blestmom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2004
- Messages
- 1,867
TRIP REPORT:
When: December 1-14, 2004
Home: Alaska
Who: Me (40) DS (15), DS (13), DD (11), DD (8), DS (6)
Due to DH being a teacher and not a huge Disney fan, I took our 5 kids to Disney by myself the first two weeks of December, and had a great time!
We stayed at the Fort Wilderness cabins. We 'love' the campground, and it seems like an integral part of the vacation for us. We enjoy walking around the peaceful atmosphere, and really like the outdoor campfire and movie. We also utilize the kitchen a lot, saving us much money. I also love staying onsite and not having to deal with driving while I am there.
After flying for 12 hours, we got in at 1:00 a.m., and were disappointed that our towncar driver was not there. He 'mis-read' the time. At first he just said "Sorry," but I threatened to get on the DIS boards and tell everybody about what happened. Then he got a lot friendlier and offered to pay the fare for me to take a taxi. The taxi guy really tried to rip me off by charging some outrageous surcharge for using a credit card. I paid him the exact cash and put the tip I was going to give him right back in my wallet. I am wondering how the new Disney transportation will work out? Sounds like it could be really nice if everything goes according to plan. Since it's just me and the kids, it would be nice to not have to deal with luggage, etc.
Our first morning, I had groceries delivered. That was wonderful! She did a great job getting just what I wanted, and I didn't have to go anywhere. I would definitely use them again.
Our first day at Epcot was practically deserted. We went on every ride with very little or no wait. The same was true the next day at Animal Kingdom and MGM. Even though "Tower of Terror" and "Rock 'n Roller Coaster" had some waits, they were minimal.
Our first big mistake was going to the Magic Kingdom on Saturday. I think Saturdays are a bad day there anyway, and it was also the day they were filming the Christmas parade. But my kids really wanted to see Spectromagic later in the evening. We didn't arrive until the early afternoon, so we just tried to bypass the crowds as best we could. Rather than fight the mob on Main Street, we immediately hopped on the train and started our day in Frontierland. The lines were still pretty long over there, so we did some of the less popular attractions. Once we got past the busiest part of the day, we enjoyed it much more. The park was open until midnight, and by 9:00 p.m. we were able to go on lots of rides quickly. On Splash Mountain before the parade at 10:00, we got to ride 4 times in a row, without having to get off! After that, we experienced low crowds and really enoyed all the holiday stuff.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party:
We went on Tuesday, December 7. I had never been to one before, and wasn't sure what to expect. I think I was expecting less crowds, but I used TourGuide Mike's advice and was able to get in everything we wanted so we had a great time.
Fantasmic Dinner Package:
We did this, and I am glad as when we walked in, it was really packed. But I don't know if I can justify the expense again if we go at a less crowded time. It added up quickly for 6 of us, and the 3 youngest didn't even eat much. Guess I'm just cheap!
Candlelight Dinner Package:
This was my biggest diappointment, and it wasn't Disney's fault, it was mine. I planned terribly. My travel agent said that Disney set the times, and she gave me dinner at 4:30 and the show at 5:45. Bad, bad, bad! We are an athletic family, and there was NO WAY to make it there on time. We ended up with worse seats than people who had just waited in line. If we go again, I would still do to the early show, but eat afterwards. The show itself was beautiful. I was not able to enjoy it as much as I was hoping since I was feeling so guilty spending so much for not-so-good seats. Oh well, live and learn! Hopefully someone can learn from my mistake!
Family Magic Tour:
Excellent! I took my youngest 2 (DS 6, DD 8). I won't give away any secrets, but it was the highlight of their trip, and a truly magical time. I was impressed with how much individual attention each child got. Really great!
Ice Cream Social:
Overkill for our family. We had just been at the Garden Grill for dinner the night before. Again, poor planning on my part. I think we would have enjoyed it more if we hadn't just been there. I also think for our size family it seemed like a lot of money for ice cream, but I think if you haven't done much character dining and you want that experience for your kids, it is a very pleasant and much less expensive option. The ice cream was very good.
Magical Gatherings Fireworks Voyage:
We teamed up with another family on the DIS boards and boy, was it worth it! Everything Disney did here was top-notch! The dessert buffet at the Contemporary was excellent! (a word to the wise, however...if you have a young daugther with a tender tummy and is prone to motion sickness...DON'T let her eat a lot of sweets then head out on a boat...bad combination! My son had to sacrifice his favorite "Vikings" sweatshirt after she got sick all over her shirt...poor thing!) We sang Pirate songs, watched the electric light parade, and the best part....watched "Wishes" from the Seven Seas Lagoon. We did this on our last night...what a super way to end our vacation. It was my favorite thing!
This trip was a long time in the making. We saved over 7 years to get the miles to make the trip, and I wanted it to be so special. It was, but I learned that it was the little things that really made the trip fantastic. For example, we enjoyed our homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches eaten over at Tom Sawyer's Island as much as, if not more than, the $160 dinner at the Garden Grill.
Since we are coming from so far (Alaska) we took a longer trip (14 days). I bought us Annual Passes, and now I'm desperately trying to talk DH into one more trip this fall (end of September/beginning of October). I am truly addicted!
