coozieman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
Let me start off by saying that this was my 9th trip in 8 years and was by far THE best for many many reasons:
Weather - a little bit wet for my liking at times - but nothing that a pair of flip flops and a WDW poncho couldn't handle!
Crowds - what crowds? We rode everything and nothing had a wait of more than 10 minutes with the exception of 7DTR - which was handled by our 2 FP on 2 different days.
7DTR - And as long as I'm on the topic of 7DTR - we loved it!! No it's not a Harry Potter ride, no its not a thrilling coaster. But what it is - is an extremely fun and amusing family oriented ride. Well themed - perfect speeds and when the entire train begins to sing along with the Dwarves to "Hi Ho Hi Ho"...well let me say that I was grinning from ear to ear. Is it worth a 60 to 90 minute wait? Heck no - but no ride at WDW or any other park is worth that amount of time IMHO
Fast Pass - wasn't needed for any ride but Soarin, Peter and 7DTR. We constantly found ourselves scheduling, walking up to the ride at our scheduled time to only find stand by at 5-10 minutes, which was generally inflated wait times. We would then re-schedule for a different attraction and would repeat this procedure over and over again over our visit!
Magic Bands - they rock!! 2nd time using them and they worked flawlessly. Saw next to no problems with scanning, counter purchases etc....let's face it - they're electronic and electronics WILL fail. Cell phones, tablets, laptops all fail out of the box and so do/will magic bands.
Food & Wine Festival - 1st time attending and we loved it. Saved up all of our snack credits and used them during our Sunday night visit. What an atmosphere. Everyone was well behaved, no drunks to be found and music was great. Hats off to Disney for this awesome Festival!!
Epcot Wind Down - - we flip flopped on which Country to book and we ended up going with Morocco. Arrived at 9:15 and we were immediately seated in a great booth with a view of the lake and the "Ball". Very few couples, maybe 9 or 10 tops. One couple had their child who was literally passed out from a long day and never made a peep
So my thoughts on this offering - VERY expensive for what you get: 3 different types of wine served in a 6oz. glass and a plate of "appetizers" to share. Lamb sliders (very tasty) / Chicken something or another (eh) and a lousy piece of sausage. BUT - for the $90 we spent on this 90 minute event - absolutely priceless based upon the experience and the atmosphere. We left the lounge shortly after 10:15 and spent the next 45-50 minutes leisurely strolling, laughing and dancing the night away through France, UK and Canada. We saw less than 2 dozen people - including CM's and the Showcase was our own personal romantic playhouse. We arrived at the exit and were met by a bus attendant, asked where we were staying,, called for a bus and within 2 minutes we were on our own private bus being whisked backed to our Resort
Restaurants:
Chef Mickeys for Dinner. 5:00 reservation and everything was fantastic!
Sci Fi for Lunch - Burgers and Fries were great - server was lousy.
50's Prime Time for dinner. 1st timer here and the food was fantastic. Ordered the sampler and ate everything that was on my plate. Can't beat the fun atmosphere here!!
Crystal Palace - Birthday Breakfast at 8:30. what a way to start my Birthday. A dozen or so pics on an empty Main street! Breakfast buffet was good, Tigger rocked and was able to sprinkle some great pixie dust. There was a family next to us and they asked about my bday button and where they could get one for their 7 year old who was celebrating his special day. I told them to head to Guest services and they thanked me for the tip. Just then our server came by and I whispered to her about his birthday and lack of a button. Less than 2 minutes later out she comes with a button, cupcake and candle and a signed card for the little boy. The look on the Dad's face was priceless and a few seconds later he looked over , realized that we helped initiate this surprise and thanked us with a huge smile
Priceless moment - one I didn't forget for the rest of the week!
BOMA - Birthday dinner and loved everything! Salmon and beef were fantastic. Once again this place lost a positive review due to a lousy server. Pretty hard job being a buffet server - keep my drink full and take away empty plates....
Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall - without a doubt our BEST dining and character experience all week. We ordered/split the Grilled Beef and the Traditional Kjøttkake (meatball) sandwiches. Both were superb. The Princess interaction was phenomenal - never rushed - and we found ourselves 'star struck" a few times. Complimentary pic with Belle ( 8x10 and a bunch of 4x6's) and visits by Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty and my favorite Snow White. I didn't see her approach our table and she immediately began to discuss my Grumpy shirt and how she loves to bake Gooseberry pie in the shape of a heart for him. She went on and on - for several minutes before she skipped away for to the next table.
Overall - an exceptional and memorable trip!! 4 nights / 5 days at Pop / Non hopper 5 day ticket / upgraded Free dining and all for $1350. Can't beat that if you tried! Thanks Disney for a memorable trip and I have to say that the Magic that many state is gone - is far, far from gone. You just have to look for it or know where to find it!!
