esdras
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2006
- Messages
- 726
To borrow a segment from the Colbert Report - a trip report with ratings either pro (Tip of the Hat - TOTH) or con (Wag of the Finger - WOTF).
Day 1 - Travel Day
Flying from Detroit to Orlando, non-stop on Airtran
Detroit's Big Blue Deck Garage - WOTF - under construction, lack of signs.
Airtran - TOTH - flight arrived in Orlando 27 minutes early - great fares
Disney's Magical Express - TOTH - Amazing service, got to the hotel, checked in, went for a swim, got back to the room and the luggage was there
Checkin - WOTF - it took almost 45 minutes - they screwed up our second room booked as room only under CAA, since while trying to check us in they wiped out the reservation and therefore all record of our one night deposit. I said that since you HAD the reservation when we arrived, we MUST have paid the depost, or else the system would automatically delete it. They argreed with that logic, of course, but it still took about 20 minutes to fix the problem.
Side note - Resort - All Star Movies. BIG TOTH! (except the checkin as noted above) The entire stay was great. Good food and selection in the food court and TOWEL ANIMALS EVERY DAY!!! We had Mickey, elephants, ducks, bunnies, flower baskets, etc. We did a pre-arrival fax for a room request, everything was EXACTLY as requested.
Day 2 - Magic Kingdom (September 6th)
Crowds - TOTH. The park was virtually empty. We walked on to EVERYTHING - well, almost. The only waits we had were for Tomorrowland Speedway (about 10 minutes) and Jungle Cruise (also about 10 minutes). We walked on to Buzz, Peter Pan, BTMRR, Pirates - just to name a few.
Cindy's for lunch - TOTH. Food quality is still good, and the princesses were wonderful. Fairy Godmother was also there for the lunch.
Small WOTF though - the pre-dining picture - just as our daughter was starting to crack a smile, they ushered us out for the next group. We weren't there that long and we had ADR's for the first seating - only the third group up for pics. I would have hoped for some more time to get the smile.
Dinner that day was at Pecos Bill's - TOTH - great burgers with an amazing toppings bar. Chicken wrap is amazingly both healthy with whole wheat wrap and fresh veggies, and at the same time tastes really good!
Day 3 - Animal Kingdom (September 7th)
Crowds - TOTH. The park was again quite empty. We walked on to all rides and saw CM's trying to usher people to go to Festival of the Lion King.
One note - we were travelling with children neither of whom could ride Everest, so we never even looked at whether there was a wait there.
Kilimanjaro Safari - TOTH - we rode this first thing - and saw almost every animal that is possible for that ride. The driver interacted with our son, asking him if the way was clear and such and announcing to the rest of the riders that he said it was okay to go forward.
Flame Tree BBQ for lunch - TOTH - good food - it's also fun to feed the ducks that gather around the table. It was another character dining experience in a way.
Dinner that night was at Chef Mickey's. This will be divided into two issues, characters and food.
Characters get a TOTH - Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Goofy - plus Donald always available near the dessert bar.
Food gets a WOTF - not that it was bad, but just very unimpressive. Rare Prime Rib should melt in your mouth - this didn't. Parmasan Mashed Potatoes had the consistency of oatmeal, admittedly smooth, but mashed taters should NOT pour off a spoon.
Day 4 - Morning at Epcot afternoon at Studios (September 8th)
Parks - again, TOTH, no crowds and walked on to virtually everything. We arrived at opening and since we had one child who could not ride Soarin', we went there first. Mom and son went on with NO wait. They gave me a swap pass, but I didn't need to use it. I went right back in the standby line and walked in.
Soarin' - TOTH - an amazing ride. I got a little motion sick at times, so did our son, so he didn't go around a second time with me - even though he said he liked the ride. Even with the slight motion sickness, it passed within minutes of getting off the attraction.
Test Track - TOTH - another great ride and between 10:15am and 11:00am my son and I rode twice - no wait. The 45 minutes was due to the fact that even though my son wanted to ride again, he also wanted to spend time in the car showroom and giftshop.
Lunch that day was at the Coral Reef - WOTF - although the view in the aquarium is great, the food was mediocre and staff, although pleasant, weren't outstanding. I had the Mahi Mahi, which was good, but not what I expected. I was hoping for something a little more exotic in nature. My wife had the NY Striploin done medium rare - a steak that should melt in one's mouth. It came to the table only lukewarm in temperature and somewhat tough. We each had the crab appetizer, and while the chili salad was excellent, the dungeness crab was very rubbery.
Afternoon at the studios - TOTH - crowds very manageable - although people can still be rude blocking the view of younger kids during the parade. We mostly did the "shows" that day, so wait times really aren't relevant.
