Cali Dis Kid
DL & WDW Rock!
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2006
- Messages
- 17
First off let me just say thank you to everyone at Disboards for all their wonderful tips and ideas, it really made this trip truly magical. This is my first post here although I have been lurking on the boards since I discovered it back in November. Since you have all provided me with such great tips and information I wanted to try and repay the favor with a comprehensive trip report. Just to warn you this will be a very long since I would like to pack in as many details as possible, if anyone has any questions please contact me. First a little about myself so you can all see the perspective that I am writing from. I am 28 years old currently residing in Manhattan but grew up in Los Angeles and was an AP holder at DL for over twenty years so I am a certifiable Disney nut. This trip was probably my number twenty-something trip to WDW and while I have always had a general plan, thanks to this Disboards I had the most comprehensive plan that I have ever put together. I got married last June and fortunately my wonderful DW supports my Disney habit and even though she enjoys WDW and DL very much, she thinks I am a little loco about it sometimes. (She also supports my UCLA Bruins habit but that is another story for another board.) We do not have any children yet so it was just us two kids at heart on this trip. I booked this trip back in November for January 13th, 2006 to January 16th, 2006 as a quick getaway from the NYC winter over MLK weekend. I started the planning as soon as I booked this trip, which is when I discovered Disboards. I decided that we would do one park a day, so Friday was MK, Saturday was EPCOT, Sunday MGM and Monday MK. We skipped AK since we are not huge fans of zoos or wild animal parks (I have been to AK a few times on previous trips and enjoyed the Dinosaur ride very much, seem like the same ride as IJ at DL except with the Dinosaur theme at AK). In November I made our ADRs for the LTT Character Dinner on Friday night, San Angels Inn on Saturday night and the FDP for HBD on Sunday night. Fortunately I was able to get all the times that I requested. I had been on the Illuminations Cruise a few times before on previous trips and really enjoyed them so I decided to do a Wishes Cruise for Friday night and was able to reserve it as well back in November. TIA for forgiving all the grammatical and spelling errors in this report, I was a business major in college and English has never been my strong suit, just ask my HS English teachers!
Day 1 - Friday
We left from JFK at 11AM and arrived at 2PM at MCO and headed for the Magical Express Desk. I had reserved ME online back in November, but the CM at the ME desk could not find the reservation. However it was no problem and she had us on our way in about five minutes and also booked out return trip for Monday at that time. We just handed her our baggage tags and she told us the bags would be in our room later that day, let me just tell you how great this service is! She gave us out vouchers and we headed to the ME bus headed for POFQ. I decided on the POFQ since it was such a quick trip and I knew we would be spending little time at the hotel. I usually stay at the GF or WL for longer trips but did not want to spend the extra money if I was not spending any time at the hotel. I had read that the POFQ was smaller and easier to get around so that sounded good to me at the time. After we boarded the nearly empty ME bus we were soon on our way to POFQ, there was a short film on the bus about WDW and all the new things for the 50th celebration. It was a quick trip to POFQ which was the first stop, after we got off the ME bus then went onto POR. We got off the bus, checked-in to the hotel and headed over to the concierge desk to purchase our 4-day ticket to the parks. Just to give you an idea on our timing, we landed at 2PM at MCO, we were in our room by 3:30Pm with our park tickets, now that is what I call a great job by the ME team! After we dropped off our carry-on bags and coats in the our room. we headed out to the bus stop. The MK bus showed up pretty quickly, headed straight for MK, and were the only passengers on the bus so we had an opportunity to chat with the bus driver which was nice, he kept telling us how empty WDW was. We were through the MK gate by 4PM. 2 hours from landing to a park is my idea of a great start to a magical vacation. The ground at MK was a little wet from a previous rain but fortunately it was nice and sunny when we got there. We purchased a disposable camera on Main Street after we realized that we had left our digital camera back in the room. After the camera purchase we headed on over to POTC to check out the line. The line was out to the parrot in front so we then headed over to my favorite ride in both DL and WDW the HM. (I actually like the HM more at DL and really like the holiday overlay at the HM in DL but that is another story for another time, but I like the HM in MK as well especially the chess pieces on top). Walked right on the HM, no wait and went through the ride, saw the not so Hidden Mickey on the table in the dance room and the Hidden Mickey on the spider as well. After we came out of the HM, we tried and looked for the ring but could not find it although I have found it on previous trips (I know former old post, actual ring, whatever I still think it makes for a cool story). We realized we had a little time before out 5PM LTT dinner ADR so we headed over to IASM and walked right on to the ride, no wait. We had a cute little guy celebrating his 5th Birthday from Delaware sitting behind us so DW and chatted with him and his family during the ride. After we got off of IASM we head to LTT for our character dinner. After we checked-in with the hostess I headed to the bathroom so I missed the Hear Ye, Hear Ye (which I love) but was happy that our table was ready right away. We were seated right by a window overlooking the Liberty Tree with the 13 lanterns which was nice. I know I am a cheeseball (by now you can probably tell) but I love Chip and Dale so that is why I do the character dinner at LTT, that and I LOVE the Mac n Cheese at LTT. DW went to the bathroom after we were seated and the next thing I know Dale is sitting right in her seat and started miming when did your DW go? He hung out until she returned and then my buddy and I took a photo together. LTT was pretty empty so there was a ton of character interaction, Pluto, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale, all came by a couple of times for photos and general silliness. (The second time Dale showed up he had a couple of rolled stuffing into his mouth!) The food was pretty good as usually and the mac n cheese was unbelievable! If you like mac n cheese you really need to hit LTT for that alone. Our waiter was great, we asked how many people come in to the LTT character dinner without children and he told us that they have eight tables for two and that they are always full every dinner. He also said that the couples that come in with no kids and the most relaxed people in the place. During dinner it started to pour so I was a little worried about our Wishes Cruise at 7:15 PM but by the time we finished dinner the sun was back out which worked out perfectly. We headed back to Fantasyland and walked right onto to SWSC (are you beginning to notice a theme, WDW was EMPTY this weekend). After SWSC we walked over to POTC and walked right onto the ride. After POTC we decided to head over to GF which is where out Wishes Cruise left from. As we were walking out we saw that Cinderellabration was going on and decided we would have to check it out on Monday. We boarded the Resort Monorail, stopped at the CONT, TTC, the Poly and then to GF. Walked through the GF lobby, heard the piano player who sounded awesome and over to the boat dock. The night was perfect, in the high 60s, no wind at all and the stars and the moon in the sky. We met our boat driver who was finished prepping the boat and we were off right away. The boat was stocked with sodas, water and snacks which was nice and it was a really big boat that could easily hold 12 to 14 people comfortably. We went for a tour of the SSL, our driver was a great guy about our age and was full of interesting information. He used to lifeguard at Wet n Wild but came over to WDW about a year ago and lifeguards at the GF pool and beach during the day and does the cruises at night. He told us that part of the lagoon is man-made and part is natural, the man-made part is about 30 feet deep and the natural part is about 35 feet deep, the water bridge is what separates the natural bridge from the man-made part, which we found interesting. We went by the GF, the Poly, the shoe tree, the old water park, WL where he showed us the Bear and the CONT. We got to the front of MK at around 7:55 PM for the show and there were very few boats in the water so we had a prime spot. Our boat driver flipped on the sound just as the show was starting and it was perfectly synchronized to the show. The Wishes Cruise was awesome, it was such a great way to watch the show and I highly recommend it. After the show finished we headed back to the GF, caught the Monorail back to MK and we the first in line for the bus headed to POFQ. Took about 15 minutes for a bus to show up but we back in out room by about 9 PM. When we got back to our room our bags had magically appeared so we unpacked and watched some TV before bed. It was a great day and wonderful start to our mini WDW trip.
