GarrettJD
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2003
- Messages
- 1,598
Cast of characters
Garrett, age 27- Your humble Narrator. Dedicated Disney nut who obsessively plans every single detail of his vacation, driving seemingly everyone else in the free world completely nuts with his constant talk about WDW. Is known for being the person you'd better not mention WDW too, as he'll never shut up... and heaven forbid if you say you're GOING to WDW... he'll try to plan your trip for you, too! He is in management at a major mall-based book chain and has singlehandedly sold enough copies of the Unofficial Guide and the Passporter to lay waste to a small forest. Has been to Disney only twice before (1984 and 2003), but is planning on making an annual trip if finances allow (fingers crossed...)
Nikkie, age 29- Music teacher extraordinaire who really needs the annual break from her students (what a great idea... going from a classroom full of screaming kids to a theme park full of screaming kids). Also a devoted Disney fan, especially of Winnie the Pooh. Not quite the rabid WDW aficionado I am, but she's getting there! Made her first trip last year with me after years of planning, and I think she was more sad to leave than I was... so we immediately planned the next trip!
Day 9- Wednesday, June 9
Plan: Check out of room, Blizzard Beach til about 1 or 1:30 then fly home at 4:20
Actual:
The night before, we decided that we would probably not feel like doing a water park the next day, so we changed our plans and decided instead to hit Downtown Disney for shopping and lunch. This means that we'll have three plus options apiece for our next trip. We woke up at 6:00, finished our packing, and decided to head to Everything Pop for a real breakfast this time-- no more Pop-Tarts.
After our breakfast, we went back to our room and took our time getting everything together. At about 9:00 we left our room and took our luggage to Luggage Assistance to check it in while we went to Downtown Disney. We then went to the front desk to check out, which was quick-- no charges to our room. We went out to the bus stop and caught a bus to Downtown Disney Marketplace. We had Adrian as our bus driver for the second time this trip-- he's a great guy to have. If you haven't had him before, hope you get him at some point-- he's great.
We got to Downtown Disney just before 10:00 and browsed a few of the shops, starting with Pooh Corner. We then went to the World of Disney, and bought a few last minute souviniers-- a couple of keychans, and two of the "Where Magic Lives" T-shirts. We left World of Disney close to 11:00 and decided to head to Planet Hollywood for lunch. The restaurant was nearly empty and we were seated immediately. This was a fun place to eat, and the food was pretty good for a chain restaurant. We got the chicken crunch as an appetizer. I ordered a HUGE burger and Nikkie got a club sandwich. Both were good. We looked around in Planet Hollywood for a while, then left.
We walked over to the Virgin Megastore and spent quite a while browsing. This is a really nice store-- we could use one in Memphis. We didn't buy anything, though. We did go next door to look in Starabillas for a few minutes and marvel at the ridiculously priced memorobilla. Some of it was pretty neat, though. By now we were ready to head back so we walked to the Pleasure Island bus stop and caught the bus back to Pop Century.
We got back to Pop about 1:50-- still about 30 minutes until our towncar arrived. We browsed the lobby awhile, then grabbed our luggage and waited on Tiffany Towncar. They arrived right on time, and we were quickly on our way to the airport. We got in a small traffic jam on the way to the airport, and it started to rain, but we still made it there by 3:00. We checked in, made it quickly through security, and headed back to our gate. On the way there, I grabbed some hotdogs for a snack while we waited for our flight.
Our flight left right on time, 4:20. The flight back was smooth and uneventful. I was watching some of our trip footage on my camcorder on the way back. A guy sitting near us saw that I had managed to catch Tinkerbell's flight from Wishes on tape, and was pretty jealous-- he had tried several times and not gotten it yet. Anyway, we got back to Memphis right on schedule, walked the 5002 miles to baggage claim, and my mom and brother were waiting there for us. We grabbed our bags and headed home. When we did get home, I was glad to be back-- but I think a little part of both of us was still back in the Magic Kingdom. We'll have to go back for it as soon as possible.
Closing, Random Thoughts, and Assorted Musings
Wow. I didn't realize how much effort it is to actually put the finishing touches on a trip report. As I read in someone else's report (I wish I remember whose), finishing the trip report is like closing the book on your vacation-- all you have left are the memories. In this case, I think trip report writing is incredibly rewarding, because you're left with a permanent document of your trip that you can return to time and time again.
As I finish writing this in mid November, it's about 5 months since our trip. Despite that, many aspects and moments of our trip are still firmly etched in my brain. A lot has changed since then-- I shouldn't have to worry about losing my job in January now, and I found out that our company has extended the lease on our store. This should mean another trip in June of next year. I'm really looking forward to seeing Soarin' and Lights, Motors, Action! We still have three plus options left to use on a future trip, so we'll be able to go with cheaper admission next time.
