sazzifrazz
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2008
- Messages
- 400
DH and I returned from a 3 night anniversary trip. This was our first time away without our 6 year old. There was a tiny bit of guilt for not bringing him but really we did some commando touring that he wouldn't have been able to handle. This trip was planned within 3 weeks of travel.
RESORT: I went back and forth about where to stay. I orignally booked POFQ because we like POR but I was hoping the bus situation was better at the smaller POFQ. A few days after booking I was second guessing myself. I REALLY wanted to rent DVC points for an EPCOT resort or Baylake. Every studio was filled up on property! I crunched some numbers and comapred options. Wilderness Lodge was reasonable so we decided to splurge and go for it. We have never stayed deluxe before so this was exciting. I loved the ideo of the boat to MK.
I really liked this resort. The lobby is just gorgeous. When we arrived Friday night around 8pm The check in girl told us we had been upgraded from a standard view to a woods view!! I love surprises. We were on the 4th floor in the lobby section (so I call it). Because of the layout of the building this was really only one level up from lobby. I forget our room number but if you stepped out or room door there was a jet-out with rocking chairs overlooking lobby. We were directly above whispering canyon. The room iteself was just average...nothing special about it. Our view wasn't great either...you could still see some service area below. We later realized that we probably could have seen the MK fireworks from our balcony but we were never there at that time. It probably is a coveted room location and we didn't even know it! Although the place is large, it never felt busy. It was always calm and peaceful. Roaring Forks is small but again, never crowded. I like the food options at POR better. The pool area is pretty because of the lodge and watefall area. I don't think the pool has any wow factor though. I think my 6 year old would prefer the pool at POR . The walk to the boat was nice, and I LOVED having the option to avoid the bus. The but stops were also convenient. We never waited more that 5 minutes for a bus from the lodge. It was nice that it wasn't crowded like POR usuallyis. Overall we really enjoyed our stay here and would definately like to stay again.
MNSSHP: I have wanted to see the parade and fireworks at the party for a few years now. I was excited that we would finally get the opportunity. I bought the tickets for the Sunday night show 3 weeks in advance and prayed for no rain. We had great weather! We spent the morning at MK, then went back to the lodge after lunch for a few hours of pool and rest. At 3:00 we got to the dock and were back at MK by 3:10. We had just missed the afternoon parade (which I planned to skip anyways). The park was still pretty busy. We rode a few rides before our 4:15 ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern (food reviews later). By the time we finished up dinner the park was starting to feel less busy. We were fortunate enough to be able to see the new fantasy land dress reheasal opening. We waited in a 20 minute line for the new under the sea ride. This is super cute BTW! The new restaurant is just gorgeous and the entire land is breathtaking. I love it!! I do not care for the story book circus area. It just doesn't do it for me. It reminds me of the dinoland in AK which I also don't care for...but anyways...by this time the party was starting. The trick or treat trails were fast moving and we did get a lot of candy without really doing much trick or treating. The CM's were very efficient in keeping it organized. Most rides were very short waits. Space MTN 10 minutes, Thunder MTN 15 min, pirates walk on. The first parade was definately busier. We used that time to do rides. We found a spot in the hub for fireworks. I had hoped to go further down mainstreet but my feet hurt so we sat on the curb closer to where we planned to go later. The fireworks were great! Overall I found people very respectful. We sat on the deck in frontier land for the parade. Excellent spot at the rope. The parade was great also. I usually hate parades because people are rude and climb all over you but that wasn't the case here. We didn't visit any characters or go to any dance parties but the fireworks and parade still made for a fun night. Now that I have seen this once I probably wouldn't go back. Im glad we did it but once was enough given the cost.
RESORT: I went back and forth about where to stay. I orignally booked POFQ because we like POR but I was hoping the bus situation was better at the smaller POFQ. A few days after booking I was second guessing myself. I REALLY wanted to rent DVC points for an EPCOT resort or Baylake. Every studio was filled up on property! I crunched some numbers and comapred options. Wilderness Lodge was reasonable so we decided to splurge and go for it. We have never stayed deluxe before so this was exciting. I loved the ideo of the boat to MK.
I really liked this resort. The lobby is just gorgeous. When we arrived Friday night around 8pm The check in girl told us we had been upgraded from a standard view to a woods view!! I love surprises. We were on the 4th floor in the lobby section (so I call it). Because of the layout of the building this was really only one level up from lobby. I forget our room number but if you stepped out or room door there was a jet-out with rocking chairs overlooking lobby. We were directly above whispering canyon. The room iteself was just average...nothing special about it. Our view wasn't great either...you could still see some service area below. We later realized that we probably could have seen the MK fireworks from our balcony but we were never there at that time. It probably is a coveted room location and we didn't even know it! Although the place is large, it never felt busy. It was always calm and peaceful. Roaring Forks is small but again, never crowded. I like the food options at POR better. The pool area is pretty because of the lodge and watefall area. I don't think the pool has any wow factor though. I think my 6 year old would prefer the pool at POR . The walk to the boat was nice, and I LOVED having the option to avoid the bus. The but stops were also convenient. We never waited more that 5 minutes for a bus from the lodge. It was nice that it wasn't crowded like POR usuallyis. Overall we really enjoyed our stay here and would definately like to stay again.
MNSSHP: I have wanted to see the parade and fireworks at the party for a few years now. I was excited that we would finally get the opportunity. I bought the tickets for the Sunday night show 3 weeks in advance and prayed for no rain. We had great weather! We spent the morning at MK, then went back to the lodge after lunch for a few hours of pool and rest. At 3:00 we got to the dock and were back at MK by 3:10. We had just missed the afternoon parade (which I planned to skip anyways). The park was still pretty busy. We rode a few rides before our 4:15 ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern (food reviews later). By the time we finished up dinner the park was starting to feel less busy. We were fortunate enough to be able to see the new fantasy land dress reheasal opening. We waited in a 20 minute line for the new under the sea ride. This is super cute BTW! The new restaurant is just gorgeous and the entire land is breathtaking. I love it!! I do not care for the story book circus area. It just doesn't do it for me. It reminds me of the dinoland in AK which I also don't care for...but anyways...by this time the party was starting. The trick or treat trails were fast moving and we did get a lot of candy without really doing much trick or treating. The CM's were very efficient in keeping it organized. Most rides were very short waits. Space MTN 10 minutes, Thunder MTN 15 min, pirates walk on. The first parade was definately busier. We used that time to do rides. We found a spot in the hub for fireworks. I had hoped to go further down mainstreet but my feet hurt so we sat on the curb closer to where we planned to go later. The fireworks were great! Overall I found people very respectful. We sat on the deck in frontier land for the parade. Excellent spot at the rope. The parade was great also. I usually hate parades because people are rude and climb all over you but that wasn't the case here. We didn't visit any characters or go to any dance parties but the fireworks and parade still made for a fun night. Now that I have seen this once I probably wouldn't go back. Im glad we did it but once was enough given the cost.
