always enjoy the WL pool slide and also swimming after the floating ducks but our last few stays were the week after Thanksgiving when the pool was fairly quiet and the ducks numbered the same as the swimming but today they were taking quick dips in the pool and retreating to the shrubbery with the pool so full. Around 3pm we changed out of our suits and took the boat over to the Contemporary and rode the monorail around to the MK entrance. We always enjoy taking the boat from the WL whenever possible and like the monorail we think of the boats as an attraction as well. Arriving at MK we quickly found seats along Main Street before the Dream Parade started. The parade was great and DD and DS had great interactions with the strolling characters during the parade and I am glad we decided to sit on the shady side of the street because it was starting to get humid. After the parade we headed to Adventure Land and Pirates of the Caribbean with only a 15 minute wait time. Next we used snack credits for 3 Dole Whip Pineapple Floats and they were very tasty and perfect for the hot afternoon. The Tiki Room was still closed from the January fire and the Jungle Cruise was a 70 minute wait so we did the Magic Carpets. The queue line fans were not working but the partial shade from the canopies helped some. Next we enjoyed the Jack Sparrow Pirates Show, the actors were very good and had some funny jokes throughout the show for young and old alike. The sun was starting to set and it was soon time for the Electric Parade so we watched the parade from the train station veranda, which was a great point of view. The Electric Parade was fantastic and very colorful with floats featuring Mickey and Minnie, Alice, the Cheshire Cat, Captain Hook’s ship, Pete’s Dragon, and a long flowing American Flag. After the parade we boarded a boat to Fort Wilderness for our table service at Trail’s End Buffet. The food was good but often times hard to get. The food selections were not labeled and every time I went for food I had to wait for not one but several dishes to be replaced which made the meal seem to take a lot longer than it should have. This was by far the worst table service meal we have ever experienced at Disney and we wont be returning here until improvements are noted by others. We then took the boat back to the WL and filled our mugs with hot cocoa before calling it a night.

Day 2 Sunday February 27: This morning we had table reservations for Whispering Canyons at the WL for 8am. We were in a hurry to get to the Studios so we avoided the ketchup and straw games. The all you can eat skillets were great and everyone enjoyed their breakfast favorites, (Mickey waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, biscuits) the service and food were top notch and we were soon boarding the bus for the Studios. Bus transportation was a disaster this morning due to the Marathon taking place across main of the major Disney routes. We had a 30 minute bus wait followed by a 40 minute bus drive to the Studios. We finally reached the Studios around 10am and headed for Toy Story Mania, an hour later than we had hoped. DW grabbed FP for later in the day and we got in line for TSM with a posted 60 minute wait but was only 35 minutes. DD and DS loved the ride from the queue line all the way to the end of the ride, it would be great to go on it several times in a row but the rides appeal and popularity just doesn’t make it possible. Next we did the Muppet Vision and had a blast, even when you know the jokes it is still funny, and then the Great Movie Ride, which seems to be needing so kind of upgrade or changes. I thought the musical girls in white would be spinning and dancing again but they still haven’t been fixed. The American Idol was fun but the singers were only fair and they were still looking for singers to audition for later shows. We had about 45 minutes before the start of the new Pixar Parade so we found a bench in the shade only Hollywood Blvd. DW saved our seats while I took the kids to Animations to meet Lotso, Sorcerer Mickey, and Mr. & Mrs. Incredible. We returned to the bench just in time to watch the street performers put a great entertaining show. We also had Mickey ice cream bars and popcorn to snack on while waiting. The new Pixar Parade was great and filled with all of your favorite Pixar characters either walking or on floats. After the parade we visited the Tower of Terror and did the parent swap right before boarding the elevator car. DW and DS were led by a CM to the ride photo area and waited for DD and I to exit and DW and DD then went back through a CM door to the elevator to take their ride. I really like how you never know how high or how often you are going to be shot up in the air as the computer always changes it. Next we did the Little Mermaid show and then used or Toy Story Mania FP before heading to Pizza Planet for dinner. The salads and pizzas were fine, certainly not the best ever but very good and we kept our cookies for snacking while waiting for Fantasmic. We arrived at Fantasmic just after 6pm and they were starting to let people in for the 7pm showing. The seating area was filled with May flies, I am not sure if this was a normal occurrence or caused by the 93 degree heat but it was annoying swatting at the flying bug clouds until the sun went down and the lights came on. Fantasmic is always great and the whole family loves it. We bought DS a light up Sorcerer Mickey and even today he still can’t wait for the dark to spin his light up Mickey. We went on Tower of Terror after the show and only had a 10 minute wait leaving DD and I just enough time to ride Rocking Roller Coaster before we left the park. We took the bus back to the WL and in 15 minutes were headed for our room and able to sit on our balcony and watch the Water Parade with a relaxing mug of hot cocoa.