Anyway, this was a great trip. We were able to enjoy ourselves in different ways than before-- we took it easier, rested more, and felt less pressured to see it all than on our last trip. Taking that afternoon break every single day was what made the trip go smoothly and what kept our endurance and stamina up throughout the trip.
It rained a LOT during this trip-- in fact, it rained every day except for our first day. We were prepared for this, though, and it didn't hurt us too, badly, save for Fantasmic. We still have not seen Fantasmic in two trips. If anyone has any suggestions on breaking the "Fantasmic curse", let us know.
Crowd levels were much higher than last year-- I suppose the travel industry really is starting to recover. Things weren't too bad the first few days, but the crowds really picked up on our last two park days, especially Tuesday the 8th-- both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot were packed to the gills. I'm glad we arrived when we did and didn't arrive later.
Pop Century was a great resort, and I would definitely pick it over the All Stars any day. Service was good and bus transportation was great, especially to Disney-MGM Studios-- only about 5 minutes each way. I know some people can't get over the "motel-like" feel of the value resorts, and I can understand that. But, for our purposes, we just want a clean, comfortable room to sleep in. I'd love to stay at a Deluxe (especially the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, or Animal Kingdom Lodge), but until we move up in the financial bracket, Pop Century will do us just fine.
We did two E-ride nights, and they were both great. I loved riding Big Thunder with the fireworks going off over are heads-- a memorable moment, to be sure. I also liked riding Peter Pan twice in a row without getting off, then walking past the ride the next day when it had a 140 minute wait. I hope Disney continues these well into the future-- I'll certainly attend them.
As far as new attractions go-- Mickey's Philharmagic is wonderful. We saw it 4 times (3 during E-ride night.) It's easily our new favorite 3D movie and a great addition to Fantasyland. Wishes is spectacular-- we saw it 3 times, plus part of a showing while on Big Thunder. Along with Illuminations, the WDW fireworks are my favorite things at the entire resort. As far as Mission: Space goes, I chickened out. Maybe next time.
This was our first time at a Disney water park, and we really enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon, We would have stayed longer if we didn't get rained out (there's that rain again), but we will do it again on another trip, considering we have 3 plus opions each left on our Park Hoppers.
We ate six table-service meals on this trip, twice as many as last trip. All were excellent. Our top pick this trip, due to a combination of great food AND service, is 'Ohana. At Boma, our favorite from last year, the food was still great, but the service was slightly disappointing. I'll chalk that up as an anomaly this time. We will definitely be back at both restaurants next trip. Crystal Palace dinner was good, but I liked the breakfast better from last year. We'll probably be back here every trip, though, if for no other reason than Nikkie's love for Pooh and the gang. Le Cellier was great-- a nice quiet place to have lunch. The fish and chips at the Rose and Crown were great. Finally, Hollywood and Vine was a good choice for dinner before Fantasmic. Even though we got rained out of Fantasmic, I'd still book the dinner package again. Of course, we at emany counter-service meals, and I can't think of a bad one. Our picks for the best were Pecos Bill's in Froniterland at the Magic Kingdom, and Flame Tree BBQ in Safari Village at the Animal Kingdom.
If there was one big negative on this trip, it was the sheer amount of technical difficulties that we noticed on this trip. I don't know whether this was due to bad luck or poor maintenace, but we had diffiulties with Test Track (no surprise), universe of Energy (turned away twice), Rock n' Roller Coaster, Splash Mountain (as many people have pointed out, the many broken show elements are sort of depressing), and Buzz Lightyear. Hopefully, some of this stuff will get fixed, especially Splash Mountian. The park does seem to be moving in the right direction, so I'm sure it will all get taken care of.
One thing I did want to make clear is that there is absolutely NO dropoff in the cleanliness of the parks, hotels, restaurants, and transportation. Nor is there any dropoff in the service levels of the Cast Members. During our whole trip, we did not encounter one rude or unhelpful CM. Hats off to the entire cast of WDW for offering fantastic and friendly customer service. It's why we keep coming back.
In closing, I'd just like to say a few words about why we'll keep going back. I've had many people ask me why we keep going back. Haven't we seen it all? Don't we get bored? My answer is no and no. There's always something new to see at WDW, be it a new ride or show, new performer, new restaurant, or some little nook you never noticed before. After two visits in two years, I consider us veterans now, because we don't feel like we have to hit every attraction. Instead, we simply enjoy being there. The customer service is unparalleled, and the environment is magical. Some people consider escapism a bad thing, but a week at WDW is imprtant for us-- a week where we have no responsibilities other than to get up every morning and have a great time. I don't know how else to put it, but Walt Disney World is just special to us. We've made so many great memories there already, and we plan to make many, many more.
We left our first trip to WDW as huge fans. Now after our second trip we've become lifetime visitors.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved doing it and writing it.