Weather - a little bit wet for my liking at times - but nothing that a pair of flip flops and a WDW poncho couldn't handle!
Crowds - what crowds? We rode everything and nothing had a wait of more than 10 minutes with the exception of 7DTR - which was handled by our 2 FP on 2 different days.
7DTR - And as long as I'm on the topic of 7DTR - we loved it!! No it's not a Harry Potter ride, no its not a thrilling coaster. But what it is - is an extremely fun and amusing family oriented ride. Well themed - perfect speeds and when the entire train begins to sing along with the Dwarves to "Hi Ho Hi Ho"...well let me say that I was grinning from ear to ear. Is it worth a 60 to 90 minute wait? Heck no - but no ride at WDW or any other park is worth that amount of time IMHO
Fast Pass - wasn't needed for any ride but Soarin, Peter and 7DTR. We constantly found ourselves scheduling, walking up to the ride at our scheduled time to only find stand by at 5-10 minutes, which was generally inflated wait times. We would then re-schedule for a different attraction and would repeat this procedure over and over again over our visit!
Magic Bands - they rock!! 2nd time using them and they worked flawlessly. Saw next to no problems with scanning, counter purchases etc....let's face it - they're electronic and electronics WILL fail. Cell phones, tablets, laptops all fail out of the box and so do/will magic bands.
Food & Wine Festival - 1st time attending and we loved it. Saved up all of our snack credits and used them during our Sunday night visit. What an atmosphere. Everyone was well behaved, no drunks to be found and music was great. Hats off to Disney for this awesome Festival!!
Epcot Wind Down - - we flip flopped on which Country to book and we ended up going with Morocco. Arrived at 9:15 and we were immediately seated in a great booth with a view of the lake and the "Ball". Very few couples, maybe 9 or 10 tops. One couple had their child who was literally passed out from a long day and never made a peep
So my thoughts on this offering - VERY expensive for what you get: 3 different types of wine served in a 6oz. glass and a plate of "appetizers" to share. Lamb sliders (very tasty) / Chicken something or another (eh) and a lousy piece of sausage. BUT - for the $90 we spent on this 90 minute event - absolutely priceless based upon the experience and the atmosphere. We left the lounge shortly after 10:15 and spent the next 45-50 minutes leisurely strolling, laughing and dancing the night away through France, UK and Canada. We saw less than 2 dozen people - including CM's and the Showcase was our own personal romantic playhouse. We arrived at the exit and were met by a bus attendant, asked where we were staying,, called for a bus and within 2 minutes we were on our own private bus being whisked backed to our Resort
Restaurants:
Chef Mickeys for Dinner. 5:00 reservation and everything was fantastic!
Sci Fi for Lunch - Burgers and Fries were great - server was lousy.
50's Prime Time for dinner. 1st timer here and the food was fantastic. Ordered the sampler and ate everything that was on my plate. Can't beat the fun atmosphere here!!
Crystal Palace - Birthday Breakfast at 8:30. what a way to start my Birthday. A dozen or so pics on an empty Main street! Breakfast buffet was good, Tigger rocked and was able to sprinkle some great pixie dust. There was a family next to us and they asked about my bday button and where they could get one for their 7 year old who was celebrating his special day. I told them to head to Guest services and they thanked me for the tip. Just then our server came by and I whispered to her about his birthday and lack of a button. Less than 2 minutes later out she comes with a button, cupcake and candle and a signed card for the little boy. The look on the Dad's face was priceless and a few seconds later he looked over , realized that we helped initiate this surprise and thanked us with a huge smile
Priceless moment - one I didn't forget for the rest of the week!BOMA - Birthday dinner and loved everything! Salmon and beef were fantastic. Once again this place lost a positive review due to a lousy server. Pretty hard job being a buffet server - keep my drink full and take away empty plates....
Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall - without a doubt our BEST dining and character experience all week. We ordered/split the Grilled Beef and the Traditional Kjøttkake (meatball) sandwiches. Both were superb. The Princess interaction was phenomenal - never rushed - and we found ourselves 'star struck" a few times. Complimentary pic with Belle ( 8x10 and a bunch of 4x6's) and visits by Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty and my favorite Snow White. I didn't see her approach our table and she immediately began to discuss my Grumpy shirt and how she loves to bake Gooseberry pie in the shape of a heart for him. She went on and on - for several minutes before she skipped away for to the next table.
Overall - an exceptional and memorable trip!! 4 nights / 5 days at Pop / Non hopper 5 day ticket / upgraded Free dining and all for $1350. Can't beat that if you tried! Thanks Disney for a memorable trip and I have to say that the Magic that many state is gone - is far, far from gone. You just have to look for it or know where to find it!!