Deb
When: December 1-14, 2004
Home: Alaska
Who: Me (40) DS (15), DS (13), DD (11), DD (8), DS (6)
Due to DH being a teacher and not a huge Disney fan, I took our 5 kids to Disney by myself the first two weeks of December, and had a great time!
We stayed at the Fort Wilderness cabins. We 'love' the campground, and it seems like an integral part of the vacation for us. We enjoy walking around the peaceful atmosphere, and really like the outdoor campfire and movie. We also utilize the kitchen a lot, saving us much money. I also love staying onsite and not having to deal with driving while I am there.
After flying for 12 hours, we got in at 1:00 a.m., and were disappointed that our towncar driver was not there. He 'mis-read' the time. At first he just said "Sorry," but I threatened to get on the DIS boards and tell everybody about what happened. Then he got a lot friendlier and offered to pay the fare for me to take a taxi. The taxi guy really tried to rip me off by charging some outrageous surcharge for using a credit card. I paid him the exact cash and put the tip I was going to give him right back in my wallet. I am wondering how the new Disney transportation will work out? Sounds like it could be really nice if everything goes according to plan. Since it's just me and the kids, it would be nice to not have to deal with luggage, etc.
Our first morning, I had groceries delivered. That was wonderful! She did a great job getting just what I wanted, and I didn't have to go anywhere. I would definitely use them again.
Our first day at Epcot was practically deserted. We went on every ride with very little or no wait. The same was true the next day at Animal Kingdom and MGM. Even though "Tower of Terror" and "Rock 'n Roller Coaster" had some waits, they were minimal.
Our first big mistake was going to the Magic Kingdom on Saturday. I think Saturdays are a bad day there anyway, and it was also the day they were filming the Christmas parade. But my kids really wanted to see Spectromagic later in the evening. We didn't arrive until the early afternoon, so we just tried to bypass the crowds as best we could. Rather than fight the mob on Main Street, we immediately hopped on the train and started our day in Frontierland. The lines were still pretty long over there, so we did some of the less popular attractions. Once we got past the busiest part of the day, we enjoyed it much more. The park was open until midnight, and by 9:00 p.m. we were able to go on lots of rides quickly. On Splash Mountain before the parade at 10:00, we got to ride 4 times in a row, without having to get off! After that, we experienced low crowds and really enoyed all the holiday stuff.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party:
We went on Tuesday, December 7. I had never been to one before, and wasn't sure what to expect. I think I was expecting less crowds, but I used TourGuide Mike's advice and was able to get in everything we wanted so we had a great time.
Fantasmic Dinner Package:
We did this, and I am glad as when we walked in, it was really packed. But I don't know if I can justify the expense again if we go at a less crowded time. It added up quickly for 6 of us, and the 3 youngest didn't even eat much. Guess I'm just cheap!
Candlelight Dinner Package:
This was my biggest diappointment, and it wasn't Disney's fault, it was mine. I planned terribly. My travel agent said that Disney set the times, and she gave me dinner at 4:30 and the show at 5:45. Bad, bad, bad! We are an athletic family, and there was NO WAY to make it there on time. We ended up with worse seats than people who had just waited in line. If we go again, I would still do to the early show, but eat afterwards. The show itself was beautiful. I was not able to enjoy it as much as I was hoping since I was feeling so guilty spending so much for not-so-good seats. Oh well, live and learn! Hopefully someone can learn from my mistake!
Family Magic Tour:
Excellent! I took my youngest 2 (DS 6, DD 8). I won't give away any secrets, but it was the highlight of their trip, and a truly magical time. I was impressed with how much individual attention each child got. Really great!
Ice Cream Social:
Overkill for our family. We had just been at the Garden Grill for dinner the night before. Again, poor planning on my part. I think we would have enjoyed it more if we hadn't just been there. I also think for our size family it seemed like a lot of money for ice cream, but I think if you haven't done much character dining and you want that experience for your kids, it is a very pleasant and much less expensive option. The ice cream was very good.
Magical Gatherings Fireworks Voyage:
We teamed up with another family on the DIS boards and boy, was it worth it! Everything Disney did here was top-notch! The dessert buffet at the Contemporary was excellent! (a word to the wise, however...if you have a young daugther with a tender tummy and is prone to motion sickness...DON'T let her eat a lot of sweets then head out on a boat...bad combination! My son had to sacrifice his favorite "Vikings" sweatshirt after she got sick all over her shirt...poor thing!) We sang Pirate songs, watched the electric light parade, and the best part....watched "Wishes" from the Seven Seas Lagoon. We did this on our last night...what a super way to end our vacation. It was my favorite thing!
This trip was a long time in the making. We saved over 7 years to get the miles to make the trip, and I wanted it to be so special. It was, but I learned that it was the little things that really made the trip fantastic. For example, we enjoyed our homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches eaten over at Tom Sawyer's Island as much as, if not more than, the $160 dinner at the Garden Grill.
Since we are coming from so far (Alaska) we took a longer trip (14 days). I bought us Annual Passes, and now I'm desperately trying to talk DH into one more trip this fall (end of September/beginning of October). I am truly addicted!
Deb
