JamieH
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2009
We just got back from our trip last night and I wanted to do a quick trip report with some observations and things I learned. This was our 2nd trip this year, the first was back in January over MLK weekend. It was myself, my kids (DS10 and DD6) along with my best friend and her DS5. This was my 6th trip in the last 5 years.
- We started our trip with brunch at Chef Mickey's - the food was good, though I didn't really feel like eating much because we got into town and to Contemporary exactly at our ADR time so I felt very stressed and rushed. The character interactions were great ... I don't care what anyone says about this character meal, for us, its a must do every time and the best way to meet the Fab Five!
- We got to the hotel in time to rest for about 30 minutes before heading to Magic Kingdom for MNSSHP. We got to MK about 5pm I believe and it was already pretty crowded ... I went into this party knowing that there would be crowds and determined not to stress over it (this was October 9, a Friday night party). We chose to book the party b/c we knew we were getting into town midday and didn't want to use a park ticket on a half day, so for us, it was just a "bonus" park day. We did a few rides with FP+, had dinner at Pecos Bills (I enjoyed the new menu, I had a burrito bowl) and were able to meet Anna and Elsa with about a 15 minute wait (great for us b/c we didn't get FP for them). We also met Tiana, Cinderella and Rapunzel. We lined up in Frontierland right in front of Tiana's meet and greet about 20 minutes before the parade started. It was pretty crowded along the route but we were lucky that the adults in front of us sat down on the ground so the kids were able to see over them. We only went through 1 candy trail because those areas were pretty congested ... the lines went quickly, though. We decided to watch the fireworks from Fantasyland because we had plans to see Wishes later in the week - I'm so glad we did this! We stood right behind the carousel and had tons of room around us ... the kids were absolutely amazed at the fireworks going off all around them, with the perimeter fireworks, its very exciting, you don't know where to look! Shortly after the fireworks, we decided to head back to the hotel ... we were exhausted from our long drive and the rushing around all day. We stopped at the confectionery for treats then jumped on the bus without much wait. Overall, it was a good night but it was very crowded!
- We hit Epcot on a Saturday and as soon as we stepped foot into World Showcase, we realized our mistake ... I've never seen crowds like this before and with 2 strollers, it was virtually impossible to do anything. We had lunch at the QS in Mexico, gave up on any F&W dishes and headed back for a nap. We went back later that night to try again, but it was still very crowded so we only stayed a little while and made plans to try again Monday night (that turned out to be a great idea) At one point, I was in line for food and there was a group behind me being very inappropriate - cursing and talking loudly. My daughter was in the stroller right in front of them and she later commented that "those people were saying bad words".
- Our original plan for the next day was to do Magic Kingdom all day, with a midday break. We had an early BOG ADR (8:15) ... we arrived about 7:30, waiting for about 15 minutes then we were let into the park. Breakfast was amazing and by the time we came out around 8:40, there were people on 7D so we jumped right in line and were able to ride it 3 times before the line got long!
- After a hot and tiring morning and a midday nap, we decided to check out the monorail hotels - this is something I've never done before and the first of many things that I only did because my friend was with me. I think that because I'm on these boards and I plan, plan, plan - I never stray from those plans or try new things. This was only her 2nd trip and she isn't as regimented with her planning as I am - which turned out great for us!! We got the kids a Dole Whip and sat down at Trader Sam's for drinks while the kids explored. Once they got bored, we took the monorail to GF and walked around, grabbing a drink there while the kids played on the beach. We then went back to MK where they made an announcement that it was going to be open to midnight (yay!!). Nighttime is always my favorite time in the parks, it cools off and the lighting just makes everything so beautiful and calm. We caught the end of Celebrate the Magic and all of Wishes. We found a pretty good spot right in front of the castle, towards the back of the new areas.
- Another change in plans had us doing Animal Kingdom the next day instead of MK ... this is my least favorite park, but it wound up being a great morning. It felt less structured and more laid back. We slept in, so we didn't feel like we needed a nap and headed over to Epcot for F&W. It was much less crowded and we were able to get make it all the way around world showcase ... the kids had their passports and we did all the Kid Cot stations ... I am now a HUGE fan of F&W. We talked about doing an adult only, quick weekend trip next year!
