posted 4/10/08
So funny! I know what you mean - I am an addict for sure!!
I will help feed your obsession with my so-called offricial - un-official trip report....
I just got back from a week at Disney yestreday (Wednesday 4/9). We were there for 7 nights/8 days and stayed at the Wilderness Lodge! We had a fabulous time and I could not have done it without all the help and insight I received from DisBoards and all my FELLOW ADDICTS!!
While watching Fantasmic (WHICH WAS TOTALLY AMAZING!!!) my husband leaned over and said "you should do this for a living - planning Disney Trips I mean. This is amazing! You did a great job hun)
I thought to myself and even said it I think - "I couldnt have done it w/o the disboards!!" I learned so much from this board - when to go, what to see, when to see it, what to skip or put off til here or there. Where to eat and when to eat... Anyway - here is the long and short of our trip:
Checked in 4/1, checked out 4/8. Stayed in room 4082 at WL and was not 100% happy with our room... The room was great and but the view was not what I was hoping for view wise and the noise from Wispering Canyon was louder than expected! But I think I was the only one to really notice it - DH and the boys were all way too excited or wiped out at night to hear it all. Yes, I paid for a woodsview... got more of a Standard or parking lot view.
But we were able to see some of the MK fireworks through and above the trees. I had asked to switch rooms, and we werent able to til the next afternoon. DH is a fireworks freak and was happy when he saw the firewroks from the patio that evening.... Plus we all know how much work it is to settle in for a night and then have to round everything back up and move into another. So we stayed - live and learn. I will break out for the courtyard view next time...
The Lodge was beautiful and amazing in its grandeur and theme. The pool was great, as well as the staff and ambiance. We love wispering canyon and their food - LOVE BBQ! Roaring forks was great, too, and we took full advantage of the refillable cups. I actually have mine right here infront of me from this morning... i thought as i was finning it - "i was drinking coffee out of this 3 mornings ago on the boat on our way to the MK!"
We did the
Basic Disney Dining Plan and I have nothnig bad to say about it - we LOVED IT!!! We will do it again the next time for sure. I loved the fact that everything (ok, most everything) was paid for and there was no need to budget budget budget and price watch everything meal! Each meal easily came to just over $100 for dinner. We had a few beers or mixed drinks and only had to pay about $50 for each dinner OOP, give or take - taht was for the drinks and %20 tip. All of our servers were great, a few better than others. I am sold on the DDP and so was Dh who was the skeptic when I made the ressie and before we left...
Fantasmic was AMAZING! Wishes was as good as ever and even though it rained cats and dogs while we were at the
Pirate and Princess Party, we had a blast!!! We took full advantage of the extra Magic Hours a few days and look forward to enjoying it more when the boys are older next trip to WDW. That is the way to go! Our weather was AWESOME - 85' or so most days until the
rain. But that didnt hinder our trip - just made it more memorable!! We had ponchos and we kept on keeping on! DH thought i was nuts for buying ponchos and stashing them in the stroller the first few days - we didnt need them then but we would eventually. He was too cool for them at first when it started to rain, but once the rain started coming down by the gallons, he came to the realization that we were not the only ones with glorified garbage bags on!
He didnt have aproblem wearing or putting them on the next day when it rained. DS1.5 was not impressed having a poncho draped over his stroller, but he survived.
And we have some nice new Disney Ponchos for baseball season!
We were in great shape with our
ADR's!! Had we not had those we would have been S.O.L. !!! I figured even if we had them and decided to cancel, we had that option - which we did one night, cause the kids were just wiped out. Had we done stand by dinner seating or called for ressies once we arrived at WDW, it wouldnt have been til 9 pm that we got a table!!??
We ate at:
California Grill at CR- we attempted thsi with with the Kids!!??!.... and they did wonderfully!! We had a great experience! The view was amazing, our server was fantastic and the food was outstanding! AND we got to watch Wishes from the roof - so cool!
Wispering Canyon at CL - always one of my favs and the kids too! Food is yummie and the kids enjoy the interaction. A nice meal for the kids to relax a bit and not feel so stuffy!
Floridian Cafe at GF- one of the best meals our whole trip! Steak was so good! Not bad Bloody Marys either!
Mama Melrose's at MGM - part of the Fantasmic Dinner Package. Also a wonderful meal - had the Vodka Penne - so yummie we had it last night for dinner! It was out of a jar of course, but still soooo good! Great portions!
Chef Mickey's for breakfast - always good!
Crystal Palace for lunch with Pooh and Friends - buffet was filled with delicious dishes, not an average buffet! SO good and our youngest is a huge Winnie The Pooh fan so it was only fare he got that experience!!
We also ate at
Rain Forrest Cafe - not on the DDP but since Cali Grill took 2 table Service credits, it all worked out!
We had plenty of snacks and never felt slighted once using the DDP! You would be amazed what is considered a snack! I think DS8 wishes i packed "snacks" like Disney's for school - Brownie sundae's, gigantic pretcles, boxes of popcorn, jumbo sodas, frozen lemonades....
The only beef I had/have was with the
transportation at WL. Its good, but not the best. Seems the only real way and "fastest" ((although it was always that fast)) way to get around was by boat. Great when the big boat came in, but you started to learn that 20 spots fill up fast on those suckers, especially when you are #22 or 23 in line! We knew going into it that there was no monorail, but being a delux we were hoping for better. There were buses to bring us to the AK, MGM, and or water parks, but it was just a lot lengthier of a process that I was anticipating. Oh well live and learn. Not sure that we will stay there agin just for that reason, maybe when the kids are olders and a stroller isnt a necesity. ((and the room was not what I was expecting, especially for what I paid but they were willing to make that right.))
All in all we had a great trip! Something we wont soon forget. It was certainly on of the busiest times we have ever experienced WDW!! Monday night while at MK it was literally wall to wall people! In all our visits, we had never seen it so packed!! You couldnt walk with out running over someone or getting run into! I saw 2 families fighting over a spot for Spectromagic, security had to be called! SO CRAZY! Its Disney World for pete sake!
Its only been 2 days since we checked out and I am feeling Dis-drawls and cant wait to start planning again! I am going to try to talk DH into a Vaction Club, we will see who wins that battle! The Contemporary is building a new DVC tower afterall!
It only makes sence!!
Shelly & DISHUD!! This is a great place to be if you are a Disney Nut, Dis-addict or however you want to sugar coat it!! We are all in the same boat here and could imagine worse things to be addicted to!
are here to dish out advice on any and every situation especially for us first timers!!!
Been the same smell since I was 4!) I have done that since I was a kid. My parents thought I was whaked, now my kids and husband do, too!! 
I am sick I tell you, SICK!
A lot can happen between then and now!! 
