DisneyDotty
Oops, no more!
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2005
- Messages
- 2,472
Hi there! 
We just returned from our 3rd Disney trip within a year, and I was determined to make this one unique/extra special. Kids (DD12 and DS8) said this trip was the best so far--maybe because of these:
1. I finally learned to relax. We slept in, we changed my (carefully made) itinerary at the last minute, we did what we felt like doing. Kids really liked that I wasn't going Disney Commando this time, and I really liked handing over the decisions to them.
2. We did the Family Magic Tour. We all enjoyed it immensely--excellent tour guide, fun interaction with the other families, made spectacles of ourselves and loved it.
3. We did VMK quests (available at the Main Street Cinema in Magic Kingdom.) Kids play VMK religiously and asked if we might stop in the Cinema to pick up some quests. DH and I reluctantly agreed--VMK in the REAL MK? But then DH and I got totally sucked into the quests--we had a blast going around the parks finding the answers. We all saw things in the parks we'd never noticed before because of the quests. And kids got lots of freebies for VMK, for which they are eternally grateful.
4. We tried a lot of new restaurants this time. Last year we mostly returned to old favorites, which was fine, but some of which we were kinda disappointed by the repeat trip. However, this time I was determined to seek out some new spots. And we pretty much loved them all.
5. Tour Guide Mike for Animal Kingdom. His touring suggestions got us on Expedition Everest (a most excellent attraction!) three times in a row before crowds built. We rode it 8 times this trip.
6. LaNouba. In the past I never wanted to take away from park time to do anything else (see #1), but this time we had some non-park days (we were there 13 days but only had a 10-day pass) so I decided we'd try it. We loved it. Those non-park days were wonderful for really relaxing and feeling like we were on vacation, BTW.
7. Bob Jackson at POR. We sat and watched his show at the River Roost. Enjoyed a few drinks. Laughed with our kids. At one point my DD12, who had been playing at the arcade at POR, returned to my table and looked around and asked, "What, has everyone had too much to drink here?" And I said, "No, honey, this is Disney. We're all just having a really good time!" Oh, and while we were at POR, we rented a surrey bike. What a blast! (Granted, those hills gave us some moments of strain...)
Hope these ideas might inspire others who are looking for some extra Pixie dust moments...
We just returned from our 3rd Disney trip within a year, and I was determined to make this one unique/extra special. Kids (DD12 and DS8) said this trip was the best so far--maybe because of these:1. I finally learned to relax. We slept in, we changed my (carefully made) itinerary at the last minute, we did what we felt like doing. Kids really liked that I wasn't going Disney Commando this time, and I really liked handing over the decisions to them.
2. We did the Family Magic Tour. We all enjoyed it immensely--excellent tour guide, fun interaction with the other families, made spectacles of ourselves and loved it.
3. We did VMK quests (available at the Main Street Cinema in Magic Kingdom.) Kids play VMK religiously and asked if we might stop in the Cinema to pick up some quests. DH and I reluctantly agreed--VMK in the REAL MK? But then DH and I got totally sucked into the quests--we had a blast going around the parks finding the answers. We all saw things in the parks we'd never noticed before because of the quests. And kids got lots of freebies for VMK, for which they are eternally grateful.
4. We tried a lot of new restaurants this time. Last year we mostly returned to old favorites, which was fine, but some of which we were kinda disappointed by the repeat trip. However, this time I was determined to seek out some new spots. And we pretty much loved them all.
5. Tour Guide Mike for Animal Kingdom. His touring suggestions got us on Expedition Everest (a most excellent attraction!) three times in a row before crowds built. We rode it 8 times this trip.
6. LaNouba. In the past I never wanted to take away from park time to do anything else (see #1), but this time we had some non-park days (we were there 13 days but only had a 10-day pass) so I decided we'd try it. We loved it. Those non-park days were wonderful for really relaxing and feeling like we were on vacation, BTW.
7. Bob Jackson at POR. We sat and watched his show at the River Roost. Enjoyed a few drinks. Laughed with our kids. At one point my DD12, who had been playing at the arcade at POR, returned to my table and looked around and asked, "What, has everyone had too much to drink here?" And I said, "No, honey, this is Disney. We're all just having a really good time!" Oh, and while we were at POR, we rented a surrey bike. What a blast! (Granted, those hills gave us some moments of strain...)
Hope these ideas might inspire others who are looking for some extra Pixie dust moments...
) the next trip!
)
I'm glad you had a great time. We are going on Sunday and can't wait. We took 2 days to do absolutely nothing and maintain the relaxed atmosphere. Especially since it's our last vacation of the summer. 
We are also going to see La Nouba. Really looking forward to it. We do not do Tour Guide Mike, but if you don't mind me asking, how were you so successful with Expedition Everest? Did you utilize Fast Pass and consistently ride it when you first arrived in the morning?