Saturday
We woke up pretty early and reviewed our game plan for the day. DW and I then headed over to the Sassagoula Floatworks Food Court and were happy to find out that they make egg white omelets fresh to order. We had a nice breakfast and were at the bus stop by 8AM. It was a little windy that morning so we decided to bundle up which turned out to be a good call. The EPCOT bus showed up right away and again we were the only people on the bus. This time we made about four stops in POR but only one family of four got on so it was just the six of us on the bus. We were at EPCOT gates by 8:15AM and EPCOT opened at 9AM that morning so boy did I jump the gun on that one! Since it was a little chilly, DW headed over to the gift shop outside the park for some coffee and we hung out in the sunny part outside the monorail. At about 8:50AM EPCOT opening the gates and we walked to the opening rope by the water fountain. We chatted with a couple of the CMs at the rope and soon Mickey came out, along with Mary Poppins, Pluto and the homeless looking cat who I think is from Pinocchio. Pretty soon it was 9AM and the countdown started. After we hit zero we followed the SoC CMs up to The Land Pavilion. (I know it is Soarin at EPCOT but since I am a Cali boy at heart and have ridden it countless times at CA it will always be SoC to me since it is exactly the same ride at EPCOT.) I went and grabbed our FPs for SoC and then headed into the Standby line, 5 minutes later we were Soarin. The little details in the ride are awesome (just like with everything Disney), notice the smells (evergreen in the first river scene and the citrus smell in the orange grove to name a few), Michael Eisner hitting the golf ball in Palm Springs and the Hidden Mickey in the fireworks at DL at the end of the ride. After SoC we walked right on to Living with the Land, saw the 82 on the mailbox in the farm scene. They are growing these cool Mickey shaped pumpkins in LwtL in these special molds. I always enjoy this ride although I miss that old catch song, too bad they took it out. After we exited we then walked right onto JIYI and saw our old pal Figment. The new effects are great and I am happy they kept the same old song but I miss the old guy they used to have with the beard who rode on his blimp like contraption, I also miss the picture they use to take of you and displayed at the end of the ride. After we exited it was time to use our FPs for SoC so we walked right on again and rode it for a second time. After we exited we walked over to MS which neither DW nor I had ridden before and saw Mickey and Goofy in their space gear outside the attraction. We grabbed a couple of FPs and got in the single rider line which took about 5 minutes. DW and I used to love all sorts of adventure rides when we were growing up and would go on any ride no matter how scary it looked. We will still go on any ride once to check it out but these days we are getting dizzier from some of the more adventurous rides. We went with separate teams in MS and were both the engineer since we were the single riders in separate groups. The simulator and ride were awesome and it really felt like you were in a rocket ship with some pretty intense G-forces. However we were both a little dizzy after MS and we decided the FPs would make great souvenirs in our scrapbook. We usually give away unused FPs but since EPCOT was so empty and the regular standby line for MS was only 20 minutes for MS we decided to just keep the FPs for the scrapbook. We knew TT was closed due to renovations but did not miss it that much since we have ridden a few times before. Since it was around 11AM the WS was opening up so we heading to Norway and walked right onto Maelstrom. After we got off the ride the CM told us that they were not showing the film at the end which I was happy about since I always feel guilty about walking right through the theatre after I exit the ride, but this time no worries at all. We then walked on to El Rio del Tiempo and headed over to Morocco for our ADR at Restaurant Marrakesh. After we realized how empty WDW was we realized that we would be done with EPCOT in the early afternoon so we cancelled our dinner ADR for the San Angel Inn and made an ADR for lunch at Restaurant Marrakesh the night before. We were the only people in the restaurant when we sat down to lunch but people started trickling in about 15 minutes or so. It was my first time eating at this restaurant and the food and atmosphere were great! I highly recommend the mint ice tea and the mint hot tea as well as the dessert for two, they were all excellent! The band and belly dancer came out and the belly dance got a few of the kids to dance with her which was pretty entertaining. After lunch we explored the WS and noticed the mini village in Germany with the model trains which neither of us had seen before, definitely check it out, DW pointed out a Mickey to me in one of the mini buildings. We then headed over to TAA and saw America Sings before the show started, their voices are unbelievable. Next we went into to the extremely empty show and got great seats, I love TAA and it is such a great show with typical Disney extraordinary details! I am always amazed at the smoke that comes from Mark Twains cigar. DW took a nice nap during the show since we woke up pretty early but she already knows all that stuff since she majored in both American History and Political Science in college. After the show we headed over the TLS and checked out the aquarium and saw the manatees. Call me old fashioned but I liked how TLS used to be with the elevator and dive suits and all that jazz, now it is all Nemo'ed out. (Not that I have anything against Nemo.) The line for TTwC was pretty long so we decided to save that for our next trip and get their earlier in the day next time. I always feel that you need to have to have a reason to come back to WDW so you cant do everything or else there would not be a reason to go back! We then headed over and walked on SE which is another of my all time WDW favorites, I love the burning smell in Rome and the Hidden Mickey at the top of the ride. Check out the TL for Typhoon Lagoon on the boys surfboard in his bedroom, all these little touches are what makes Disney special. After we exited SE we headed back to the bus stop and soon were on our way back to POFQ. We were in our room by 4PM and DW took a nap so I head to Scat Cat for a couple of beers and to watch the NFL playoffs. I woke DW up after the first playoff game ended and we had quick bite at the SFFC and then went to the bus stop. The bus soon showed up and this was the most crowded bus we had been on so far. We headed over to DTD and got off at the PI stop. We had tickets to the 9PM show for Cirque du Soleil La Nouba so we headed over to the Will Call Window, grabbed our tickets and headed for the ticket takers. It was pretty cold that night and for some reason there were only three ticket takers so it took a while to get in the building, needless to say there were a lot of unhappy campers outside. For almost $100 a ticket they should be able to afford a few more ticket takers. Once we were inside we headed to our seats in Section 204 in