Garrett, age 27- Your humble Narrator. Dedicated Disney nut who obsessively plans every single detail of his vacation, driving seemingly everyone else in the free world completely nuts with his constant talk about WDW. Is known for being the person you'd better not mention WDW too, as he'll never shut up... and heaven forbid if you say you're GOING to WDW... he'll try to plan your trip for you, too! He is in management at a major mall-based book chain and has singlehandedly sold enough copies of the Unofficial Guide and the Passporter to lay waste to a small forest. Has been to Disney only twice before (1984 and 2003), but is planning on making an annual trip if finances allow (fingers crossed...)
Nikkie, age 29- Music teacher extraordinaire who really needs the annual break from her students (what a great idea... going from a classroom full of screaming kids to a theme park full of screaming kids). Also a devoted Disney fan, especially of Winnie the Pooh. Not quite the rabid WDW aficionado I am, but she's getting there! Made her first trip last year with me after years of planning, and I think she was more sad to leave than I was... so we immediately planned the next trip!
Day 9- Wednesday, June 9
Plan: Check out of room, Blizzard Beach til about 1 or 1:30 then fly home at 4:20
Actual:
The night before, we decided that we would probably not feel like doing a water park the next day, so we changed our plans and decided instead to hit Downtown Disney for shopping and lunch. This means that we'll have three plus options apiece for our next trip. We woke up at 6:00, finished our packing, and decided to head to Everything Pop for a real breakfast this time-- no more Pop-Tarts.
After our breakfast, we went back to our room and took our time getting everything together. At about 9:00 we left our room and took our luggage to Luggage Assistance to check it in while we went to Downtown Disney. We then went to the front desk to check out, which was quick-- no charges to our room. We went out to the bus stop and caught a bus to Downtown Disney Marketplace. We had Adrian as our bus driver for the second time this trip-- he's a great guy to have. If you haven't had him before, hope you get him at some point-- he's great.
We got to Downtown Disney just before 10:00 and browsed a few of the shops, starting with Pooh Corner. We then went to the World of Disney, and bought a few last minute souviniers-- a couple of keychans, and two of the "Where Magic Lives" T-shirts. We left World of Disney close to 11:00 and decided to head to Planet Hollywood for lunch. The restaurant was nearly empty and we were seated immediately. This was a fun place to eat, and the food was pretty good for a chain restaurant. We got the chicken crunch as an appetizer. I ordered a HUGE burger and Nikkie got a club sandwich. Both were good. We looked around in Planet Hollywood for a while, then left.
We walked over to the Virgin Megastore and spent quite a while browsing. This is a really nice store-- we could use one in Memphis. We didn't buy anything, though. We did go next door to look in Starabillas for a few minutes and marvel at the ridiculously priced memorobilla. Some of it was pretty neat, though. By now we were ready to head back so we walked to the Pleasure Island bus stop and caught the bus back to Pop Century.
We got back to Pop about 1:50-- still about 30 minutes until our towncar arrived. We browsed the lobby awhile, then grabbed our luggage and waited on Tiffany Towncar. They arrived right on time, and we were quickly on our way to the airport. We got in a small traffic jam on the way to the airport, and it started to rain, but we still made it there by 3:00. We checked in, made it quickly through security, and headed back to our gate. On the way there, I grabbed some hotdogs for a snack while we waited for our flight.
Our flight left right on time, 4:20. The flight back was smooth and uneventful. I was watching some of our trip footage on my camcorder on the way back. A guy sitting near us saw that I had managed to catch Tinkerbell's flight from Wishes on tape, and was pretty jealous-- he had tried several times and not gotten it yet. Anyway, we got back to Memphis right on schedule, walked the 5002 miles to baggage claim, and my mom and brother were waiting there for us. We grabbed our bags and headed home. When we did get home, I was glad to be back-- but I think a little part of both of us was still back in the Magic Kingdom. We'll have to go back for it as soon as possible.
Closing, Random Thoughts, and Assorted Musings
Wow. I didn't realize how much effort it is to actually put the finishing touches on a trip report. As I read in someone else's report (I wish I remember whose), finishing the trip report is like closing the book on your vacation-- all you have left are the memories. In this case, I think trip report writing is incredibly rewarding, because you're left with a permanent document of your trip that you can return to time and time again.
As I finish writing this in mid November, it's about 5 months since our trip. Despite that, many aspects and moments of our trip are still firmly etched in my brain. A lot has changed since then-- I shouldn't have to worry about losing my job in January now, and I found out that our company has extended the lease on our store. This should mean another trip in June of next year. I'm really looking forward to seeing Soarin' and Lights, Motors, Action! We still have three plus options left to use on a future trip, so we'll be able to go with cheaper admission next time.
Anyway, this was a great trip. We were able to enjoy ourselves in different ways than before-- we took it easier, rested more, and felt less pressured to see it all than on our last trip. Taking that afternoon break every single day was what made the trip go smoothly and what kept our endurance and stamina up throughout the trip.
