2belles'mom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2000
Okay this is itâÂÂfinally! As I write these reports I realize that we really spent a rather long time WDW, although it seemed to go by so quickly! My last report ended with us heading down to West Palm which we did. I will skip over that part for now (but will add to our personal files for my daughters later). Suffice it to say that it was quite a bit warmer farther south, but only one day was really warm enough to hit the beach.
We returned to Orlando on December 30, after 1 week in W. Palm, and stayed at the Whyndam on International Drive. I had snagged it from Priceline for $30 (3*--which I will not bid again!), but it would definitely not be my first choice. It is very close to Universal Studios, but too far away from WDW. Also, it was COLD again, and the hotel is like DxL in that you must go outside to get to the amenities. Anyway, we spent the night there and then checked out the next morning. We had a 10:00 PS at Artist Pointe at the WL for the Winnie the Pooh breakfast, so that was our first destination. The breakfast was wonderful; Annika was in heaven with the charactersâÂÂa total turnaround from the beginning of our trip. Katja loved it as well, and Pooh and his Pals were quite attentive and funny.
After breakfast we checked in at MOWC. We got a room on the 17th floor in the North Tower. The room was FANTASTICâÂÂit had a gorgeous view of Epcot, Downtown Disney & Pleasure Island, MGM, and the Magic Kingdom (although MK was further in the distance). We would have prime viewing spots for the New YearâÂÂs Eve FireworksâÂÂand all for $40, my bid through Priceline! Again, it was far too cold to swim so we entertained ourselves by riding up and down in the external glass elevator for awhile, and then put the girls down for naps. Dinner consisted of room service cheeseburgers and mac&cheese.
We were all up for the stunning fireworksâÂÂfirst, we got a spectacular show from MGM and Epcot, then the MK show started. All three ran simultaneouslyâÂÂWOWâÂÂthe sky was lit from end to end. And then, much to our surprise and delight, the skies over Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island burst forth with splendid glory! It was a magnificent sight to see our entire view filled with fireworks! For a few minutes, all were going off at the same time, and then after the fabulous finales at the other parks, Downtown Dis and PI was the only show remaining. But what a show! This was clearly the epicenter of the WDW New YearâÂÂs Eve celebration. There was so much smoke generated by the pyrotechnics that I eventually had to close the slider because smoke was pouring into our room. Yikes!
The next morning we were up at 5, at the airport by 7:30, and in the air flying home at 9:30. In a way, it was not so hard to go because we had been away for awhile, and pretty much had said our goodbyes to parks a week ago; perhaps this could be considered gradual withdrawal as opposed to cold turkey????
FINAL THOUGHTS
Our trip was fantastic. Although we spent 10 days at WDW (including partial and non-park days), I could easily do more! We never even made it to Epcot.
I think the MOWC was the absolute best deal (through Priceline) we had. I simply cannot believe our luck for the NYE fireworks, and the place is luxury all the way. That said, I still would stay on-site for part of my tripâÂÂthe Disney magic and the ease of getting around (not to mention early entry) is too hard to give up entirely.
The Contemporary Tower room w/MK view was a bit of a disappointed in that we could not see MK from most of the roomâÂÂbut I would do it again in a minute. I just love this hotel, and I love the monorail!
Dixie Landings was very nice, but I donâÂÂt think we will stay there in the near future. I absolutely DO want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge on our next tripâÂÂI think we will combine several nights at a 4* through Priceline with several nights at WL.
The early morning touring worked very well for us, and I cannot even imagine trying to start the day at 10 or 11âÂÂthe lines are getting long, and the crowds are getting thick by then. The mornings are magical, not only because there are no waits for rides, but because everything is so open and empty, andâ¦.personal, and purely Disney!
MickeyâÂÂs Very Merry Christmas Party was worth every penny and every minute. Especially with little kids, it was great to get in everything (rides with no linesâÂÂlike early morning, when MVMCP starts, the parade, and fireworks) all in several short hours. It is hard to catch all these things with small kids because you must put in a very grueling day, beginning at opening, staying for a parade in the afternoon and fireworks at night.
The elecric vehicle worked GREAT for my mother--I would highly recommend this for anyone traveling with someone mobility impaired. It really enable her to enjoy the parks without becoming exhausted.
Clothes! We had to buy all kinds of warmer clothes due to the nasty cold weather. I will pack better next time!
All in all, an absolutely fabulous vacation. We met a new addition to our family (my nephew, Riley, 7 years old), and it was the perfect venue for him to meet his grandparents and uncle, aunt, and cousin. It was also his first trip to WDW and he was enchantedâÂÂI think it took some of the pressure off.