the first row right next to one of the control booths. These seats were fabulous, almost the entire pre-show (get there about 20 minutes early to catch it, it is worth it!) took place right in front of us and a number of the performers and performances also took place right in front of us as well. In the opening act the Strong Man made a pretty scary face directly at us, coupled with his tight fitting costume this made for a hilarious sight! If you have never seen a Cirque du Soleil show this is absolutely at must-see at WDW! I have been going to Cirque since I was a little boy and they would travel around with their tent and one show and would set up right next to the Santa Monica Pier for the entire month of September. Now Cirque has a ton of shows, whenever I am in a city that has a Cirque show, Vegas, Orlando, etc., or when they bring their traveling shows to New York or LA I always try and catch them, they really are unbelievable performances! After the show we headed out and caught a cab back to POFQ for the whopping price of $5, if you are heading to POR resorts from DTD and want to get back quickly I highly recommend a cab! We were back in our room about 5 minutes later and soon fast asleep.
Sunday
I woke up early and headed over the SFFC to pick up some egg white omelets for us and delivered room service to DW so she could sleep in. We got to the bus stop at about 8:30AM, the MGM bus soon arrived and we boarded with one other couple. Just a reminded to everyone staying at POFQ, the second bus station is for MK and MGM only, the first one is for everywhere else. The bus remained pretty empty through all the stops in POR but then we hit the last stop at POR where a really rowdy group of middle schoolers flooded the bus. It soon turned to SRO at that point and it was a rowdy ride to MGM which seemed to take forever. I was once myself a rowdy middle schooler so it was just karma coming to get me so I just grinned and beared it! We got to MGM at about 8:50 AM and watched the opening ceremony which was not too impressive. As soon as the rope dropped we headed over to RnR and since the FP machines were not open yet we just headed straight for the standby line. 5 minutes later we were zooming through LA, I really enjoy the ride but our heads always bounce off of the overhead bars which give us headaches but it is still a fun ride, guess it is just part of getting older! After we got of RnR we got a couple of FPs for ToT. We then walked onto the GMR which I think is one of the most underrated rides in MGM, the details are wonderful! After the GMR we walked into the VotLM show which is really fun for everyone. After the show it was our ToT FP time and we went on ToT. Another little dude was celebrating his 6th birthday in the row behind ours in ToT and was deathly afraid of the ride. Once it started he was screaming bloody murder and crying the entire time, quite the birthday gift, I nominate his folks for Parents of the Year! WARNING: Upcoming is one of my soapbox rants! Start of Soapbox Rant: If your child is scared before you go on the ride and tells you such it is probably wise to listen to your child. If you want to ride the CMs will be more than happy to do a child swap so each parent can go on the ride. It always amazes me how many parents at WDW force their children to go on rides the children are deathly afraid of or how many parents are yelling at their kids at WDW, it always makes me sad when I see this. It just makes me realize how great my parents were and still are, when I was a little dude they never forced me or my DS go on any rides that we did not want to go on and they always knew when to take a break at the hotel before the typical WDW or DL afternoon meltdown. This ends the Soapbox Rant portion of the program. After ToT we headed over to WWTBAM to try and catch one of the shows, DW is a big fan of the show. Little did we know but they were actually taping live shows at MGM this past weekend and that you had to send away for tickets weeks before. The CM told us that that if all the folks with tickets did not show up they would take people from the line, however everyone who had tickets for the 10AM show had shown up so no one was taken from the standby line. We got into line for the 11AM show but once again everyone who had tickets showed up so no one was taken from the standby line. I told DW we would try again and get in the standby line for the 1PM show. We then headed over to the 11:30AM show of IJESS which has pretty good special effects. After we enjoyed the show we tried to get a quick snack at one of the CS locations but they were all pretty busy with long lines, I made a mental note to make an ADR when we got back to the hotel for a TS restaurant in MK for lunch the next day due to the long CS lines we saw at MGM. After grabbing a couple of sodas from a cart we headed over to WWTBAM for the 1PM taping, as soon as we got into standby line the CMs started taking people in from the standby line in for the 1PM taping. We got into our seats, they played some good tunes, threw out WWTBAM T-Shirts to the crowd (I love watching people go absolutely nuts for a $2 T-Shirt, best entertainment around!), had the warm up guy telling jokes, making fun of audience members and telling the audience when to clap, laugh, etc. Pretty soon Meredith came out and the first contestant was a law student with a ton of school loans who was getting married this year. DW and I were rooting hard for her since DW is an attorney and understands how tough law school is. Law school gal walked away with a $100,000 so we were going nuts. The second contestant was a retired police officer who met her husband in a pen pal program during the Vietnam War, needless to say we were rooting hard for her as well! She got up to the $25,000 mark, then the show ended and they had to get ready for the 2PM taping. We exited the show and realized that we would have to miss the LMA ESS brought in from the Disneyland Paris Resort but felt that seeing the live taping of WWTBAM was worth it, besides gives us another reason to get back to WDW soon! We also decided to skip the Muppet 3-D movie and ST since we had both done those numerous times before on previous trips. After WWTBAM we headed over for the 2:30PM show of BatB which is Disney at it best, the costumes, singing and choreography were excellent as usual and it was another great Disney show! Afterwards we staked out a spot on a bench by Echo Lake to catch the 3:30PM Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade which was awesome with all the characters and fancy classic cars. Here comes another old fashioned moment: DW and I both agree that we prefer the classic Disney characters (Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, etc.) to the new guys (Toy Story Characters, Bear in the Big Blue House, Jo Jo, Lilo and Stitch, etc.,) they just dont seem Disney to me but maybe I am just too old fashioned! After the parade we headed over to HBD for our FDP. I love the HBD, the food, atmosphere and service are always exceptional and this time was no exception. After our delicious meal we decided to walk a couple of laps around the park and then checked out the