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Andrew Della Vecchia -- May 2001 -- Walt Disney World (CBR / OKWR)05/05-12/2001 Trip Report for WDW May 2001 ------------ General Info ------------ Intro ------ Are you ready for an interesting story? OK, it all starts about 6 months ago. My wife and I were planning a DVC trip for the springtime. Just for a change, I thought we would try out the Hilton Head Resort. It looked nice and relaxing. So, we booked a 7-day trip to it. As time passed along, we started to look at what we would do when we get there. Nether one of us play tennis or golf, so that was out of the picture. After briefly reading about Charleston and Savannah, we thought there would be places to go for fun. Being content with that, we let even more time pass. Now, it is down to 2 weeks before the big trip. We got info from AAA on travel and places to go. It was time to get serious about planning out the trip. Looking into it, both of us started to wonder if 7 days would be too much. Three days is more than enough for the beach and pool. Where would the other time be spent? There was cause for concern that boredom would settle in. Typically, our trips always have plenty of things to do while being relaxing at the same time. Yes, there was Charleston and Savannah, but driving extra on top of the big trip down to SC did not seem like a fun option. My wife came up with a great idea. Why not split the trip between Hilton Head and WDW? That was a great idea, but just did not work out. My vacation time was set and could not be changed. A drive that splits the 2 sites while ensuring a speedy return home was not really possible. It could have been done, but it just would require too much jumping around. Then, we looked into airfare between WDW and Hilton Head. Given a length of time greater than 2 weeks, the prices might be affordable. However, they were not. UGH, the process continued on and on. There just was no way to do both in the fashion we wanted. Following me so far? Let's review. Started off going to Hilton Head for 7 days. Found out there was limited stuff for us to do. Tried to split the trip between sites. Couldn't do it due to price and time. Let's finish this story up. My wife and I always enjoy WDW. What a great place to go! It has such a far-reaching range. You do not even need to step anywhere near a park to enjoy it. The resorts alone are worth it. However, it has hard to beat a trip on Space Mountain or take in those firework shows! As you guessed it, we changed the trip from 7 days at Hilton Head to 8 days at WDW. OK, we have been there many many times in the past 3 years, but who cares? It's up to us were we want to go on vacation. OK, we added an extra day, but now we are flying instead of driving. Much more relaxing ;-{> How did we do that? Well, my wife is the mastermind behind that. Changing resorts was a snap with the excellent DVC service. The only issue was the availability of a single room for the entire trip. We had to split the time between the CBR and the new Wilderness Lodge Villas. We stayed at the CBR before and had a blast, so that was fine with me. I could not wait to check out the new villas! As far as finding airfare, that was an experience and a half. First, we used Expedia to book a roundtrip ticket with AirTran from Philly Int'l to Orlando Int'l. The price was not great, but still affordable. After giving my credit card info, I checked on the itinerary to make sure it was purchased. There was some problem that the flight was not booked. Now, it gets serious. They have my credit card #, but we have 0 tickets. This is where my wife takes over. She is very good at interacting with sales types. It took 4 hours of phone calls to get somewhat of an answer where AirTran blamed Expedia and vice-versa. After all of that, we cancelled the ticket request. However, many letters and other forms are being written as we speak. The situation was getting intense. What do we do now? Once again, my wife was on the case. She searched over and over again to find the best airfare. After another 2-3 hours of intense searching, she did. We have a nice early, direct flight down along with a reasonable connecting flight back home. The best part, it was affordable ;-{> Everything is set! We are getting excited. The rental car is reserved, priority-seating arrangements are made, and all is well in the universe.