Now it is time to start to planning the next trip!!!!!!!!!!!
2belles'mom
[This message was edited by 2belles'mom on 01-13-01 at 03:36 PM.]
We returned to Orlando on December 30, after 1 week in W. Palm, and stayed at the Whyndam on International Drive. I had snagged it from Priceline for $30 (3*--which I will not bid again!), but it would definitely not be my first choice. It is very close to Universal Studios, but too far away from WDW. Also, it was COLD again, and the hotel is like DxL in that you must go outside to get to the amenities. Anyway, we spent the night there and then checked out the next morning. We had a 10:00 PS at Artist Pointe at the WL for the Winnie the Pooh breakfast, so that was our first destination. The breakfast was wonderful; Annika was in heaven with the charactersâÂÂa total turnaround from the beginning of our trip. Katja loved it as well, and Pooh and his Pals were quite attentive and funny.
After breakfast we checked in at MOWC. We got a room on the 17th floor in the North Tower. The room was FANTASTICâÂÂit had a gorgeous view of Epcot, Downtown Disney & Pleasure Island, MGM, and the Magic Kingdom (although MK was further in the distance). We would have prime viewing spots for the New YearâÂÂs Eve FireworksâÂÂand all for $40, my bid through Priceline! Again, it was far too cold to swim so we entertained ourselves by riding up and down in the external glass elevator for awhile, and then put the girls down for naps. Dinner consisted of room service cheeseburgers and mac&cheese.
We were all up for the stunning fireworksâÂÂfirst, we got a spectacular show from MGM and Epcot, then the MK show started. All three ran simultaneouslyâÂÂWOWâÂÂthe sky was lit from end to end. And then, much to our surprise and delight, the skies over Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island burst forth with splendid glory! It was a magnificent sight to see our entire view filled with fireworks! For a few minutes, all were going off at the same time, and then after the fabulous finales at the other parks, Downtown Dis and PI was the only show remaining. But what a show! This was clearly the epicenter of the WDW New YearâÂÂs Eve celebration. There was so much smoke generated by the pyrotechnics that I eventually had to close the slider because smoke was pouring into our room. Yikes!
The next morning we were up at 5, at the airport by 7:30, and in the air flying home at 9:30. In a way, it was not so hard to go because we had been away for awhile, and pretty much had said our goodbyes to parks a week ago; perhaps this could be considered gradual withdrawal as opposed to cold turkey????
FINAL THOUGHTS
Our trip was fantastic. Although we spent 10 days at WDW (including partial and non-park days), I could easily do more! We never even made it to Epcot.
I think the MOWC was the absolute best deal (through Priceline) we had. I simply cannot believe our luck for the NYE fireworks, and the place is luxury all the way. That said, I still would stay on-site for part of my tripâÂÂthe Disney magic and the ease of getting around (not to mention early entry) is too hard to give up entirely.
The Contemporary Tower room w/MK view was a bit of a disappointed in that we could not see MK from most of the roomâÂÂbut I would do it again in a minute. I just love this hotel, and I love the monorail!
Dixie Landings was very nice, but I donâÂÂt think we will stay there in the near future. I absolutely DO want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge on our next tripâÂÂI think we will combine several nights at a 4* through Priceline with several nights at WL.
The early morning touring worked very well for us, and I cannot even imagine trying to start the day at 10 or 11âÂÂthe lines are getting long, and the crowds are getting thick by then. The mornings are magical, not only because there are no waits for rides, but because everything is so open and empty, andâ¦.personal, and purely Disney!
MickeyâÂÂs Very Merry Christmas Party was worth every penny and every minute. Especially with little kids, it was great to get in everything (rides with no linesâÂÂlike early morning, when MVMCP starts, the parade, and fireworks) all in several short hours. It is hard to catch all these things with small kids because you must put in a very grueling day, beginning at opening, staying for a parade in the afternoon and fireworks at night.
The elecric vehicle worked GREAT for my mother--I would highly recommend this for anyone traveling with someone mobility impaired. It really enable her to enjoy the parks without becoming exhausted.
Clothes! We had to buy all kinds of warmer clothes due to the nasty cold weather. I will pack better next time!
All in all, an absolutely fabulous vacation. We met a new addition to our family (my nephew, Riley, 7 years old), and it was the perfect venue for him to meet his grandparents and uncle, aunt, and cousin. It was also his first trip to WDW and he was enchantedâÂÂI think it took some of the pressure off.
Now it is time to start to planning the next trip!!!!!!!!!!!
2belles'mom
[This message was edited by 2belles'mom on 01-13-01 at 03:36 PM.]