Walt Disney: One Mans Dream exhibit which was very cool with tons of great models of attractions in Disney parks around the globe. After we finished looking around we then headed over to the reserved seating section for Fantasmic, it is the last two sections on the right of the HH Amphitheatre which is great since you get to exit the show first and also provides wonderful views (coupled with the fact that you dont have to line up hours before the show to get a seat). Fantasmic was excellent as usual and really is a must-see at WDW. After the show the POFQ bus was waiting at the stop outside MGM so we hopped right on and were back at the hotel by 8 PM. When we got back to our room we were taken a little aback by the fact that the door on our hotel room was open. I told DW to wait outside and checked out the room and nothing seemed amiss. We immediately called the front desk and told them what happened. The CM at the front desk told us the manager would call us back and for us to check if anything was missing from the room. We checked and fortunately nothing was missing since the room was probably left open all day. The manager called us back and once we said nothing was missing she could care less. (Insert sarcasm: Now that is what I call excellent customer service!) Both DW and I were very fortunate to go on a lot of trips while we were growing up, coupled with the fact that we travel significantly for business, together we have stayed in hundreds of hotels over the years. Never once have we come back to a room that was left opened, that was definitely a first. Up until this point I let a lot of things go about the POFQ but having our hotel room left open all day was the straw that broke the camels back for us. The POFQ is a centrally located, clean place to sleep at WDW and that is all. The public areas and grounds are very tired looking and the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. If you ever have the unfortunate experience of staying at POFQ make sure to bring your own blankets and bedding, the blankets and bedding at POFQ are so thin and scratchy that I think they would deemed by the Supreme Court as crude and unusual to hand them out to the U.S. prison population. How this hotel is rated 3 and a half stars (same rating as the Poly according to Expedia!) is beyond my comprehension. It should be a two star at best (which is VERY generous), by comparison most Hampton Inns seem like five star resorts compared to POFQ. If this is considered a moderate level resort I cannot even begin to fathom what a value resort would be like! Next time we head to WDW it will be back to GF or WL for us. Although this open door incident was very disturbing, DW and I had a wonderful day at MGM and looked forward to out last day at MK. After we spoke to the manager we made an ADR for The Plaza at MK for the next day with Disney Dining.
Monday
Once again I woke up early again and delivered room service to DW. We packed up our stuff after breakfast and headed down to check in for our flight in the hotel lobby. Another great perk of the ME service and I highly again highly recommend this service. We then dropped off our carryons with the bell service desk and were on our way to MK by about 8:20 AM. The bus only made one stop at POR for some reason but we were not complaining. We arrived in the front of the train station at 8.45 AM and admired the pretty flower displays. The train rolled in and the opening ceremony was awesome as usual, MK is our favorite park and we love being there for the opening ceremony. After the ceremony was over we headed over the SM and grabbed a couple of FPs. Next we went over to Dumbo and waited about 5 minutes before boarding, the Dumbo CMs were giving us a hard time asking us where our folks were and stuff like that, all in good fun. We met the cutest little girl from Albuquerque who was celebrating her 6th birthday in line behind us. She just had finished the Princess Breakfast at CRT and was going on a Wished Cruise that evening, sounded like a great birthday to DW! After Dumbo we walked on MAoWtP, then walked onto PPF, then walked onto Cindys Golden Carrousel and then walked into Mickeys PhilharMagic, which I think is best 3-D movie experience that Disney has ever produced! After the movie we decided to put our coats in a locker by the main gate and then hopped on the WDW RR over to Toontown which was just opening up at 10AM. We got off and headed over to the FP line at SM and rode another Disney classic. Once again I prefer the SM at DL since you can sit next to each other and they play some rocking music at the ride in DL but the one in MK is still a great ride. We then headed over to BTMRR for a couple of FPs and then walked on POTC. Next we caught the show at CBJ, then grabbed a couple of FPs for JC and then headed to Cinderellabration which is another awesome Disney show. We had a 12 PM ADR for The Plaza so we headed over there after the Cindy show and had a good lunch. TTA was the next stop followed by some fun in the TA, DW loves skeeball! In TTA make sure to check out the model of EPCOT it is cool, I miss the old People Mover in DL with Tron so I am glad that MK had kept around the old TTA, makes for a great afternoon break. We then tried to get into COP but for some reason it was taking forever so after about 5 minutes or waiting we decided to go somewhere else, we had already seen it before numerous times anyway. We also skipped Splash Mountain because we have ridden it a number of times before and we both hate walking around with wet pants. BL was closed for refurbishment but we have been on it before too. Thanks to Disboards we skipped the Stitch ride since everyone on the board talked about how disgusting and gross it is, I really like AE too bad they took it out. (Also what is up with Disney and Stitch and why is that thing everywhere, in the Holiday Parade, on the MK Guidemap, and even on the wake up call, I think he is annoying!) After we left COP we then used our FPs for BTMRR and then the FPs for JC. Each time we used a FP on this trip we showed up late and never got a second look from a CM, every time I have been to DL or WDW I have always used FPs late and never once have had a problem, just dont go before you start time and you will be fine. After JC we grabbed a couple of dole whips and staked out a bench in the Hub for the 3PM Share A Dream Come True Parade which was excellent. Look at the drawings that the people on the bikes in the parade have on the easels, they all correspond to the main character of the float the are riding next to. I also love how Disney always groups the villains together, they did that at the Stars and Motorcars Parade as well and with most every Disney parade I have seen. (Side parade note: I am so happy the Main Street Electrical Parade is back that CA, that is my favorite parade of all time although Spectromagic comes in very close second!) After the parade finished we walked through Cindys Castle and then checked out the Mickey and Minnie bushes as well as the Petes Dragon bush which was cool. We then headed out of MK to the bus stop and soon were on our way back to POFQ to catch out ME bus back to MCO. It was a magical trip!
