We're Baaaaack!! **The WLV's groupies & Trivia Thread chapter 3

[tea pot]

Day 6

The girls convinced my wife to get up early for MK early EMH so they could ride Space Mountain one more time. I kept the little guy occupied in the room while they blasted off. We saw this guy roaming around the woods while we were sitting on the balcony

He blends in but if you look carefully you can see him.

When the girls returned we headed out for Epcot. In England we ran into
Alice

Mary

and my boys favorites

If you look closely in the characters hands they each have a little figure of themselves my son gave them. He had a real good interaction here as the characters loved this and danced and hopped around with him.

After we left England it really started to downpour. Putting on all the rain gear didn't work this time. My wife and I had plans to go out that night with some friends so we decided to go back to the lodge and get some packing done. We had a sitter from Kids Night Out coming at 6. We requested the same sitter we had used on a previous trip and were able to get her. She is great with the kids and especially my son. If any of you special needs parents want a night out I would highly recommend her. Anyone interested can PM me for her name.

Our night out was great! Perfect way to spend our last night. We had dinner at Spoodles which was very good. After dinner a few beers at the ESPN zone and before we knew it was time to go.

Next morning was off to the airport! Our first trip home was great. We are very happy with our decision to purchase at VWL.

DisneyNutzy I can't thank you enough for sharing your first trip home with us..LOve LOve LOve the pictures...and I'm so glad that you and your wife had one special night out..

Hi Blossomz!
Also, DisneyNutzy, thank you SOOOO much for sharing your beautiful family photos at the lodge. What wonderful keepsakes! We really appreciate all the time and effort you put into sharing your adventure with us. I know how hard it can be to muster the strength to log-on and share details after an exhausting (but nonetheless wonderful) day in the parks. Thanks for keeping the groupies in mind and sharing your lovely vacation stories. So, when are you heading back again? We want to read more trip reports!

I'm sure we all agree with cheer4bison.. so when is your next trip.????

 

[Happydinks]

A dear Groupie, who shall remain nameless, sent this to me. I didn't realize she had my name (from my email!) and I didn't recognize her email address. Freaked me out!! Then I put 2 and 2 together and had a good laugh.

Gee Muushka - wonder who that was?

Good morning Groupies!

Yes - we are still hanging around - and been just logging in here and there when we've had a minute. My Mom is keeping us running these days (and we thought it would be easier with her in assisted care! - NOT!).

DLI and horselover - sorry about your forced job searches - right there with you - and have been since last August. I'll admit to not being too diligent through the end of 2008 - but have really been applying hard since 1/1 - had some successes - but nothing concrete yet. We should start a "sub" Groupies support group - "Groupies in search of employment!". Thought about heading to WDW - then heard they were laying off!

DizneyNutzy - we have been living vicariously through your trip report and loving the pics. Wish we could magically transport ourselves there right now!

Have a great new week!

Leslie

 

[DisneyNutzy]

Hey Groupies,

Reality has really set in as I am back at work typing from my desk. Thanks for all the kind words about the pictures and trip report. It was a pleasure to share them and give back to a group I have learned so much from about our favorite place.

Our next trip is 10 months away! 12/20 -12/23 at the VWL 12/23 - 12/30 in a Vacation Home with my extended family. We were spoiled the past 10 months and managed to squeeze in 5 trips on our annual pass. 10 months will seem like a long time.

Eliza - All of the pics of the family around the lodge were part of our photopass private session. We will still get our additional photopass pictures from the parks on a CD once we enter all our photopass codes and edit the pictures. I would look on the budget board and check out some photoshare threads. Most of them have all the information you will need. It might make sense to volunteer to be a group leader and start one yourself. This way you will be in control of all the pictures. It will require a some extra work to burn CD's and mail out the rest of the groups pictures but at least you will have some peace of mind knowing your pictures won't get lost.

We will probably do one for December when we go with our extended family to get some nice Holiday pictures. Hey...with all the groupies going in December we could do a groupie photoshare.