Day 5 - Morning at Studios - Afternoon at Epcot (September 9th)
Studios - TOTH - crowds were fine again. Walked on to Star Tours.
Lights, Motors, Action - WOTF - outdoor show was brutal in the heat, and really not that spectacular. It's good, but just doesn't jump out like other Disney presentations.
Character Greeting with Lightning McQueen and Mater - TOTH - these vehicles are amazing!
Autograph suggestion - obviously, they can't sign anything - bring a recipe card (light cardboard type thing) and tell the CM there that you are going to place it on the car's tire. Rub your fingernail or knuckles over the card to get an impression of the tread!
We did the above with both Lightning and Mater and it worked fine. The CM's thought this was fine and others around us thought it was a good idea.
Afternoon at Epcot (World Showcase this day): TOTH. Although not a great amount of things to do for kids, the Kidcot stations were fun and Maelstrom is a good ride.
Dinner was at Le Cellier - HUGE GIGANTIC TOTH - best meal we had on the trip. The CM's who work there are friendly and attentive and the Le Cellier Filet Mignon on the mushroom risotto was perfect. The pretzel bread is essentially addictive and for dessert the creme brulee sampler is a good choice.
Day 6 - back to Magic Kingdom (September 10th)
Can't give this day on crowds a TOTH - being Sunday it was busier. Of course it was nothing like holiday horror stories, but we went back to ride our favourites and had - on average - 15 minute waits in the standby lines for most rides - like Peter Pan and Buzz. You could still walk on to Small World though - no surprise there
Lunch that day was at Crystal Palace - TOTH - for BOTH the character's and food. Great interaction with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. The food was also WAY better than at Chef Mickey's. The Atlantic Salmon with Ancho Chilli was outstanding!
After all this, our family was tired (and, unfortunately, for the last two days half the party - mom and daughter - were sick with colds) so we went back to the resort for swims, dinner and bed. Got a last shot at the Fantasia Pool before it closed the next day and had dinner at the World Premier cafeteria. First dinner there and it earns a TOTH - the food was excellent for counter service.
Although the family went to bed, I could not pass up a trip without a ride through the Haunted Mansion - something neither of our kids were willing to ride and something my wife just doesn't care for that much. So, I went back and rode it as close to midnight as I could, while still being aware that we had to catch a plane the next morning.
BIG TOTH - if you get the chance, ride this at night. Totally different atmosphere, and one far more suited to the ride. Sunday night had a light drizzle and gloominess that just added to the experience.
Day 7 - Travel day home (September 11th)
Magical Express - again TOTH - got us to the airport and the driver put on The Incredibles for the ride. We were the first to be picked up and last dropped off - saw most of the movie, but this made the ride very pleasant
Orlando Airport - TOTH - just a good experience overall - even with security.
Airtran - TOTH AGAIN - not quite as good, but got us to Detroit 15 minutes early.
Canadian Customs - we had the nicest customs officer crossing back over the border - saw the pirate hat on my son, Snow White pin on our daughter and the Disney T-Shirts on mom and dad and essentially said - do you have alcohol or tobacco - when we said no, she said "okay, welcome home". We were through customs in about 45 seconds.
Other notes - Characters - TOTH - There are a LOT of them out there with scheduled meeting times, or times when they are likely to be out and about. It shouldn't be tough to meet a lot. The list of ones we saw (and we saw many we met at character dining just in the parks):
Mickey
Minnie
Donald
Daisy
Pluto
Goofy
Chip and Dale
Pooh
Tigger
Eeyore
Piglet
Peter Pan
Wendy
Capt. Hook
Mr. Smee
Alice (in Wonderland)
Mad Hatter
Cinderella
Snow White
Mary Poppins
Belle
Aurora
Ariel
The Bears from Brother Bear
Woody
The cowgirl from Toy Story, just can't think of her name at the moment
Buzz Lightyear
Stitch
Lightning McQueen
Mater
Many characters in the Stars and Motor Cars Parade
And, of course, Capt. Jack Sparrow (his show gets a huge TOTH - our son got picked to be in the tutorial - a highlight of that day.
Final note - Free Dining - MASSIVE TOTH. For our stay and family, the plan would have cost us about $550. We got it for free. We likely had somewhere around $750 worth of food including dining bills of about $145 from Le Cellier and $120 from Coral Reef. There is NO way we would have gone to either of those restaurants without the dining plan as we know that we could not have afforded it out of pocket.
Overall, a great trip. We had planned to do more than we actually accomplished, but it was another VERY hot and humid week - we would eliminate the least important things on our list each day for the benefit of going back to the resort for a swim and/or rest. That likely kept all of us sane. Even so, we probably did about 80% of what we wanted - mainly because the crowds were low again.
I hope this helps anyone else planning to go in the near future. Have a wonderful time!