Day 3 Monday February 28: This morning we were up and waiting for the bus to take us to Animal Kingdom by 7:30am. There were about 20 people waiting for the bus when we got there and we still had to wait 15 minutes for the bus to arrive and even though the bus was standing room only we still traveled to the Grand Floridian and loaded 4 passengers before declaring the bus full. Needless to say we missed rope drop and welcoming by Mickey from the Tree of Life but we were able to get FP and board the Safari without waiting. We were able to see 4 types of Rhinos close up but failed to see giraffes, elephants, or the male lion. We used our FP right away and went back on the safari. This trip was much better as we saw a giraffe 3 feet away, 3 elephants and the baby elephant unexpectedly came out from behind a rock carrying flowering branches. One change I noticed on the safari was the machine gun fire from poachers was removed and more small water sprays were added along the road. Leaving Africa we headed toward Asia and met Flick, Turk, King Louie, and Ballou. DD and I boarded Expedition Everest twice in 20 minutes getting the very back seat the first time and the front seat the second time. The back seat is much rougher and shaky compared to the front or middle cars. In the front car you almost miss seeing the Yetti because he didn’t light up until you were already under him. I really wish they would take the time to fix him correctly so everyone could enjoy the ride the way it was planned. Next we headed over to Triceratops Spin and were able to meet with Goofy before heading to the Nemo Show. We saw this show at least four times now and it still is a blast and makes you say wow as you are leaving the theatre. Our next stop was the Kali River Rapids for our families first ever ride on it. During our previous December visits it was always on the cool side to take a chance getting soaked and walk around with squishy sneakers the rest of the day but today it was very hot and worth the risk. The ride was great and the queue and ride theming was very impressive, we each got a bit wet but not soaked as that honor belonged to two other people in our boat. We then headed to the walking trails to see the komodo dragon, tigers, and huge fruit bats. Before grabbing lunch we visited Tough to be a Bug which DS was still not too sure about especially after he felt the bugs crawling on the bench after the show! We ventured over to Dinoland for lunch and had typical burgers, chicken strips, and fries for lunch all very good and plenty of varieties of toppings and sauces to choose from. After lunch we visited with Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger before going to see Festival of the Lion King. The show was good but I would like to see some changes added to keep the show fresh and less predictable but I realize also that many are seeing this show for the first time. We met Thumper outside of the show and also posed for photos near the tree of life before heading back to the WL. Back at the WL we changed and hit the pool for a few hours of relaxing water fun. The pool was not as full as the previous days but as we were leaving around 5:00 it seemed more people were still getting into the pool. Once again I thought it took too long (45 minutes between waiting and driving) to get to Downtown Disney by bus. We visited the various shops looking for that eye catching souvenir but our concern for making it back to the WL for our Whispering Canyon meal took away from our fun and finally instead of rushing in and out of stores we decided to just head back to the WL with ideas in mind but no actual purchases. We left Downtown Disney at 7:30 for our 8:30 reservations and this time our wait and ride only took 40 minutes. We checked in early at Whispering Canyon and we were seated in minutes in the back corner of the restaurant next to the big fireplace. DS got a cheeseburger while the rest of us had the all you can eat skillet with beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, baked chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, baked beans, and corn bread. Everything was excellently prepared and tasty. For desert we each had a huge slice of apple pie with layer upon layer of sliced apples topped with vanilla ice cream. Almost too stuffed to move we made it back to our room just in time to view the Water Parade again and enjoy our balcony view before calling it a night.

