Broomstick
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2006
- Messages
- 9
Overall it was an OK trip, not the best I've taken at WD but certainly not the worst. We went from 12/2 to 12/8, stayed at the WL. Hotel was great, first time staying there and I would easily book it again. Other than one incedent with the boat to MK (I'll explain later) didn't have any problems with transportation. Crowds were heavier than I was hoping for but we managed to avoid them as best we could.
Day 1:
Drove 10 hrs from New Orleans to Orlando, made good time IMO with me, the wife and 3 kids with an hour stop over for breakfast. Arrived at the Lodge and got my courtyard room but then found out it was for the Villas courtyard. Slightly disappointing but I was still pumped up to be there since I had visited the hotel on a previous trip. Get unpacked and go find the In-laws who inivited themselves on the trip. Hopped the boat over to Contemporary that night to meet up with my brother who has a sweet hotel overlooking the MK and watch the fireworks.
Day 2:
Get up early and have to wait almost an hour for the IL's to get moving. Get on the boat to MK and arrive to find the park wall to wall people. Wait another 1/2 hr for MIL to get a scooter then we are off. My original plan was to easy my 3 yr old daughter into MK so she would enjoy it but the crowds messed up that plan. She becomes overwhelmed and a bit scared of the crowd and seems to be nervous. We go straight to Toon Town to meet the princesses since ride waits are 40 mins or more on all the rides. Get to the line and the wishes crew were there and spot my daughter dressed like Cinderella. We get a wish and get to immediately go in without waiting in the 50 min line. Everyone is happy but the 3 yr old is completely frozen when she gets in the room. Wouldn't go near Snow White and only after a ton of encouragement she went up to Cinderella, but wouldn't say a word to her. LOL. After that I tried taking her on Peter Pan but she decidedly didn't like th e dark ride and started to scream/cry. I felt so bad because we had been talking about it for almost a year and I thought she would totally be into the entire trip (she watched the planning video almost daily and talked about all the rides she was going to go on and how she was going to take pictures with all the characters), but after that she wouldn't go on any of the rides. Well since my wife was pregnant with her the last time we went I watched the little one and let her and my stepdaughters go on the rides since this was my 8th trip and only their 2nd. Wound up leaving the park early and going to DTD to eat since it was so crowded, plus the little one and the IL's were getting cranky. Get a call from my brother that his family was going to EMH that night so me and the stepdaughters decide to join him. We get back to the hotel and start walking for the boat to MK when we hear it at the dock. All 3 of us run and get to the boat just as the last guest gets on so I ask the driver who is about to undock if he has room for 3 more (at this point the boat was still tied to the dock and we were at the chain that starts the waiting line), but he looks me right in the eye, doesn't say a word, unties the boat and leaves. Had I not been at Disney they would have heard my ensuing rant at him across the lake, but because I didn't want to curse him out in front of the kids I held my tongue. At this point the boat to Contemprary finshes docking so we hop on that one and take the monorail from there but it added an extra 1/2 hr to the trip so we didn't arrive until 10 pm. MK was completely dead, we did 10 rides in an hour starting with pirates and working our way to Space Mountain. Easily made up for the crowds earlier in the day and even the rude captain.
Day 2:
Almost the same scenario as the first morning (in fact every morning was like that) but we hit Epcot. Crowds were moderate size but with the exception of Soaring we hit all the rides by noon. IL's are borderline grumpy the entire time but we've learned to tune them out and suggest if they are that unhappy they should go back to the hotel. MiL can't be left out of anything so she finally decides to have a good time regardless of the crowds. Unsuccessfully try to bring the youngest on Nemo, she cried again on it but livened up once we got the aquarium itself. Later that evening we hook up with my brother and go to the MVMCP. Little crowded in the beginning but after the fireworks the crowds died off and for the last 2 hours it was incredible. Rode space mountain 3 times in a row, the last 2 we didn't leave the vehicle. Did that on the rest of them as well. IL's left after the fireworks so we made great time.
(I'll finish the rest when I can later this afternoon)
Day 1:
Drove 10 hrs from New Orleans to Orlando, made good time IMO with me, the wife and 3 kids with an hour stop over for breakfast. Arrived at the Lodge and got my courtyard room but then found out it was for the Villas courtyard. Slightly disappointing but I was still pumped up to be there since I had visited the hotel on a previous trip. Get unpacked and go find the In-laws who inivited themselves on the trip. Hopped the boat over to Contemporary that night to meet up with my brother who has a sweet hotel overlooking the MK and watch the fireworks.
Day 2:
Get up early and have to wait almost an hour for the IL's to get moving. Get on the boat to MK and arrive to find the park wall to wall people. Wait another 1/2 hr for MIL to get a scooter then we are off. My original plan was to easy my 3 yr old daughter into MK so she would enjoy it but the crowds messed up that plan. She becomes overwhelmed and a bit scared of the crowd and seems to be nervous. We go straight to Toon Town to meet the princesses since ride waits are 40 mins or more on all the rides. Get to the line and the wishes crew were there and spot my daughter dressed like Cinderella. We get a wish and get to immediately go in without waiting in the 50 min line. Everyone is happy but the 3 yr old is completely frozen when she gets in the room. Wouldn't go near Snow White and only after a ton of encouragement she went up to Cinderella, but wouldn't say a word to her. LOL. After that I tried taking her on Peter Pan but she decidedly didn't like th e dark ride and started to scream/cry. I felt so bad because we had been talking about it for almost a year and I thought she would totally be into the entire trip (she watched the planning video almost daily and talked about all the rides she was going to go on and how she was going to take pictures with all the characters), but after that she wouldn't go on any of the rides. Well since my wife was pregnant with her the last time we went I watched the little one and let her and my stepdaughters go on the rides since this was my 8th trip and only their 2nd. Wound up leaving the park early and going to DTD to eat since it was so crowded, plus the little one and the IL's were getting cranky. Get a call from my brother that his family was going to EMH that night so me and the stepdaughters decide to join him. We get back to the hotel and start walking for the boat to MK when we hear it at the dock. All 3 of us run and get to the boat just as the last guest gets on so I ask the driver who is about to undock if he has room for 3 more (at this point the boat was still tied to the dock and we were at the chain that starts the waiting line), but he looks me right in the eye, doesn't say a word, unties the boat and leaves. Had I not been at Disney they would have heard my ensuing rant at him across the lake, but because I didn't want to curse him out in front of the kids I held my tongue. At this point the boat to Contemprary finshes docking so we hop on that one and take the monorail from there but it added an extra 1/2 hr to the trip so we didn't arrive until 10 pm. MK was completely dead, we did 10 rides in an hour starting with pirates and working our way to Space Mountain. Easily made up for the crowds earlier in the day and even the rude captain.
Day 2:
Almost the same scenario as the first morning (in fact every morning was like that) but we hit Epcot. Crowds were moderate size but with the exception of Soaring we hit all the rides by noon. IL's are borderline grumpy the entire time but we've learned to tune them out and suggest if they are that unhappy they should go back to the hotel. MiL can't be left out of anything so she finally decides to have a good time regardless of the crowds. Unsuccessfully try to bring the youngest on Nemo, she cried again on it but livened up once we got the aquarium itself. Later that evening we hook up with my brother and go to the MVMCP. Little crowded in the beginning but after the fireworks the crowds died off and for the last 2 hours it was incredible. Rode space mountain 3 times in a row, the last 2 we didn't leave the vehicle. Did that on the rest of them as well. IL's left after the fireworks so we made great time.
(I'll finish the rest when I can later this afternoon)