It rained a LOT during this trip-- in fact, it rained every day except for our first day. We were prepared for this, though, and it didn't hurt us too, badly, save for Fantasmic. We still have not seen Fantasmic in two trips. If anyone has any suggestions on breaking the "Fantasmic curse", let us know.
Crowd levels were much higher than last year-- I suppose the travel industry really is starting to recover. Things weren't too bad the first few days, but the crowds really picked up on our last two park days, especially Tuesday the 8th-- both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot were packed to the gills. I'm glad we arrived when we did and didn't arrive later.
Pop Century was a great resort, and I would definitely pick it over the All Stars any day. Service was good and bus transportation was great, especially to Disney-MGM Studios-- only about 5 minutes each way. I know some people can't get over the "motel-like" feel of the value resorts, and I can understand that. But, for our purposes, we just want a clean, comfortable room to sleep in. I'd love to stay at a Deluxe (especially the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, or Animal Kingdom Lodge), but until we move up in the financial bracket, Pop Century will do us just fine.
We did two E-ride nights, and they were both great. I loved riding Big Thunder with the fireworks going off over are heads-- a memorable moment, to be sure. I also liked riding Peter Pan twice in a row without getting off, then walking past the ride the next day when it had a 140 minute wait. I hope Disney continues these well into the future-- I'll certainly attend them.
As far as new attractions go-- Mickey's Philharmagic is wonderful. We saw it 4 times (3 during E-ride night.) It's easily our new favorite 3D movie and a great addition to Fantasyland. Wishes is spectacular-- we saw it 3 times, plus part of a showing while on Big Thunder. Along with Illuminations, the WDW fireworks are my favorite things at the entire resort. As far as Mission: Space goes, I chickened out. Maybe next time.
This was our first time at a Disney water park, and we really enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon, We would have stayed longer if we didn't get rained out (there's that rain again), but we will do it again on another trip, considering we have 3 plus opions each left on our Park Hoppers.
We ate six table-service meals on this trip, twice as many as last trip. All were excellent. Our top pick this trip, due to a combination of great food AND service, is 'Ohana. At Boma, our favorite from last year, the food was still great, but the service was slightly disappointing. I'll chalk that up as an anomaly this time. We will definitely be back at both restaurants next trip. Crystal Palace dinner was good, but I liked the breakfast better from last year. We'll probably be back here every trip, though, if for no other reason than Nikkie's love for Pooh and the gang. Le Cellier was great-- a nice quiet place to have lunch. The fish and chips at the Rose and Crown were great. Finally, Hollywood and Vine was a good choice for dinner before Fantasmic. Even though we got rained out of Fantasmic, I'd still book the dinner package again. Of course, we at emany counter-service meals, and I can't think of a bad one. Our picks for the best were Pecos Bill's in Froniterland at the Magic Kingdom, and Flame Tree BBQ in Safari Village at the Animal Kingdom.
If there was one big negative on this trip, it was the sheer amount of technical difficulties that we noticed on this trip. I don't know whether this was due to bad luck or poor maintenace, but we had diffiulties with Test Track (no surprise), universe of Energy (turned away twice), Rock n' Roller Coaster, Splash Mountain (as many people have pointed out, the many broken show elements are sort of depressing), and Buzz Lightyear. Hopefully, some of this stuff will get fixed, especially Splash Mountian. The park does seem to be moving in the right direction, so I'm sure it will all get taken care of.
One thing I did want to make clear is that there is absolutely NO dropoff in the cleanliness of the parks, hotels, restaurants, and transportation. Nor is there any dropoff in the service levels of the Cast Members. During our whole trip, we did not encounter one rude or unhelpful CM. Hats off to the entire cast of WDW for offering fantastic and friendly customer service. It's why we keep coming back.
In closing, I'd just like to say a few words about why we'll keep going back. I've had many people ask me why we keep going back. Haven't we seen it all? Don't we get bored? My answer is no and no. There's always something new to see at WDW, be it a new ride or show, new performer, new restaurant, or some little nook you never noticed before. After two visits in two years, I consider us veterans now, because we don't feel like we have to hit every attraction. Instead, we simply enjoy being there. The customer service is unparalleled, and the environment is magical. Some people consider escapism a bad thing, but a week at WDW is imprtant for us-- a week where we have no responsibilities other than to get up every morning and have a great time. I don't know how else to put it, but Walt Disney World is just special to us. We've made so many great memories there already, and we plan to make many, many more.
We left our first trip to WDW as huge fans. Now after our second trip we've become lifetime visitors.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved doing it and writing it.
BTW, I love your report-- I read it to Nikkie, and we were 
several times.
i also enjoyed your trip reports! made me feel like i was actually there 