Pros: This would have been my favorite trip to WDW of all time except for the fact that we choose the wrong hotel for us. Another magical part of the trip was that WDW was empty and we just walked on to almost every attraction, except for a couple where the wait was a whopping 5 minutes!
Cons: The POFQ really sucks and has horrible customer service when compared to WL, the Poly or GF. I highly recommend looking elsewhere for your WDW accommodations!
Please let me know if you have any questions about WDW or DL, thanks again to everyone on this board for making our trip so magical, I really appreciate it!
Day 1 - Friday
We left from JFK at 11AM and arrived at 2PM at MCO and headed for the Magical Express Desk. I had reserved ME online back in November, but the CM at the ME desk could not find the reservation. However it was no problem and she had us on our way in about five minutes and also booked out return trip for Monday at that time. We just handed her our baggage tags and she told us the bags would be in our room later that day, let me just tell you how great this service is! She gave us out vouchers and we headed to the ME bus headed for POFQ. I decided on the POFQ since it was such a quick trip and I knew we would be spending little time at the hotel. I usually stay at the GF or WL for longer trips but did not want to spend the extra money if I was not spending any time at the hotel. I had read that the POFQ was smaller and easier to get around so that sounded good to me at the time. After we boarded the nearly empty ME bus we were soon on our way to POFQ, there was a short film on the bus about WDW and all the new things for the 50th celebration. It was a quick trip to POFQ which was the first stop, after we got off the ME bus then went onto POR. We got off the bus, checked-in to the hotel and headed over to the concierge desk to purchase our 4-day ticket to the parks. Just to give you an idea on our timing, we landed at 2PM at MCO, we were in our room by 3:30Pm with our park tickets, now that is what I call a great job by the ME team! After we dropped off our carry-on bags and coats in the our room. we headed out to the bus stop. The MK bus showed up pretty quickly, headed straight for MK, and were the only passengers on the bus so we had an opportunity to chat with the bus driver which was nice, he kept telling us how empty WDW was. We were through the MK gate by 4PM. 2 hours from landing to a park is my idea of a great start to a magical vacation. The ground at MK was a little wet from a previous rain but fortunately it was nice and sunny when we got there. We purchased a disposable camera on Main Street after we realized that we had left our digital camera back in the room. After the camera purchase we headed on over to POTC to check out the line. The line was out to the parrot in front so we then headed over to my favorite ride in both DL and WDW the HM. (I actually like the HM more at DL and really like the holiday overlay at the HM in DL but that is another story for another time, but I like the HM in MK as well especially the chess pieces on top). Walked right on the HM, no wait and went through the ride, saw the not so Hidden Mickey on the table in the dance room and the Hidden Mickey on the spider as well. After we came out of the HM, we tried and looked for the ring but could not find it although I have found it on previous trips (I know former old post, actual ring, whatever I still think it makes for a cool story). We realized we had a little time before out 5PM LTT dinner ADR so we headed over to IASM and walked right on to the ride, no wait. We had a cute little guy celebrating his 5th Birthday from Delaware sitting behind us so DW and chatted with him and his family during the ride. After we got off of IASM we head to LTT for our character dinner. After we checked-in with the hostess I headed to the bathroom so I missed the Hear Ye, Hear Ye (which I love) but was happy that our table was ready right away. We were seated right by a window overlooking the Liberty Tree with the 13 lanterns which was nice. I know I am a cheeseball (by now you can probably tell) but I love Chip and Dale so that is why I do the character dinner at LTT, that and I LOVE the Mac n Cheese at LTT. DW went to the bathroom after we were seated and the next thing I know Dale is sitting right in her seat and started miming when did your DW go? He hung out until she returned and then my buddy and I took a photo together. LTT was pretty empty so there was a ton of character interaction, Pluto, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale, all came by a couple of times for photos and general silliness. (The second time Dale showed up he had a couple of rolled stuffing into his mouth!) The food was pretty good as usually and the mac n cheese was unbelievable! If you like mac n cheese you really need to hit LTT for that alone. Our waiter was great, we asked how many people come in to the LTT character dinner without children and he told us that they have eight tables for two and that they are always full every dinner. He also said that the couples that come in with no kids and the most relaxed people in the place. During dinner it started to pour so I was a little worried about our Wishes Cruise at 7:15 PM but by the time we finished dinner the sun was back out which worked out perfectly. We headed back to Fantasyland and walked right onto to SWSC (are you beginning to notice a theme, WDW was EMPTY this weekend). After SWSC we walked over to POTC and walked right onto the ride. After POTC we decided to head over to GF which is where out Wishes Cruise left from. As we were walking out we saw that Cinderellabration was going on and decided we would have to check it out on Monday. We boarded the Resort Monorail, stopped at the CONT, TTC, the Poly and then to GF. Walked through the GF lobby, heard the piano player who sounded awesome and over to the boat dock. The night was perfect, in the high 60s, no wind at all and the stars and the moon in the sky. We met our boat driver who was finished prepping the boat and we were off right away. The boat was stocked with sodas, water and snacks which was nice and it was a really big boat that could easily hold 12 to 14 people comfortably. We went for a tour of the SSL, our driver was a great guy about our age and was full of interesting information. He used to lifeguard at Wet n Wild but came over to WDW about a year ago and lifeguards at the GF pool and beach during the day and does the cruises at night. He told us that part of the lagoon is man-made and part is natural, the man-made part is about 30 feet deep and the natural part is about 35 feet deep, the water bridge is what separates the natural bridge from the man-made part, which we found interesting. We went by the GF, the Poly, the shoe tree, the old water park, WL where he showed us the Bear and the CONT. We got to the front of MK at around 7:55 PM for the show and there were very few boats in the water so we had a prime spot. Our boat driver flipped on the sound just as the show was starting and it was perfectly synchronized to the show. The Wishes Cruise was awesome, it was such a great way to watch the show and I highly recommend it. After the show finished we headed back to the GF, caught the Monorail back to MK and we the first in line for the bus headed to POFQ. Took about 15 minutes for a bus to show up but we back in out room by about 9 PM. When we got back to our room our bags had magically appeared so we unpacked and watched some TV before bed. It was a great day and wonderful start to our mini WDW trip.