Day 4 Tuesday March 1: This morning we awoke around 7am to heavy rains, which created an interesting view looking out from our WL balcony. The forecast from the previous night called for partly sunny skies giving way to 60% chance of late afternoon thunderstorms. Yes they even get the weather wrong in WDW. We hustled down to the boat dock when the rain lightened up and then decided to enjoy a monorail ride from the Contemporary to the MK. Reaching the MK entrance a few minutes before opening the rain seemed to be stopping just as the park opening show was starting. But once we started down Main Street toward Fantasy Land it began pouring again. Our first stop was Snow White’s Scary Adventure and we were able to walk on. We took several photos during the ride since it is going to disappear before our next visit. We tried to stay under cover as best we could while heading to Pooh’s Adventures and since we walked right on we only got a few quick touches at the new queue line attractions. While the rain continued to dump buckets we were able to walk on The Golden Carrousel, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, It’s A Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, and met Mary Poppins who was great in character with her accent and humor. The rain finally began to slow down on the way to the Haunted Mansion and I was surprised to see numerous construction areas taking place around the mansion and in the queue line. I later found out that they were creating handicap access ramp and new interactive toys for the queue line and cemetery. We all loved the Haunted Mansion except for DS who at 5 is still not a big fan of ghosts. One disappointment was the refurbishment of the hitchhiking ghost area, instead of a projected ghost in your car they had mirrors hanging on the wall with the ghost hung on the mirror to look sort of like h was in the car with you. Heading over to Frontier Land we met Donald Duck in his coonskin cap and the sun was starting to shine through the thinning clouds. Near the Country Bears Show a musical hoe down was about to start with various characters and their CM’s. Clarabelle Cow grabbed DS as a dancing partner and they formed a huge circle with other characters (Horace Horsecollar, several country bears, Brer Bear, Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, Woody and Jessie) and kids. They danced to several songs hooting, hollering, clapping, and dancing for a fun filled time as the sun really started shining. Our next stop was Splash Mountain, with no wait, which was a fun time and we just got a little splash at the end. DW decided to sit out Big Thunder Mountain so the three of us walked on two times before deciding to visit the Main Street bakery to have some delicious snacks. After our tasty snacks we took the boat back to the WL to rent sea racers before the rain decided to return (it never did). We rented two racers for an hour and had a fantastic time. We were able to go all around Seven Seas Lagoon (Magic Kingdom, Polynesian, and GF area) and Bay Lake (Contemporary, FT Wilderness, and WL area). This was really fun for the entire family and I highly recommend trying it on your next visit, you don’t even have to be staying at one of the resorts mentioned above just take a bus, boat, or monorail there and rent one from the resort marina. Before heading back to the Magic Kingdom cooled off in the WL pool for some further relaxation. We eventually took the boat back to the Magic Kingdom just in time to catch the Dream Parade again and then visited with the Tangled cast the castle. While waiting to see Rapunzel I fetched two Dole Whip Floats on our snack plan, which were very good and hit the spot in the heat. Rapunzel asked DD if she had her own frying pan and knew how to use it! In Tomorrow Land we did the Indy 500 and People Mover before splitting up, DW & DD went on Carousel of Progress while DS and I got in line to meet Buzz. Back together again we went on Space Ranger Spin and Laughing Floor (always a good laugh) before we needed to find seats for the new castle show “Let the Memories Begin”. This show was amazing and though it was hard to recognize most of the projected photos from the day it was still a visual master piece from coloring the castle with crayons to the pictures blasting off on the castle like a rocket. We then headed down Main Street to do some shopping before going back to the WL to change before our final advanced dining reservation at Hoop Dee Do Revue. We took our favorite transportation (boat) over to Fort Wilderness and were let into the show about 10 minutes before the 9:30pm show was scheduled to start. DS was starting to fall asleep as we waited but woke up as we were getting ready to go inside. We were seated right by the center of the stage so I suppose reserving 180 days out does help in table location. The food and the show were excellent, the performers put on a great show, and the fried chicken and ribs were outstanding. Not sure if the boat was still running after 11pm, we decided to take the bus back to the WL and within 10 minutes we were back in our room and ready for bed.

Day 5 Wednesday March 2: Today the Reed family was selected as Flag Family for the WL. We were very excited to be finally chosen, after 4 unsuccessful tries, as the Flag Family and we met Ranger Joe at 8am in the lobby. Ranger Joe presented us with a certificate recognizing us as the WL Flag Family of the day. RJ explained the tradition and importance of our job and by laser pointer showed us how we would be accessing the roof and also pointed out some important features and characteristics of the lodge. RJ told us that the WL flies 5 flags just like the lodge located in Yellowstone National Park. The WL flies the US flag, FL state flag, Walt Disney Icon logo flag, and 2 WL flags as their 5 flags. Before raising the flags we took photos of the surrounding area noting the locations of the 4 parks and their icons. Next DD & DS helped RJ raise the US flag and we recited the pledge of allegiance before raising the final 4 flags. We were able to take family pictures with each flag before raising it and also posed for several pictures with the Magic Kingdom in the background. Leaving the roof RJ informed us that we were invited to have breakfast in the concierge lounge. The breakfast was a nice way to end our amazing experience and we all agreed that it was certainly a major highlight of our trip. Soon we were off to Epcot and the first day of the flower and garden festival. Being the first day it seemed that a lot of other people had the same idea because as we got off the monorail you could see the mass of people trying to pass through the turn styles. We hit all the major Future World rides before it got crowded and grabbed FP for Soaring. Next we watched Captain Eo for the first time and were amazed at some of the special effects even 28 years later. In Innovations we tried the Piggy Bank Adventure and both kids enjoyed carrying the pig around and playing the various games to grow their money. From here we walked through Pixie Hollow and Bambi’s Butterfly Area, we also took lots of pictures of the various topiaries of the Disney characters spread throughout Epcot. Getting hungry we decided to do a CS at the Electric Umbrella, good fast food but very long lines to place an order and then more waiting to get the food. Heading to the World Showcase we wandered through the various shops of each country starting with Canada and we moved counter clockwise around the world. At the American pavilion we got to see and hear the Fife Core Marching band followed by the Voices of Liberty. These both were excellent performances and instilled a deep sense of pride in everyone. The show was very good and no matter how many times you see it you still come away inspired or notice something new that you didn’t know or remember from past shows. We finished our tour of World Showcase by visiting Germany, China, Mexico and Norway before finding a bench along the lake to watch Illuminations. We had an hour wait before the start of the show so we got CS take out from Mexico to eat on the bench and help pass the time until it was show time. Illuminations is another Disney show you just can’t seem to get enough of no matter how many times you see it. The music, message, torches around the lake, video globe, and fireworks all come together perfectly. Following the show there was the normal mass exodus of everyone from the park but we were able to get to the buses fairly quickly without too much congestion and by 10pm we were back at the WL for our final night sleep before checking out in the morning for our first ever Disney cruise on the Dream.

 

[Jessica527]

Sounds like you had a great time Love the feedback!