 

[horselover]

DN - you have set the bar very high for all future trip reports! Thank you for taking the time to do it. Loved all your pics!

 

[loribell]

Thanks again for all the well wishes everyone. I really appreciate it.

My birthday is May 3rd. Someday I will get to spend it in Disney.

 

[Muushka]

Thanks again for all the well wishes everyone. I really appreciate it.

My birthday is May 3rd. Someday I will get to spend it in Disney.

Got it!

Gee Muushka - wonder who that was?

Good morning Groupies!

Yes - we are still hanging around - and been just logging in here and there when we've had a minute. My Mom is keeping us running these days (and we thought it would be easier with her in assisted care! - NOT!).

DLI and horselover - sorry about your forced job searches - right there with you - and have been since last August. I'll admit to not being too diligent through the end of 2008 - but have really been applying hard since 1/1 - had some successes - but nothing concrete yet. We should start a "sub" Groupies support group - "Groupies in search of employment!". Thought about heading to WDW - then heard they were laying off!

DizneyNutzy - we have been living vicariously through your trip report and loving the pics. Wish we could magically transport ourselves there right now!

Have a great new week!

Leslie

Yeah, who was that??
Good to see you.

Hey Groupies,

Reality has really set in as I am back at work typing from my desk. Thanks for all the kind words about the pictures and trip report. It was a pleasure to share them and give back to a group I have learned so much from about our favorite place.

Our next trip is 10 months away! 12/20 -12/23 at the VWL 12/23 - 12/30 in a Vacation Home with my extended family. We were spoiled the past 10 months and managed to squeeze in 5 trips on our annual pass. 10 months will seem like a long time.

Eliza - All of the pics of the family around the lodge were part of our photopass private session. We will still get our additional photopass pictures from the parks on a CD once we enter all our photopass codes and edit the pictures. I would look on the budget board and check out some photoshare threads. Most of them have all the information you will need. It might make sense to volunteer to be a group leader and start one yourself. This way you will be in control of all the pictures. It will require a some extra work to burn CD's and mail out the rest of the groups pictures but at least you will have some peace of mind knowing your pictures won't get lost.

We will probably do one for December when we go with our extended family to get some nice Holiday pictures. Hey...with all the groupies going in December we could do a groupie photoshare.

Just when I think the pictures/report can't get any better, there is your son, with the Pooh gang, with their little gifts. Soooooo sweet.

 

[DiznyDi]

loribell, I'll be there on your birthday! I'll sing to you and will send warm thoughts your way on your day!
Di

 

[blossomz]

DN: Absolutely love your photopass photos! They will really help with reliving those memories! I may have to consider that!!

Cheer and anyone else interested in magicmeets...would love to meet you there!! check out www.magicmeets.com to preregister.

 

[twokats]

I got my e-mail night before last from the Animal Kingdom Villas which is where we will be the day before the cruise for our May trip. They have my Wanyama Safari and the Sunrise Safari booked. I am so excited. I have read so many good reports on these safaris.

DH and I also made the decision to rent a car back to WDW (and the VWL) like we have already planned to get to the Cape. That option will save us quite a bit over the transfer fees that the transport would cost us. He used to live in Cocoa Beach, so he knows that part of FL fairly well, although he says it has changed so much since he was there. But what hasn't changed!!!

Now all I have to do is figure out any new restaurants I might want to try this trip. I am considering the luau at the Polynisian. Anyone done that?

 

[horselover]

Good morning groupies! Not much going on around here. The kids are back in school. Wishing I was back at the Lodge. The winter is just dragging on & on here. I feel like a slug & can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can start walking again.

Anyone that is heading down soon please post lots of pics so I can live vicariously through you!

Have a good day all!

 

[Inkmahm]

Now all I have to do is figure out any new restaurants I might want to try this trip. I am considering the luau at the Polynisian. Anyone done that?

We did the luau back in 2003 and didn't care for it. The show was just ok and the food not that great. It isn't at all like a "real" luau in Hawaii. We have not gone back since then. That was when the current show just was starting so maybe it has improved over the years.