Saturday
We woke up pretty early and reviewed our game plan for the day. DW and I then headed over to the Sassagoula Floatworks Food Court and were happy to find out that they make egg white omelets fresh to order. We had a nice breakfast and were at the bus stop by 8AM. It was a little windy that morning so we decided to bundle up which turned out to be a good call. The EPCOT bus showed up right away and again we were the only people on the bus. This time we made about four stops in POR but only one family of four got on so it was just the six of us on the bus. We were at EPCOT gates by 8:15AM and EPCOT opened at 9AM that morning so boy did I jump the gun on that one! Since it was a little chilly, DW headed over to the gift shop outside the park for some coffee and we hung out in the sunny part outside the monorail. At about 8:50AM EPCOT opening the gates and we walked to the opening rope by the water fountain. We chatted with a couple of the CMs at the rope and soon Mickey came out, along with Mary Poppins, Pluto and the homeless looking cat who I think is from Pinocchio. Pretty soon it was 9AM and the countdown started. After we hit zero we followed the SoC CMs up to The Land Pavilion. (I know it is Soarin at EPCOT but since I am a Cali boy at heart and have ridden it countless times at CA it will always be SoC to me since it is exactly the same ride at EPCOT.) I went and grabbed our FPs for SoC and then headed into the Standby line, 5 minutes later we were Soarin. The little details in the ride are awesome (just like with everything Disney), notice the smells (evergreen in the first river scene and the citrus smell in the orange grove to name a few), Michael Eisner hitting the golf ball in Palm Springs and the Hidden Mickey in the fireworks at DL at the end of the ride. After SoC we walked right on to Living with the Land, saw the 82 on the mailbox in the farm scene. They are growing these cool Mickey shaped pumpkins in LwtL in these special molds. I always enjoy this ride although I miss that old catch song, too bad they took it out. After we exited we then walked right onto JIYI and saw our old pal Figment. The new effects are great and I am happy they kept the same old song but I miss the old guy they used to have with the beard who rode on his blimp like contraption, I also miss the picture they use to take of you and displayed at the end of the ride. After we exited it was time to use our FPs for SoC so we walked right on again and rode it for a second time. After we exited we walked over to MS which neither DW nor I had ridden before and saw Mickey and Goofy in their space gear outside the attraction. We grabbed a couple of FPs and got in the single rider line which took about 5 minutes. DW and I used to love all sorts of adventure rides when we were growing up and would go on any ride no matter how scary it looked. We will still go on any ride once to check it out but these days we are getting dizzier from some of the more adventurous rides. We went with separate teams in MS and were both the engineer since we were the single riders in separate groups. The simulator and ride were awesome and it really felt like you were in a rocket ship with some pretty intense G-forces. However we were both a little dizzy after MS and we decided the FPs would make great souvenirs in our scrapbook. We usually give away unused FPs but since EPCOT was so empty and the regular standby line for MS was only 20 minutes for MS we decided to just keep the FPs for the scrapbook. We knew TT was closed due to renovations but did not miss it that much since we have ridden a few times before. Since it was around 11AM the WS was opening up so we heading to Norway and walked right onto Maelstrom. After we got off the ride the CM told us that they were not showing the film at the end which I was happy about since I always feel guilty about walking right through the theatre after I exit the ride, but this time no worries at all. We then walked on to El Rio del Tiempo and headed over to Morocco for our ADR at Restaurant Marrakesh. After we realized how empty WDW was we realized that we would be done with EPCOT in the early afternoon so we cancelled our dinner ADR for the San Angel Inn and made an ADR for lunch at Restaurant Marrakesh the night before. We were the only people in the restaurant when we sat down to lunch but people started trickling in about 15 minutes or so. It was my first time eating at this restaurant and the food and atmosphere were great! I highly recommend the mint ice tea and the mint hot tea as well as the dessert for two, they were all excellent! The band and belly dancer came out and the belly dance got a few of the kids to dance with her which was pretty entertaining. After lunch we explored the WS and noticed the mini village in Germany with the model trains which neither of us had seen before, definitely check it out, DW pointed out a Mickey to me in one of the mini buildings. We then headed over to TAA and saw America Sings before the show started, their voices are unbelievable. Next we went into to the extremely empty show and got great seats, I love TAA and it is such a great show with typical Disney extraordinary details! I am always amazed at the smoke that comes from Mark Twains cigar. DW took a nice nap during the show since we woke up pretty early but she already knows all that stuff since she majored in both American History and Political Science in college. After the show we headed over the TLS and checked out the aquarium and saw the manatees. Call me old fashioned but I liked how TLS used to be with the elevator and dive suits and all that jazz, now it is all Nemo'ed out. (Not that I have anything against Nemo.) The line for TTwC was pretty long so we decided to save that for our next trip and get their earlier in the day next time. I always feel that you need to have to have a reason to come back to WDW so you cant do everything or else there would not be a reason to go back! We then headed over and walked on SE which is another of my all time WDW favorites, I love the burning smell in Rome and the Hidden Mickey at the top of the ride. Check out the TL for Typhoon Lagoon on the boys surfboard in his bedroom, all these little touches are what makes Disney special. After we exited SE we headed back to the bus stop and soon were on our way back to POFQ. We were in our room by 4PM and DW took a nap so I head to Scat Cat for a couple of beers and to watch the NFL playoffs. I woke DW up after the first playoff game ended and we had quick bite at the SFFC and then went to the bus stop. The bus soon showed up and this was the most crowded bus we had been on so far. We headed over to DTD and got off at the PI stop. We had tickets to the 9PM show for Cirque du Soleil La Nouba so we headed over to the Will Call Window, grabbed our tickets and headed for the ticket takers. It was pretty cold that night and for some reason there were only three ticket takers so it took a while to get in the building, needless to say there were a lot of unhappy campers outside. For almost $100 a ticket they should be able to afford a few more ticket takers. Once we were inside we headed to our seats in Section 204 in the first row right next to one of the control booths. These seats were fabulous, almost the entire pre-show (get there about 20 minutes early to catch it, it is worth it!) took place right in front of us and a number of the performers and performances also took place right in front of us as well. In the opening act the Strong Man made a pretty scary face directly at us, coupled with his tight fitting costume this made for a hilarious sight! If you have never seen a Cirque du Soleil show this is absolutely at must-see at WDW! I have been going to Cirque since I was a little boy and they would travel around with their tent and one show and would set up right next to the Santa Monica Pier for the entire month of September. Now Cirque has a ton of shows, whenever I am in a city that has a Cirque show, Vegas, Orlando, etc., or when they bring their traveling shows to New York or LA I always try and catch them, they really are unbelievable performances! After the show we headed out and caught a cab back to POFQ for the whopping price of $5, if you are heading to POR resorts from DTD and want to get back quickly I highly recommend a cab! We were back in our room about 5 minutes later and soon fast asleep.