- On our last day, we hit Hollywood Studios. The crowds had gotten noticeably lighter by Tuesday and we had a great morning. Originally, we had a Sci Fi ADR but when we changed our plans earlier in the week, we cancelled it. My friend had managed to get a table there over Spring Break earlier this year as a walk up, which is something I'd never even considered, so she decided we would try it this trip as well. We had tried to book one but nothing was available so my friend just walked up and asked if they had anything available. At 11:30, we were sat within 10 minutes as long as we were ok with a "saucer" table instead of a car. So guess what? Walk up reservations are still possible! We had our best character experience here at Phineas and Ferb ... one of them took the kids' bubble gun and walked around shooting bubbles at everyone for at least 5 minutes. They kids were all running and jumping around, popping bubbles with Phineas and Ferb, it was just one of those memorable, magical moments.
- Again, we felt good enough to go without naps, so my friend suggested letting the kids swim for a bit. I then remembered that you could take a boat from HS to a few resorts, so we headed over to the Boardwalk on the boat and walked around a bit. We had snacks from the bakery and drinks from the margarita stand, then walked over to Epcot and hit a few more F&W booths
Then we jumped on the monorail and headed to Poly. We had a late Ohana reservation (9:40) ... so we let the kids swim while we enjoyed some of the MANY delicious cocktails offered at the pool bar Once they were done, we watched a bit of a movie they were showing on the Poly beach. It was about 8:45 and we still had an hour until our ADR but my friend decided to go ask if they could take us. While we were waiting to hear from her, we caught the Electrical Water Pageant ... another first for me!! Within a few minutes, she texted me that we had a table!
- Ohana was AMAZING!!! I was nervous b/c of some mixed reviews I've read on this site but it was everything I hoped and more! My kids LOVED the food and so did the adults. I'm so glad we ended our trip there ... we were also able to catch Hallowishes from the dining room, which made it extra special. I highly recommend eating here!
So, there's my little trip report - I'm still sorting through tons of pics and hours of Go Pro videos but I thought someone may be interested in my observations, considering that I had read so many negative things and I was a bit stressed before I went... I'm glad that I was able to let go of those pre-conceived ideas and just relax and enjoy our trip - despite the heat and crowds
- We started our trip with brunch at Chef Mickey's - the food was good, though I didn't really feel like eating much because we got into town and to Contemporary exactly at our ADR time so I felt very stressed and rushed. The character interactions were great ... I don't care what anyone says about this character meal, for us, its a must do every time and the best way to meet the Fab Five!
- We got to the hotel in time to rest for about 30 minutes before heading to Magic Kingdom for MNSSHP. We got to MK about 5pm I believe and it was already pretty crowded ... I went into this party knowing that there would be crowds and determined not to stress over it (this was October 9, a Friday night party). We chose to book the party b/c we knew we were getting into town midday and didn't want to use a park ticket on a half day, so for us, it was just a "bonus" park day. We did a few rides with FP+, had dinner at Pecos Bills (I enjoyed the new menu, I had a burrito bowl) and were able to meet Anna and Elsa with about a 15 minute wait (great for us b/c we didn't get FP for them). We also met Tiana, Cinderella and Rapunzel. We lined up in Frontierland right in front of Tiana's meet and greet about 20 minutes before the parade started. It was pretty crowded along the route but we were lucky that the adults in front of us sat down on the ground so the kids were able to see over them. We only went through 1 candy trail because those areas were pretty congested ... the lines went quickly, though. We decided to watch the fireworks from Fantasyland because we had plans to see Wishes later in the week - I'm so glad we did this! We stood right behind the carousel and had tons of room around us ... the kids were absolutely amazed at the fireworks going off all around them, with the perimeter fireworks, its very exciting, you don't know where to look! Shortly after the fireworks, we decided to head back to the hotel ... we were exhausted from our long drive and the rushing around all day. We stopped at the confectionery for treats then jumped on the bus without much wait. Overall, it was a good night but it was very crowded!
