We had a great week at Old Key West (as usual). It was our second time staying at the resort. Everything was great (staff, room, pool, neighbors etc...), the only disappointing part was Olivia's (more later).
Saturday (18th) - We arrived at the resort around 1:00. We stopped at Albertsons groceries and stocked up for the week. What a great tip this was, it is an easy stop, right off the exit, and we were in and out quick. Our room was ready upon arrival, a 2 Bedroom in the Turtle Pond section (Bldg 41, Room 4130). We had never had a 2 Bedroom, and it exceeded everyones expectations, big, roomy, and comfortable. My sister and her family met us about a half hour later, and we hit the pool. The pool area was not crowded at all, and it was a beautiful day for swimming (86 degrees), and we spent the afternoon at the pool. We like having our travel day to relax, so no parks today - just swimming and lounging. We cooked two frozen pizza's in the room and got the kids to bed early preparing for our first day in the parks. My sisters family had never been to Disney. The only disappointment was no TBS in the room, so we could not watch the baseball playoffs.
Sunday (19th) - Another gorgeous day, off to the Disney Hollywood Studio's. This was our daughters 4th trip (4 1/2 yrs old), but my sisters kids (4 & 6) had never been. They loved it. The biggest issue was the crowds - we have gone a number of times in October, but it was never this crowded. We hit the Tower of Terror first, and got fast passes for The Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster. My sisters family have become Disney Converts, they loved it. We then went to Ariel's grotto, and Playhouse Disney. Then got pictures with the characters from Jo Jo's Circus and Handy Manny. We also hit the Stunt Car Show, Lights, Motors, Action. Also - Muppets 3-D and the Backlot tour. Unfortunately - we did not get Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania and it sold out. And the crowds made it tough for us to get with other Characters. The kids were beat, so we decided to call it a day, as we had the Magic Kingdom on Monday.
Monday (20th) - Magic Kingdom, and the kids were thrilled!!! They enjoyed all the pumpkins decorating the front of MK. The monorail ride was a thrill, and we got to see how the construction of the new DVC at the Contemporary was going. We got to the park and had a Character Breakfast at Cinderella Castle at the Royal Table. Probably the highlight for the kids! The breakfast was ok, but seeing how the kids reacted was truly priceless, they loved every second. Then off to the rides. Again - the park was very crowded, 30 - 45 minute waits on a lot of rides. But, we planned on coming back for the extra magic hours, so we did what we could and went back around 3:00. The kids took a nap, had dinner and we went back around 7. The extra magic hours were great, and we got all the rides in (Haunted Mansion, all 3 Mountains, Dumbo, Its a Small World etc... - we did them all). What a great feature from Disney, the Fastpass is great, but you cant beat the extra magic hours, park was open until 11).
Tuesday (21st)- My sis' family left at 7:00am, now wishing they stayed the week with us. My wife's neice came with her 1 year old. We went back to MK again for a second day (I wanted to do EPCOT for 2 days of Food & Wine). So, we took it a little slower, hit some of the same rides, but did Buzz Lightyear and The Speedway for the first time.
The disappointment of this day was Olivia's. We had a great lunch last time we went (Feb) so we decided to try them for dinner, it was convienent. We spent time again at the pool and walked over to get a reservation (no problem). We ate around 8:00 and the food was not great. 2 people got the penne pasta with chicken which was very good. But, 2 Prime Rib dinners (both dry), and another chicken dish (cant remember) were not up to par. The staff was not very attentive (we never had that problem either), so all in all it was the only negative of the trip. I still enjoy their lunch, but will not go back for dinner.
Wed (22nd) - The day was overcast, but perfect for the F&W Fest. I loved every minute of it!!! Favorite stops Chile (Beef Empenada), Mexico (chilaquiles), Argentina (Grilled Beef & Chimicurri sauce), India (Red Curry Shrimp over rice), Louisiana (Seafood Gumbo), Canada (Chedder Cheese Soup).
Not so great : Africa (Bobotie w/ Mango Chutney), but everyone has different tastes!!!
We got to see Off Kilter, but unfortunately it was a day off for the British Invasion. I was a bit disappointed. We went back for a rest, and then headed back for the fireworks show. I got Fish and Chips (a standard), and then we saw the amazing Fireworks show Illuminations : Reflections of Earth
Thurday (23rd) - Our final day, and we hit the Animal Kingdom. Again, all the main rides (Dinosaur, Everest, Safari) were hit. We skipped Kali River Rapids not wanting to get wet. I still find this park fascinating, and it always surprises me when people only spend a couple hours here. Maybe you can get the rides in quickly, but there are so many great things to see. The petting areas in Rafiki's Planet Watch, Camp Mikey & Minnie offer great character meet and greet opportunities, and just the nature trails. I really would take more time to take this park in, but the kids like to move. We really enjoyed the parade here too!! We ended the day at the Rainforest Cafe', a good meal!!! Our last day, and we missed a lot (Bugs life, Nemo Show), but you can't do everything, and our pace was a little slow after a week in the parks.
Cant wait to get back!!! We were surprised at how busy the parks were. I am sure they were still nothing like the school break times, but we have gone many times in October, and this was by far the busiest. We even planned it after the Columbus Day holiday to make sure we missed some of the extra breaks.