Sunday
I woke up early and headed over the SFFC to pick up some egg white omelets for us and delivered room service to DW so she could sleep in. We got to the bus stop at about 8:30AM, the MGM bus soon arrived and we boarded with one other couple. Just a reminded to everyone staying at POFQ, the second bus station is for MK and MGM only, the first one is for everywhere else. The bus remained pretty empty through all the stops in POR but then we hit the last stop at POR where a really rowdy group of middle schoolers flooded the bus. It soon turned to SRO at that point and it was a rowdy ride to MGM which seemed to take forever. I was once myself a rowdy middle schooler so it was just karma coming to get me so I just grinned and beared it! We got to MGM at about 8:50 AM and watched the opening ceremony which was not too impressive. As soon as the rope dropped we headed over to RnR and since the FP machines were not open yet we just headed straight for the standby line. 5 minutes later we were zooming through LA, I really enjoy the ride but our heads always bounce off of the overhead bars which give us headaches but it is still a fun ride, guess it is just part of getting older! After we got of RnR we got a couple of FPs for ToT. We then walked onto the GMR which I think is one of the most underrated rides in MGM, the details are wonderful! After the GMR we walked into the VotLM show which is really fun for everyone. After the show it was our ToT FP time and we went on ToT. Another little dude was celebrating his 6th birthday in the row behind ours in ToT and was deathly afraid of the ride. Once it started he was screaming bloody murder and crying the entire time, quite the birthday gift, I nominate his folks for Parents of the Year! WARNING: Upcoming is one of my soapbox rants! Start of Soapbox Rant: If your child is scared before you go on the ride and tells you such it is probably wise to listen to your child. If you want to ride the CMs will be more than happy to do a child swap so each parent can go on the ride. It always amazes me how many parents at WDW force their children to go on rides the children are deathly afraid of or how many parents are yelling at their kids at WDW, it always makes me sad when I see this. It just makes me realize how great my parents were and still are, when I was a little dude they never forced me or my DS go on any rides that we did not want to go on and they always knew when to take a break at the hotel before the typical WDW or DL afternoon meltdown. This ends the Soapbox Rant portion of the program. After ToT we headed over to WWTBAM to try and catch one of the shows, DW is a big fan of the show. Little did we know but they were actually taping live shows at MGM this past weekend and that you had to send away for tickets weeks before. The CM told us that that if all the folks with tickets did not show up they would take people from the line, however everyone who had tickets for the 10AM show had shown up so no one was taken from the standby line. We got into line for the 11AM show but once again everyone who had tickets showed up so no one was taken from the standby line. I told DW we would try again and get in the standby line for the 1PM show. We then headed over to the 11:30AM show of IJESS which has pretty good special effects. After we enjoyed the show we tried to get a quick snack at one of the CS locations but they were all pretty busy with long lines, I made a mental note to make an ADR when we got back to the hotel for a TS restaurant in MK for lunch the next day due to the long CS lines we saw at MGM. After grabbing a couple of sodas from a cart we headed over to WWTBAM for the 1PM taping, as soon as we got into standby line the CMs started taking people in from the standby line in for the 1PM taping. We got into our seats, they played some good tunes, threw out WWTBAM T-Shirts to the crowd (I love watching people go absolutely nuts for a $2 T-Shirt, best entertainment around!), had the warm up guy telling jokes, making fun of audience members and telling the audience when to clap, laugh, etc. Pretty soon Meredith came out and the first contestant was a law student with a ton of school loans who was getting married this year. DW and I were rooting hard for her since DW is an attorney and understands how tough law school is. Law school gal walked away with a $100,000 so we were going nuts. The second contestant was a retired police officer who met her husband in a pen pal program during the Vietnam War, needless to say we were rooting hard for her as well! She got up to the $25,000 mark, then the show ended and they had to get ready for the 2PM taping. We exited the show and realized that we would have to miss the LMA ESS brought in from the Disneyland Paris Resort but felt that seeing the live taping of WWTBAM was worth it, besides gives us another reason to get back to WDW soon! We also decided to skip the Muppet 3-D movie and ST since we had both done those numerous times before on previous trips. After WWTBAM we headed over for the 2:30PM show of BatB which is Disney at it best, the costumes, singing and choreography were excellent as usual and it was another great Disney show! Afterwards we staked out a spot on a bench by Echo Lake to catch the 3:30PM Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade which was awesome with all the characters and fancy classic cars. Here comes another old fashioned moment: DW and I both agree that we prefer the classic Disney characters (Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, etc.) to the new guys (Toy Story Characters, Bear in the Big Blue House, Jo Jo, Lilo and Stitch, etc.,) they just dont seem Disney to me but maybe I am just too old fashioned! After the parade we headed over to HBD for our FDP. I love the HBD, the food, atmosphere and service are always exceptional and this time was no exception. After our delicious meal we decided to walk a couple of laps around the park and then checked out the Walt Disney: One Mans Dream exhibit which was very cool with tons of great models of attractions in Disney parks around the globe. After we finished looking around we then headed over to the reserved seating section for Fantasmic, it is the last two sections on the right of the HH Amphitheatre which is great since you get to exit the show first and also provides wonderful views (coupled with the fact that you dont have to line up hours before the show to get a seat). Fantasmic was excellent as usual and really is a must-see at WDW. After the show the POFQ bus was waiting at the stop outside MGM so we hopped right on and were back at the hotel by 8 PM. When we got back to our room we were taken a little aback by the fact that the door on our hotel room was open. I told DW to wait outside and checked out the room and nothing seemed amiss. We immediately called the front desk and told them what happened. The CM at the front desk told us the manager would call us back and for us to check if anything was missing from the room. We checked and fortunately nothing was missing since the room was probably left open all day. The manager called us back and once we said nothing was missing she could care less. (Insert sarcasm: Now that is what I call excellent customer service!) Both DW and I were very fortunate to go on a lot of trips while we were growing up, coupled with the fact that we travel significantly for business, together we have stayed in hundreds of hotels over the years. Never once have we come back to a room that was left opened, that was definitely a first. Up until this point I let a lot of things go about the POFQ but having our hotel room left open all day was the straw that broke the camels back for us. The POFQ is a centrally located, clean place to sleep at WDW and that is all. The public areas and grounds are very tired looking and the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. If you ever have the unfortunate experience of staying at POFQ make sure to bring your own blankets and bedding, the blankets and bedding at POFQ are so thin and scratchy that I think they would deemed by the Supreme Court as crude and unusual to hand them out to the U.S. prison population. How this hotel is rated 3 and a half stars (same rating as the Poly according to Expedia!) is beyond my comprehension. It should be a two star at best (which is VERY generous), by comparison most Hampton Inns seem like five star resorts compared to POFQ. If this is considered a moderate level resort I cannot even begin to fathom what a value resort would be like! Next time we head to WDW it will be back to GF or WL for us. Although this open door incident was very disturbing, DW and I had a wonderful day at MGM and looked forward to out last day at MK. After we spoke to the manager we made an ADR for The Plaza at MK for the next day with Disney Dining.