Day 1 - Travel Day
Flying from Detroit to Orlando, non-stop on Airtran
Detroit's Big Blue Deck Garage - WOTF - under construction, lack of signs.
Airtran - TOTH - flight arrived in Orlando 27 minutes early - great fares
Disney's Magical Express - TOTH - Amazing service, got to the hotel, checked in, went for a swim, got back to the room and the luggage was there
Checkin - WOTF - it took almost 45 minutes - they screwed up our second room booked as room only under CAA, since while trying to check us in they wiped out the reservation and therefore all record of our one night deposit. I said that since you HAD the reservation when we arrived, we MUST have paid the depost, or else the system would automatically delete it. They argreed with that logic, of course, but it still took about 20 minutes to fix the problem.
Side note - Resort - All Star Movies. BIG TOTH! (except the checkin as noted above) The entire stay was great. Good food and selection in the food court and TOWEL ANIMALS EVERY DAY!!! We had Mickey, elephants, ducks, bunnies, flower baskets, etc. We did a pre-arrival fax for a room request, everything was EXACTLY as requested.
Day 2 - Magic Kingdom (September 6th)
Crowds - TOTH. The park was virtually empty. We walked on to EVERYTHING - well, almost. The only waits we had were for Tomorrowland Speedway (about 10 minutes) and Jungle Cruise (also about 10 minutes). We walked on to Buzz, Peter Pan, BTMRR, Pirates - just to name a few.
Cindy's for lunch - TOTH. Food quality is still good, and the princesses were wonderful. Fairy Godmother was also there for the lunch.
Small WOTF though - the pre-dining picture - just as our daughter was starting to crack a smile, they ushered us out for the next group. We weren't there that long and we had ADR's for the first seating - only the third group up for pics. I would have hoped for some more time to get the smile.
Dinner that day was at Pecos Bill's - TOTH - great burgers with an amazing toppings bar. Chicken wrap is amazingly both healthy with whole wheat wrap and fresh veggies, and at the same time tastes really good!
Day 3 - Animal Kingdom (September 7th)
Crowds - TOTH. The park was again quite empty. We walked on to all rides and saw CM's trying to usher people to go to Festival of the Lion King.
One note - we were travelling with children neither of whom could ride Everest, so we never even looked at whether there was a wait there.
Kilimanjaro Safari - TOTH - we rode this first thing - and saw almost every animal that is possible for that ride. The driver interacted with our son, asking him if the way was clear and such and announcing to the rest of the riders that he said it was okay to go forward.
Flame Tree BBQ for lunch - TOTH - good food - it's also fun to feed the ducks that gather around the table. It was another character dining experience in a way.
Dinner that night was at Chef Mickey's. This will be divided into two issues, characters and food.
Characters get a TOTH - Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Goofy - plus Donald always available near the dessert bar.
Food gets a WOTF - not that it was bad, but just very unimpressive. Rare Prime Rib should melt in your mouth - this didn't. Parmasan Mashed Potatoes had the consistency of oatmeal, admittedly smooth, but mashed taters should NOT pour off a spoon.
Day 4 - Morning at Epcot afternoon at Studios (September 8th)
Parks - again, TOTH, no crowds and walked on to virtually everything. We arrived at opening and since we had one child who could not ride Soarin', we went there first. Mom and son went on with NO wait. They gave me a swap pass, but I didn't need to use it. I went right back in the standby line and walked in.
Soarin' - TOTH - an amazing ride. I got a little motion sick at times, so did our son, so he didn't go around a second time with me - even though he said he liked the ride. Even with the slight motion sickness, it passed within minutes of getting off the attraction.
Test Track - TOTH - another great ride and between 10:15am and 11:00am my son and I rode twice - no wait. The 45 minutes was due to the fact that even though my son wanted to ride again, he also wanted to spend time in the car showroom and giftshop.
Lunch that day was at the Coral Reef - WOTF - although the view in the aquarium is great, the food was mediocre and staff, although pleasant, weren't outstanding. I had the Mahi Mahi, which was good, but not what I expected. I was hoping for something a little more exotic in nature. My wife had the NY Striploin done medium rare - a steak that should melt in one's mouth. It came to the table only lukewarm in temperature and somewhat tough. We each had the crab appetizer, and while the chili salad was excellent, the dungeness crab was very rubbery.
Afternoon at the studios - TOTH - crowds very manageable - although people can still be rude blocking the view of younger kids during the parade. We mostly did the "shows" that day, so wait times really aren't relevant.
Day 5 - Morning at Studios - Afternoon at Epcot (September 9th)
Studios - TOTH - crowds were fine again. Walked on to Star Tours.
Lights, Motors, Action - WOTF - outdoor show was brutal in the heat, and really not that spectacular. It's good, but just doesn't jump out like other Disney presentations.
