just back from trip- Feb 20 to Mar 2

[suevee]

We just got back from a wonderful trip. From now on I think WDW is on my February calendar. I thought I would be bothered by the early closings, but I still got blisters!!!

We would spend the morning in the parks (usually MK) go back for lunch and swim then go to Epcot for the evening. We took books along and even read them in the glorious Florida sunshine!

Weather was great. A few chilly days but mostly warm enough to swim but not so hot to be miserable. Rain was sporadic and did not stop anyone.

Parks were not full, except MK in the afternoon, it was crowded then. If you did MK first thing in the morning between opening and noon you could get on all the rides with virtually no wait. Didn't wait long at any of the other parks either.

Illuminations cruise was wonderful!!!! My mother is ill and in a wheelchair. This was perfect for her! I still cannot believe how wheelchair accessable everything was at Epcot. We spent the day there and she kept saying she was having one of the best days of her life. I am so glad I took my granddaughter out of school so she could spend this time with her great-grandmother at WDW.

Restaurants - Best finds were Concourse Steakhouse and Trail's End Buffet. Disappointments were the Princesses Breakfasts. We did both the storybook and the castle. Food at both was terrible. I had a second reservation at the castle for later in the week and I cancelled it. We will not be doing this again. Over-rated and over-priced. We went three years ago and it was much better then.

Other restaurants visited were Ohana's, Konas, Chrystle Palace, Chef Mickey's, Garden Grill, Tangeriene Cafe in Morocco, RFC at AK, Beaches and Cream, and LeCellier.

Restaurant vouchers - We used both the QandC and the Magic Kingdom vouchers. I would not use them again.

If anyone has any questions I would be happy to help.

 

[JOC]

What didn't you like about the meal vouchers?

 

[nativetxn]

Welcome back, SueVee. Sounds like you had a <b>magical</b> trip. Those Illuminations Cruises are very special, aren't they?

Who piloted the boat for your cruise?

Katholyn

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

Suevee - Thanks for the post. A very straight-forward and honest appraisal of your visit.

 

[JulesMom]

Welcome back.

I didn't like Cindy's the last time we ate there last year. We also thought the food was terrible We had eaten there 3 times before and liked the food, so it was very disappointing.

 

[suevee]

Kimmy piloted our boat. She was very kind and knowledgable. She is going to Greece in the summer (We asked where do WDW employees go to vacation!)

About the vouchers - I didn't feel the QandE vouchers really saved us much money, unless you plan on getting the Kitchen Sink, which we did. But once was enough. The voucher were $11.25 apeice and most counter service was less. Also unless you are going to order the most expensive and heaviest meal on the menu with appetisers and desserts, then the Magic Kingdom Vouchers were not worth it. There was to much food for us and a lot of waste. Often we just wanted a Chef's salad which could be had for $8.99 to $15.99 depending if it was plain or had chicken or shrimp. The best values for the MKL vouchers were definitely at AK and the CR Concourse Steak House.
We did enjoy the steak and lobster at AK, but again once was enough. Also the stress to make sure you used the vouchers as they had an expiration date of May 31. We had 4 QandE vouchers, 6 Breakfast vouchers and 8 Magic Kingdom vouchers. We stayed 11 days and had various family members joining us at different times. We did use the breakfast vouchers at the Princess Breakfasts, which was good because I would have hated to have paid full price plus tip and tax for these meals. Frankly, at any other restaurant I would have sent the food back and left. We will not be returning to those character meals.

The Illuminations cruise was indeed the highlight of our trip, mostly because it gave my mother and father the opportunity to see the fireworks close up. They are both in ill health and this will be a special memory for us all.

 

[Pienut]

Where do these vouchers come from?

 

[wilderness01]

We went to the princess breakfast in Epcot and also thought the food was terrible.

We just went to CRT and the food was wonderful! Maybe we just hit a really good day.

We also went to the Crystal Palace for breakfast and the food was awful! It was really a surprise as we have always had wonderful food there every time and at every meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner! We would love to go to CRT again but will not be visiting Pooh and Friends, at least not for breakfast anyways!

Glad to hear your trip was good. Thanks for posting.

 

[crusoemom]

I too was disappointed with the CRT food. We went two years ago and the food was great, but this time wasn't very good at all.

However, you can't beat the atmosphere. We went on my sister's birthday (she's 38 and had always wanted to get inside that castle), and they brought out a mini cake and sang Happy Birthday to her; then all of the princesses signed a birthday certificate. The best part was when she took her son up to meet the Fairy Godmother, I signalled behind her back that it was her birthday, and the Fairy Godmother said, "Oh, by the way, dear, Happy Birthday!". My sister's mouth literally dropped open. It was great.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks the food has decreased in quality over a couple of years ago.