Travel ++++++ Arrived: Saturday, May 5, 2001 @ 08:50 Returned: Saturday, May 12, 2001 @ 21:30 Rental Car Used: Toyota Corolla from National Rental Car Comments on Travel ------------------ We flew out of LeHigh Valley Airport (ABE) for the first time this trip. I can honestly say it is a convenient airport. Parking is a snap, getting to the gate is easy, and the location is nice. I really liked being able to walk about 2-3 minutes from the car to the front door instead of using airport shuttles. As always, MCO is a great airport to land at. The little monorail ride, the familiar sites, and the friendly faces get you into that vacation mood. The only hiccup was with National. There was a long line and only 2 service reps available. Who thought of this setup? This was an obvious attempt to get another set of greenbacks from customers for the "skip the line" privileges of their club. All right, 45 minutes later, the rental car was ours. My wife picked out a nice car and we were at WDW before we knew it! Returning the car was much simpler. We just drove up and dropped it off with an attendant. The flight home had a connection in Charlotte. They should put some smoke filters in this place! Everything smelled like tobacco! Yes, I know the industry is big there. What was worse was the food options. Besides that, it is an adequate airport. Getting back to LeHigh Valley was a nice experience as well. Getting from the plane to the luggage, to the car in long-term parking took about 15-20 minutes. That is hard to beat. Passes Used +++++++++++ WDW Annual Pass Water Park Add-on Comments on Passes ------------------ Disney is probably wondering if we live at WDW. We both clocked about 35+ days on these tickets (Sorry for not writing about other trips Brian. Sometimes I just want to keep the memories in my pictures and head). Anyway, they worked out great this year. The Water Park Add-on is a promotion going on now. If you have an AP and purchase the add-on for the price of 1 day water park admission, you can go over and over again till mid-June. It was a nice surprise that we took advantage of. Weather Summary +++++++++++++++ Instead of writing a day by day blow, let me just tell you the weather was just a fantastic blessing! Every day was in the low-mid 80s in the afternoon highs. The morning and evening lows were in the upper 60s. Rain? Not really any rain except for a few sprinkles mid week. Resort: CBR +++++++++++ Room type: Standard View Comments on Hotel: Great place to go! This time we were in the Aruba area. The rooms were completely redone. Disney did a great job with that. The use of the decorative Corian tub surround is impressive. One afternoon, we went to the beach area. The pool had lots of people in it. I am always amazed that people do not hit the beaches at their resort. They are a great place relax. We sat on some hammocks that were conveniently located in the shade. If only I remembered to get a Margarita ;-{> The check-in process was really efficient. Even though the line was huge, Disney employees were getting everyone through quick. Every check-in window had someone working there.
Resort: Wilderness Lodge Villas +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Room type: Studio Comments on Hotel: If you have never stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, you are really missing out on one of Disney's best resorts. This place is THE spot to be for those who want more than a bed and bath. Hours can be pleasantly given up in order to enjoy the fantastic vistas and wonderful recreational areas. The villas add another dimension to this resort. All of the rooms have that distinct look of the Great Northwest while being slightly different than the main lodge. The "Iron Spike Room" is a fantastic stop for those wishing a good place to sit and ponder. Having stayed at the OKW studios, I was wondering how these would fair. My initial impression is that the OKW studios are slightly larger. This is noticeable in the bathroom design. However, the layout seemed more efficient in the WL. Given these are brand new rooms, the condition is fantastic. Our view was of the front area. Surprisingly, we liked it a lot. There were plenty of decorative trees and plants to give a vacation feel. One afternoon, we spent some time in the quiet pool. This is smaller than the main pool. There are some jets at the bottom of the pool to give a natural spring look. Off to the side is a nice outdoor spa (hot tub). This is definitely a place for the adults to hang out. Have you every thought of renting a boat? If not, you may be missing out on some great fun for a great price. My wife and I took out a pontoon boat. We steered it from the WL, through the general resort area, then all around the MK area and back again.