Character Greeting with Lightning McQueen and Mater - TOTH - these vehicles are amazing!
Autograph suggestion - obviously, they can't sign anything - bring a recipe card (light cardboard type thing) and tell the CM there that you are going to place it on the car's tire. Rub your fingernail or knuckles over the card to get an impression of the tread!
We did the above with both Lightning and Mater and it worked fine. The CM's thought this was fine and others around us thought it was a good idea.
Afternoon at Epcot (World Showcase this day): TOTH. Although not a great amount of things to do for kids, the Kidcot stations were fun and Maelstrom is a good ride.
Dinner was at Le Cellier - HUGE GIGANTIC TOTH - best meal we had on the trip. The CM's who work there are friendly and attentive and the Le Cellier Filet Mignon on the mushroom risotto was perfect. The pretzel bread is essentially addictive and for dessert the creme brulee sampler is a good choice.
Day 6 - back to Magic Kingdom (September 10th)
Can't give this day on crowds a TOTH - being Sunday it was busier. Of course it was nothing like holiday horror stories, but we went back to ride our favourites and had - on average - 15 minute waits in the standby lines for most rides - like Peter Pan and Buzz. You could still walk on to Small World though - no surprise there
Lunch that day was at Crystal Palace - TOTH - for BOTH the character's and food. Great interaction with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. The food was also WAY better than at Chef Mickey's. The Atlantic Salmon with Ancho Chilli was outstanding!
After all this, our family was tired (and, unfortunately, for the last two days half the party - mom and daughter - were sick with colds) so we went back to the resort for swims, dinner and bed. Got a last shot at the Fantasia Pool before it closed the next day and had dinner at the World Premier cafeteria. First dinner there and it earns a TOTH - the food was excellent for counter service.
Although the family went to bed, I could not pass up a trip without a ride through the Haunted Mansion - something neither of our kids were willing to ride and something my wife just doesn't care for that much. So, I went back and rode it as close to midnight as I could, while still being aware that we had to catch a plane the next morning.
BIG TOTH - if you get the chance, ride this at night. Totally different atmosphere, and one far more suited to the ride. Sunday night had a light drizzle and gloominess that just added to the experience.
Day 7 - Travel day home (September 11th)
Magical Express - again TOTH - got us to the airport and the driver put on The Incredibles for the ride. We were the first to be picked up and last dropped off - saw most of the movie, but this made the ride very pleasant
Orlando Airport - TOTH - just a good experience overall - even with security.
Airtran - TOTH AGAIN - not quite as good, but got us to Detroit 15 minutes early.
Canadian Customs - we had the nicest customs officer crossing back over the border - saw the pirate hat on my son, Snow White pin on our daughter and the Disney T-Shirts on mom and dad and essentially said - do you have alcohol or tobacco - when we said no, she said "okay, welcome home". We were through customs in about 45 seconds.
Other notes - Characters - TOTH - There are a LOT of them out there with scheduled meeting times, or times when they are likely to be out and about. It shouldn't be tough to meet a lot. The list of ones we saw (and we saw many we met at character dining just in the parks):
Mickey
Minnie
Donald
Daisy
Pluto
Goofy
Chip and Dale
Pooh
Tigger
Eeyore
Piglet
Peter Pan
Wendy
Capt. Hook
Mr. Smee
Alice (in Wonderland)
Mad Hatter
Cinderella
Snow White
Mary Poppins
Belle
Aurora
Ariel
The Bears from Brother Bear
Woody
The cowgirl from Toy Story, just can't think of her name at the moment
Buzz Lightyear
Stitch
Lightning McQueen
Mater
Many characters in the Stars and Motor Cars Parade
And, of course, Capt. Jack Sparrow (his show gets a huge TOTH - our son got picked to be in the tutorial - a highlight of that day.
Final note - Free Dining - MASSIVE TOTH. For our stay and family, the plan would have cost us about $550. We got it for free. We likely had somewhere around $750 worth of food including dining bills of about $145 from Le Cellier and $120 from Coral Reef. There is NO way we would have gone to either of those restaurants without the dining plan as we know that we could not have afforded it out of pocket.
Overall, a great trip. We had planned to do more than we actually accomplished, but it was another VERY hot and humid week - we would eliminate the least important things on our list each day for the benefit of going back to the resort for a swim and/or rest. That likely kept all of us sane. Even so, we probably did about 80% of what we wanted - mainly because the crowds were low again.
I hope this helps anyone else planning to go in the near future. Have a wonderful time!
DD and I go on Sat and its our 1st time in a value and 1st to use ME 
Looking forward to the low crowds 
Thanks Esdras! We are definitely looking forward to it. I am packed and doing the happy dance 