 

[MiaSRN62]

DisneyNutzy.....LOVED your family photos......there is one in particular, of your two girls posing near the running creek that reminds me of a very similar photo I snapped of my two girls in 2003---just brought back fond memories :

 

[LVSWL]

We did the luau back in 2003 and didn't care for it. The show was just ok and the food not that great. It isn't at all like a "real" luau in Hawaii. We have not gone back since then. That was when the current show just was starting so maybe it has improved over the years.

We saw the luau in December 2006. Felt pretty much the same as Inkmahm. The show was better when we saw it a few years before, now it is a little cheesey. Food was "ok", drinks watered down. To me, there are better ways to spend the evening. My family would probably enjoy a character meal more than this, and they are 14 and 18.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I miss the Mickey's Tropical Luau from way back ! Anyone ever done that ? I think they got rid of it in 1998 ? We did it in '95 and '97. Really cute for the kids and adults !

 

[eliza61]

Ok, I trust my groupies way more than those other dissers so here it goes.

Generally we go during low attendance times (either the first week in september or Jersey week, which is the 2nd week in November) so we've had great luck getting ADR's at the last minute. I'm also lucky that "the old guy", sid and Rizzo will pretty much eat any thing that doesn't move and they can put ketchup on.

This year we're going the 1st week in August which means I'm making a few ADR's I thought about doing the DDP the first 1/2 of our split stay just to try it out.

Do you guys like it? No likey?

Easy to use? The reason why I ask this is because I went on the dining forum to read up on the thing and some people have coordinated their restuarants with the skill and accuracy of the allied forces invading Normandy on D-Day. I'm not oppose to saving a buck or two but I'm not trying to "maximize the points"

What's your take gang?

 

[LVSWL]

I miss the Mickey's Tropical Luau from way back ! Anyone ever done that ? I think they got rid of it in 1998 ? We did it in '95 and '97. Really cute for the kids and adults !

I never went, but when I took my BFF and her daughter to WDW in 06, she wanted to do "the luau" and I thought she meant the one at the Poly. She was disappointed that it was not the same show that she had seen before. Oh well, I tried.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

I got my e-mail night before last from the Animal Kingdom Villas which is where we will be the day before the cruise for our May trip. They have my Wanyama Safari and the Sunrise Safari booked. I am so excited. I have read so many good reports on these safaris.

DH and I also made the decision to rent a car back to WDW (and the VWL) like we have already planned to get to the Cape. That option will save us quite a bit over the transfer fees that the transport would cost us. He used to live in Cocoa Beach, so he knows that part of FL fairly well, although he says it has changed so much since he was there. But what hasn't changed!!!

Now all I have to do is figure out any new restaurants I might want to try this trip. I am considering the luau at the Polynisian. Anyone done that?

We enjoyed it when we did it in June. It was me, DD15, my aunt and MIL. I would compare the food to somewhere like the Liberty Tree. We also enjoyed the show. Now I have never seen an authentic Hawaiian show so I don't have that to compare it to but MIL has been to Hawaii and liked it. My aunt liked it so much that she is doing it again when she goes in April. I think one of the things we liked about it too was just the atmosphere. Having said this though I am glad we did it but have no plans to do it again in the near future. There are just too many other places I'd like to try!

Ok, I trust my groupies way more than those other dissers so here it goes.

Generally we go during low attendance times (either the first week in september or Jersey week, which is the 2nd week in November) so we've had great luck getting ADR's at the last minute. I'm also lucky that "the old guy", sid and Rizzo will pretty much eat any thing that doesn't move and they can put ketchup on.

This year we're going the 1st week in August which means I'm making a few ADR's I thought about doing the DDP the first 1/2 of our split stay just to try it out.

Do you guys like it? No likey?

Easy to use? The reason why I ask this is because I went on the dining forum to read up on the thing and some people have coordinated their restuarants with the skill and accuracy of the allied forces invading Normandy on D-Day. I'm not oppose to saving a buck or two but I'm not trying to "maximize the points"

What's your take gang?