Overall Park Touring (Fireworks/Evening Show Seen is in parenthesis) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Saturday: Arrive -> Epcot Sunday: MK -> break -> Contemporary -> Downtown Disney Monday: MGM -> break -> MGM (Fantasmic!) Tuesday: Typhoon Lagoon -> break -> Epcot (Illuminations 2000) Wednesday: Animal Kindgom -> break -> Animal Kindgom Lodge Thursday: Blizzard Beach -> break -> Epcot Friday: MGM -> MK Saturday: Epcot -> Depart (boo) Comments on Touring: Well, we took plenty of breaks. Our main concern was to relax and enjoy everything around us. In the morning, we would hit our favorites at the parks then have a simple lunch. Almost each afternoon, we would take a nap and/or hit the pool. In the evening, it was time for a nice dinner and some evening entertainment. As stated before, we rented a boat one afternoon. That is definitely something to do again. *********************** *Using a PDA at WDW???* *********************** Laugh if you must, but it worked great! I downloaded all of the docs from WDWIG and Themeparks.com into my Visor Platinum. On top of that, I put in my priority seating #s, itenary, and other info. The ability to look up menus of different restaurants is worth the extra baggage alone (and that is not much at all compared to a camera and camcorder). Instead of running to one restaurant or another, we just looked up the menu and made our decision from there. Saved a lot of time! I really want Disney to create an all-encompassing document for PDA users. Telephone #s, menus, maps, etc available in this simple-to-use device would save them money. I wouldn't mind if they added something for wireless users to create priority-seating arrangements as well. ******************************** Place of Interests ****************************************** Before going into each POI, I would like to share the definition of my ratings. Instead of breaking everything down by morning/afternoon/evening, I am going to summarize it. *Please note that the weekend crowds caused the ratings to go up. The weekdays were at relatively low crowd levels. Average Wait Time Ratings (Note: This rating deals with queue time for rides and attractions) ------------------------- Low: 0-20 minutes Moderate: 21-40 minutes High: 41-90 minutes Oppressive: 91+ minutes Crowd Level Ratings (Note: This rating deals with the ability to navigate the park.) ------------------- Low: Easy to get around. No one is blocking any views. Counter service is completely accessible. Shows are no problem to get into. Moderate: Some change in path required getting around. Some views are more difficult to see. Counter service is still accessible, but some patience is needed. Shows fill up. High: Slow movement around park. Views must be seen through a crowd. Counter service lines take a long time. Definite need to arrive early to get into a show. Oppressive: One big concrete block +++++++++++++++ +Magic Kingdom+ +++++++++++++++ Avg Wait Times Experienced: Moderate Perceived Crowd Levels: Moderate-High Used Fast Pass: Yes Comments on MK -------------- What a fun park to go with the family. There were lots of people have a grand ol'time here. There is something to be said about the music at this and other WDW parks. Each time I hear it, I get into a relaxing mood. I wouldn't mind a CD devoted to the 'background' music. Some people really miss out on the non-ride features of the MK. What my wife and I enjoy is simple. I get sat down on a bench overlooking the Castle. She then goes and gets a small sized popcorn and a Coke. We split it together just talking about this and that. Afterwards, we just relax listening to the sounds. Another overlooked attraction here is the rose garden. Fantastic! These roses are better than the ones at Epcot. If no one is aware of this, there is a tradition that happens at WDW this time of year called "Grad Night." During the week, there are different high school groups performing here and there. On certain nights, the MK hosts a late night party for the teens. There were a lot of high school teens as well which added to the "sights." All in all, it is not as bad as some may say. If I could change one thing here, it would be the food at the counter service. Besides the great salads at Pecos Bill Cafe, everything is just ordinary burgers and fries. +++++++++ + Epcot + +++++++++ Avg Wait Times Experienced: Low Perceived Crowd Levels: Moderate Used Fast Pass: No (used single rider line at Test Track) Comments on Epcot ----------------- Epcot is one of those places I can enjoy all of the time. The design and layout of the park makes it easy to explore all facets. The Flower & Garden Festival is wonderful. Each different topiary, planting, event, learning station, etc really was welcome. We even attended a seminar, which talked about planting in various soil conditions. Epcot's location near the Boardwalk and Yacht/Beach Club is real a treat. Many times my wife and I enjoy taking a stroll around those resorts after a nice dinner at an Epcot restaurant. I noticed in the past few trips that Millennium Village is under construction. It is understood that they tried to pack too much into this. After all of the hard work, it did not leave much of an impression. I'll miss that video of Venezuela on the projection screens! I hope that they turn this into another representative country. The nighttime entertainment here is really hard to beat. The Tapestry of Nations Parade along with Illuminations 2000 caps off the night in a special way. If you have not seen the parade or the fireworks, definitely put them on your list! On the parade topic, I should note a vast improvement in the path it takes. Instead of traversing the entire World Showcase, the parade path is Japan through Mexico. This really makes it easier to move around. For the fireworks, my wife and I took a different approach to watching them. We timed everything so that we would get on Maelstrom about 15 minutes before the show. There is no line for the ride at this time. After that, we walked carefree from Norway to the International Gateway for the fireworks show. You really get a neat perspective of it by doing this. Afterwards, we strolled over to the Boardwalk for the evening.