- We hit Epcot on a Saturday and as soon as we stepped foot into World Showcase, we realized our mistake ... I've never seen crowds like this before and with 2 strollers, it was virtually impossible to do anything. We had lunch at the QS in Mexico, gave up on any F&W dishes and headed back for a nap. We went back later that night to try again, but it was still very crowded so we only stayed a little while and made plans to try again Monday night (that turned out to be a great idea) At one point, I was in line for food and there was a group behind me being very inappropriate - cursing and talking loudly. My daughter was in the stroller right in front of them and she later commented that "those people were saying bad words".
- Our original plan for the next day was to do Magic Kingdom all day, with a midday break. We had an early BOG ADR (8:15) ... we arrived about 7:30, waiting for about 15 minutes then we were let into the park. Breakfast was amazing and by the time we came out around 8:40, there were people on 7D so we jumped right in line and were able to ride it 3 times before the line got long!
- After a hot and tiring morning and a midday nap, we decided to check out the monorail hotels - this is something I've never done before and the first of many things that I only did because my friend was with me. I think that because I'm on these boards and I plan, plan, plan - I never stray from those plans or try new things. This was only her 2nd trip and she isn't as regimented with her planning as I am - which turned out great for us!! We got the kids a Dole Whip and sat down at Trader Sam's for drinks while the kids explored. Once they got bored, we took the monorail to GF and walked around, grabbing a drink there while the kids played on the beach. We then went back to MK where they made an announcement that it was going to be open to midnight (yay!!). Nighttime is always my favorite time in the parks, it cools off and the lighting just makes everything so beautiful and calm. We caught the end of Celebrate the Magic and all of Wishes. We found a pretty good spot right in front of the castle, towards the back of the new areas.
- Another change in plans had us doing Animal Kingdom the next day instead of MK ... this is my least favorite park, but it wound up being a great morning. It felt less structured and more laid back. We slept in, so we didn't feel like we needed a nap and headed over to Epcot for F&W. It was much less crowded and we were able to get make it all the way around world showcase ... the kids had their passports and we did all the Kid Cot stations ... I am now a HUGE fan of F&W. We talked about doing an adult only, quick weekend trip next year!
- On our last day, we hit Hollywood Studios. The crowds had gotten noticeably lighter by Tuesday and we had a great morning. Originally, we had a Sci Fi ADR but when we changed our plans earlier in the week, we cancelled it. My friend had managed to get a table there over Spring Break earlier this year as a walk up, which is something I'd never even considered, so she decided we would try it this trip as well. We had tried to book one but nothing was available so my friend just walked up and asked if they had anything available. At 11:30, we were sat within 10 minutes as long as we were ok with a "saucer" table instead of a car. So guess what? Walk up reservations are still possible! We had our best character experience here at Phineas and Ferb ... one of them took the kids' bubble gun and walked around shooting bubbles at everyone for at least 5 minutes. They kids were all running and jumping around, popping bubbles with Phineas and Ferb, it was just one of those memorable, magical moments.
- Again, we felt good enough to go without naps, so my friend suggested letting the kids swim for a bit. I then remembered that you could take a boat from HS to a few resorts, so we headed over to the Boardwalk on the boat and walked around a bit. We had snacks from the bakery and drinks from the margarita stand, then walked over to Epcot and hit a few more F&W booths
Then we jumped on the monorail and headed to Poly. We had a late Ohana reservation (9:40) ... so we let the kids swim while we enjoyed some of the MANY delicious cocktails offered at the pool bar Once they were done, we watched a bit of a movie they were showing on the Poly beach. It was about 8:45 and we still had an hour until our ADR but my friend decided to go ask if they could take us. While we were waiting to hear from her, we caught the Electrical Water Pageant ... another first for me!! Within a few minutes, she texted me that we had a table!- Ohana was AMAZING!!! I was nervous b/c of some mixed reviews I've read on this site but it was everything I hoped and more! My kids LOVED the food and so did the adults. I'm so glad we ended our trip there ... we were also able to catch Hallowishes from the dining room, which made it extra special. I highly recommend eating here!
So, there's my little trip report - I'm still sorting through tons of pics and hours of Go Pro videos but I thought someone may be interested in my observations, considering that I had read so many negative things and I was a bit stressed before I went... I'm glad that I was able to let go of those pre-conceived ideas and just relax and enjoy our trip - despite the heat and crowds