We used the DDP our last 2 trips. The thing with it is it is alot of food with the desserts. So I don't know if it's worth it for someone who doesn't plan to order desserts for every meal. I like it though. It worked out best for us if we used our snack credits for something small for breakfast. We liked not having to worry about anything other than the tip. And it's great to just be able to order anything on the menu. Something we normally wouldn't be able to do. Overall I think when we take into account what we ordered we saved money using it over if we just paid out of pocket. One thing we did before our trip was we went onto allears and checked out all the menus and the prices. Figured where and what we would eat and the cost. We then compared it to how much the DDP would cost us. It was some work but maybe doing something like that would give you an idea. It may be a little too D-Day though!
Also it is easy to use. And the CM'S are helpful with letting you know what is covered by the DDP.

 

[tea pot]

I miss the Mickey's Tropical Luau from way back ! Anyone ever done that ? I think they got rid of it in 1998 ? We did it in '95 and '97. Really cute for the kids and adults !

Maria... Oh does this bring back memories.... we went way back in 1987 or maybe 88 .....loved it....

 

[Muushka]

Maria, love the picture of your girls.

Eliza, well, here is my take on the DDP. Both of your boys are over 10, so adults, right?

I think your plan of splitting the stay to break up the DDP is a good one. I would probably just do 2 days on the plan (2 nights at first leg) and that would give you 3 days to use it. And you can save all your snackies for the 2nd part of the trip (the actual snack, not the credits ).

We find that the DDP gets old very quickly. Plus it is not a bargain. It is only a bargain if you don't have to cram a weeks worth of meals, snacks into a week (2 weeks would be better!).

We decided that the only time we will get the plan is for the CP in December, then it is a must (split stay of course!). We used to think we needed it when we stayed in a studio, but this last visit I was very underwhelmed with it. It would have been better to pay OOP.

And I agree about not maximizing credits. I don't want to have to eat somewhere because it costs more than I place I really like!

 

[DisneyNutzy]

DisneyNutzy.....LOVED your family photos......there is one in particular, of your two girls posing near the running creek that reminds me of a very similar photo I snapped of my two girls in 2003---just brought back fond memories :

Hi Maria. Glad you enjoyed the photos. I can only take credit for one of the girls. The smaller one is my niece. She is part of our Disney family as she makes about half of our trips. I can't see the link you have posted because I am at work and they block all pictures. I'll check the board when I get home.

Ok, I trust my groupies way more than those other dissers so here it goes.

Generally we go during low attendance times (either the first week in september or Jersey week, which is the 2nd week in November) so we've had great luck getting ADR's at the last minute. I'm also lucky that "the old guy", sid and Rizzo will pretty much eat any thing that doesn't move and they can put ketchup on.

This year we're going the 1st week in August which means I'm making a few ADR's I thought about doing the DDP the first 1/2 of our split stay just to try it out.

Do you guys like it? No likey?

Easy to use? The reason why I ask this is because I went on the dining forum to read up on the thing and some people have coordinated their restuarants with the skill and accuracy of the allied forces invading Normandy on D-Day. I'm not oppose to saving a buck or two but I'm not trying to "maximize the points"

What's your take gang?

Hi Eliza - We only did the DDP when it was free in 9/07. We felt it turned our trip into an eating fest and we were always heading to the next meal. I guess it depends on how your family likes touring. I like to have a plan but my troops often revolt so it doesn't work for us. We make reservations but like to have the freedom to cancel and change our plans on the fly. The DDP makes this difficult especially if you are paying for it. If you are going for more than 10 total days within 12 months I like the annual pass with the TIW card. We find we make out better with the 20% off since we do a lot of sit down meals. My wife is very lucky walking up to the podium and getting us a table at even the busiest times. It has become a running joke between us. I have walked up and been told nothing available. She has tried within a half hour of me being turned away and gotten us a table with a 10 minute wait. One thing is for sure, the DDP has made getting some reservations for your favorite places a MUST.