Hope you enjoyed the report
Eric
Saturday (18th) - We arrived at the resort around 1:00. We stopped at Albertsons groceries and stocked up for the week. What a great tip this was, it is an easy stop, right off the exit, and we were in and out quick. Our room was ready upon arrival, a 2 Bedroom in the Turtle Pond section (Bldg 41, Room 4130). We had never had a 2 Bedroom, and it exceeded everyones expectations, big, roomy, and comfortable. My sister and her family met us about a half hour later, and we hit the pool. The pool area was not crowded at all, and it was a beautiful day for swimming (86 degrees), and we spent the afternoon at the pool. We like having our travel day to relax, so no parks today - just swimming and lounging. We cooked two frozen pizza's in the room and got the kids to bed early preparing for our first day in the parks. My sisters family had never been to Disney. The only disappointment was no TBS in the room, so we could not watch the baseball playoffs.
Sunday (19th) - Another gorgeous day, off to the Disney Hollywood Studio's. This was our daughters 4th trip (4 1/2 yrs old), but my sisters kids (4 & 6) had never been. They loved it. The biggest issue was the crowds - we have gone a number of times in October, but it was never this crowded. We hit the Tower of Terror first, and got fast passes for The Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster. My sisters family have become Disney Converts, they loved it. We then went to Ariel's grotto, and Playhouse Disney. Then got pictures with the characters from Jo Jo's Circus and Handy Manny. We also hit the Stunt Car Show, Lights, Motors, Action. Also - Muppets 3-D and the Backlot tour. Unfortunately - we did not get Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania and it sold out. And the crowds made it tough for us to get with other Characters. The kids were beat, so we decided to call it a day, as we had the Magic Kingdom on Monday.
Monday (20th) - Magic Kingdom, and the kids were thrilled!!! They enjoyed all the pumpkins decorating the front of MK. The monorail ride was a thrill, and we got to see how the construction of the new DVC at the Contemporary was going. We got to the park and had a Character Breakfast at Cinderella Castle at the Royal Table. Probably the highlight for the kids! The breakfast was ok, but seeing how the kids reacted was truly priceless, they loved every second. Then off to the rides. Again - the park was very crowded, 30 - 45 minute waits on a lot of rides. But, we planned on coming back for the extra magic hours, so we did what we could and went back around 3:00. The kids took a nap, had dinner and we went back around 7. The extra magic hours were great, and we got all the rides in (Haunted Mansion, all 3 Mountains, Dumbo, Its a Small World etc... - we did them all). What a great feature from Disney, the Fastpass is great, but you cant beat the extra magic hours, park was open until 11).
Tuesday (21st)- My sis' family left at 7:00am, now wishing they stayed the week with us. My wife's neice came with her 1 year old. We went back to MK again for a second day (I wanted to do EPCOT for 2 days of Food & Wine). So, we took it a little slower, hit some of the same rides, but did Buzz Lightyear and The Speedway for the first time.
The disappointment of this day was Olivia's. We had a great lunch last time we went (Feb) so we decided to try them for dinner, it was convienent. We spent time again at the pool and walked over to get a reservation (no problem). We ate around 8:00 and the food was not great. 2 people got the penne pasta with chicken which was very good. But, 2 Prime Rib dinners (both dry), and another chicken dish (cant remember) were not up to par. The staff was not very attentive (we never had that problem either), so all in all it was the only negative of the trip. I still enjoy their lunch, but will not go back for dinner.
Wed (22nd) - The day was overcast, but perfect for the F&W Fest. I loved every minute of it!!! Favorite stops Chile (Beef Empenada), Mexico (chilaquiles), Argentina (Grilled Beef & Chimicurri sauce), India (Red Curry Shrimp over rice), Louisiana (Seafood Gumbo), Canada (Chedder Cheese Soup).
Not so great : Africa (Bobotie w/ Mango Chutney), but everyone has different tastes!!!
We got to see Off Kilter, but unfortunately it was a day off for the British Invasion. I was a bit disappointed. We went back for a rest, and then headed back for the fireworks show. I got Fish and Chips (a standard), and then we saw the amazing Fireworks show Illuminations : Reflections of Earth
Thurday (23rd) - Our final day, and we hit the Animal Kingdom. Again, all the main rides (Dinosaur, Everest, Safari) were hit. We skipped Kali River Rapids not wanting to get wet. I still find this park fascinating, and it always surprises me when people only spend a couple hours here. Maybe you can get the rides in quickly, but there are so many great things to see. The petting areas in Rafiki's Planet Watch, Camp Mikey & Minnie offer great character meet and greet opportunities, and just the nature trails. I really would take more time to take this park in, but the kids like to move. We really enjoyed the parade here too!! We ended the day at the Rainforest Cafe', a good meal!!! Our last day, and we missed a lot (Bugs life, Nemo Show), but you can't do everything, and our pace was a little slow after a week in the parks.
Cant wait to get back!!! We were surprised at how busy the parks were. I am sure they were still nothing like the school break times, but we have gone many times in October, and this was by far the busiest. We even planned it after the Columbus Day holiday to make sure we missed some of the extra breaks.
Hope you enjoyed the report
Eric