Monday
Once again I woke up early again and delivered room service to DW. We packed up our stuff after breakfast and headed down to check in for our flight in the hotel lobby. Another great perk of the ME service and I highly again highly recommend this service. We then dropped off our carryons with the bell service desk and were on our way to MK by about 8:20 AM. The bus only made one stop at POR for some reason but we were not complaining. We arrived in the front of the train station at 8.45 AM and admired the pretty flower displays. The train rolled in and the opening ceremony was awesome as usual, MK is our favorite park and we love being there for the opening ceremony. After the ceremony was over we headed over the SM and grabbed a couple of FPs. Next we went over to Dumbo and waited about 5 minutes before boarding, the Dumbo CMs were giving us a hard time asking us where our folks were and stuff like that, all in good fun. We met the cutest little girl from Albuquerque who was celebrating her 6th birthday in line behind us. She just had finished the Princess Breakfast at CRT and was going on a Wished Cruise that evening, sounded like a great birthday to DW! After Dumbo we walked on MAoWtP, then walked onto PPF, then walked onto Cindys Golden Carrousel and then walked into Mickeys PhilharMagic, which I think is best 3-D movie experience that Disney has ever produced! After the movie we decided to put our coats in a locker by the main gate and then hopped on the WDW RR over to Toontown which was just opening up at 10AM. We got off and headed over to the FP line at SM and rode another Disney classic. Once again I prefer the SM at DL since you can sit next to each other and they play some rocking music at the ride in DL but the one in MK is still a great ride. We then headed over to BTMRR for a couple of FPs and then walked on POTC. Next we caught the show at CBJ, then grabbed a couple of FPs for JC and then headed to Cinderellabration which is another awesome Disney show. We had a 12 PM ADR for The Plaza so we headed over there after the Cindy show and had a good lunch. TTA was the next stop followed by some fun in the TA, DW loves skeeball! In TTA make sure to check out the model of EPCOT it is cool, I miss the old People Mover in DL with Tron so I am glad that MK had kept around the old TTA, makes for a great afternoon break. We then tried to get into COP but for some reason it was taking forever so after about 5 minutes or waiting we decided to go somewhere else, we had already seen it before numerous times anyway. We also skipped Splash Mountain because we have ridden it a number of times before and we both hate walking around with wet pants. BL was closed for refurbishment but we have been on it before too. Thanks to Disboards we skipped the Stitch ride since everyone on the board talked about how disgusting and gross it is, I really like AE too bad they took it out. (Also what is up with Disney and Stitch and why is that thing everywhere, in the Holiday Parade, on the MK Guidemap, and even on the wake up call, I think he is annoying!) After we left COP we then used our FPs for BTMRR and then the FPs for JC. Each time we used a FP on this trip we showed up late and never got a second look from a CM, every time I have been to DL or WDW I have always used FPs late and never once have had a problem, just dont go before you start time and you will be fine. After JC we grabbed a couple of dole whips and staked out a bench in the Hub for the 3PM Share A Dream Come True Parade which was excellent. Look at the drawings that the people on the bikes in the parade have on the easels, they all correspond to the main character of the float the are riding next to. I also love how Disney always groups the villains together, they did that at the Stars and Motorcars Parade as well and with most every Disney parade I have seen. (Side parade note: I am so happy the Main Street Electrical Parade is back that CA, that is my favorite parade of all time although Spectromagic comes in very close second!) After the parade finished we walked through Cindys Castle and then checked out the Mickey and Minnie bushes as well as the Petes Dragon bush which was cool. We then headed out of MK to the bus stop and soon were on our way back to POFQ to catch out ME bus back to MCO. It was a magical trip!
Pros: This would have been my favorite trip to WDW of all time except for the fact that we choose the wrong hotel for us. Another magical part of the trip was that WDW was empty and we just walked on to almost every attraction, except for a couple where the wait was a whopping 5 minutes!
Cons: The POFQ really sucks and has horrible customer service when compared to WL, the Poly or GF. I highly recommend looking elsewhere for your WDW accommodations!
Please let me know if you have any questions about WDW or DL, thanks again to everyone on this board for making our trip so magical, I really appreciate it!
great but we tried to get on Soarin and everytime we checked it was 70 minutes. We would have fp but they were already out until the night and we couldn't wait all day. Again any time for me in Disney is magical but I would hate for people to get the wrong impression. The parks were a little crowded and the weather wasn't the best. But I would go at that time of the year every year if I could. 
I appreciate your comments about Port Orleans, I know a lot of people like it there, but it seems I'm reading more negatives than positives.