++++++++++++++++++++ +Disney-MGM Studios+ ++++++++++++++++++++ Avg Wait Times Experienced: Moderate Perceived Crowd Levels: Moderate-High Used Fast Pass: No Comments on Disney-MGM Studios ------------------------------ The Studios is not one of my favorite parks, but I still enjoy it. Disney needs to take a few lessons from Universal. They need to make the attractions and rides draw you into a movie. During this trip, we saw the construction of the giant hat that is to be placed in front of the Great Movie Ride. UGH, what are they thinking here? It would be more pleasing if they added canopies similar to Millennium Village along with a nice water garden. The Star Wars weekend really draws a crowd! Being a fan of Star Wars, it was neat to see the different events. Before the gates opened, a squad of stormtroppers greeted everyone with blasters in hand. A couple of them were taken to the roof of the entrance to ensure we were kept in line. A simple Jedi mind trick was all that was necessary to get by these minions of the Empire. If you have a young one that is a fan of Star Wars, most definitely go to this. There are lots of stations. The neatest event was the Jedi training. Children are selected at random for this. They are given a light saber toy along with a robe like all Jedi wear. After some training, their skills are tested with a face to face battle with Darth Vader. If I was in that 5-9 year old range, this would be an awesome experience ;-{> The drawback of all of this is that the crowds are large. After about 10:00, it was getting crowded quick all around. My wife and I decided to hit Fantasmic again this trip. If you have not seen this, it really is a good show. The biggest stumbling block is that you have to show up at least 45 minutes early. This is a huge drawback. A funny thing did happen when waiting for Fantasmic to begin. There was this group on the far side of the theater that started the wave. This went back and forth a few times then became a slow-mo wave. It was a hoot. ++++++++++++++++ +Animal Kingdom+ ++++++++++++++++ Avg Wait Times Experienced: Low Perceived Crowd Levels: Moderate Used Fast Pass: Yes Comments on the Animal Kingdom ------------------------------ Each trip, we notice that the Animal Kingdom gets something new (in a small sort of way). Sometimes, there are new pathways. Other times, there are new signs, animals, or similar. This time was no different. We passed into the different areas and notice there are large gateways being built. Another item that we noticed was that there is a new lookout area being constructed in Pangani Explorartion Falls. This should really add a nice experience for visitors. Even with the small additions, the AK really needs another land. I said this before, but it is worth mentioning again. Disney should add a DisneySea like are here instead of another park. That way the AK could have 2 entirely diverse sides to it (aka: land and sea). It would open up a world of possibilities for them. I could see themed areas like "The Great Barrier Reef," "South China Sea," and "Caribbean Isles." ++++++++++++++++ +Typhoon Lagoon+ ++++++++++++++++ Avg Wait Times Experienced: Low Perceived Crowd Levels: Moderate Comments on TL -------------- This water park does not have the biggest, fastest water slides, but it certainly is relaxing. Anyone who has been here knows the main attraction is the wave pool. Personally, it is more of a small beach rather than a simple wave pool. From the looks of it, many people can enjoy this without bumping into others. As I said before, the slides are not the best. However, they are a lot of fun. If you want to enjoy them, go there first. The lines get long by lunchtime. Try going on all of the slides. Each one is a slightly different experience. I especially enjoyed the family slides. We did not tryout Shark Reef, but enjoyed walking into the viewing area. ++++++++++++++++ +Blizzard Beach+ ++++++++++++++++ Avg Wait Times Experienced: Low Perceived Crowd Levels: Moderate Comments on BB -------------- Here is where you find the biggest, fastest water slides. Summet Plummet really has several dimensions to it. The first is the anticipation as you take each step up the tower. The next is the look as you stand on the platform. The slide itself is an amazing experience. Finally, the feeling of triumph hits you. For kicks, hang out at the top and listen to the big, mainly men whimper in fear of this slide. I could not believe these blokes! The slide next to Summit Plummet (Slush Gusher?) is not as fast and tall, but you get some great airtime on it! Once you hit that 2nd bump, you feel yourself lift off a bit. The wave pool is smaller than TL. The waves are more of a continuous wake rather than the large ones at TL. It is good for a bit, but then it is time for an inner tube ride around the park.
+++++++++++++++++ +Downtown Disney+ +++++++++++++++++ General Comments ---------------- Typically, we spend an evening or two here. DisneyQuest is always an option, but the price for it always seems too steep. If Disney were to add some more pizzazz to it, I would probably go again. Walking through the different stores can be fun. There are many trinkets one wonders "why?" On the opposite side, there are many trinkets one can not refuse to buy. I would like to see more restaurants opened in the Downtown area. Maybe a few new counter service restaurants would add to it. More entertainment would be nice as well. Just a word of caution to families, the weekend nights tend to be a bit more exciting here. Many people tend to visit this area and Pleasure Island together. More interesting (and unwarranted) events can happen. During the day, week, and weeknights is much more pleasant and family oriented. ++++++++++++++++++++++ +Animal Kingdom Lodge+ ++++++++++++++++++++++ General Comments ---------------- This is a POI because of its interesting layout. If you are not familiar with the concept, the AK Lodge has an Africa theme complete with its own animal filled grassland. The outside of the resort is mainly colored in earthy colors. The roofing is built to have a thatched look. The entrance to the AK Lodge is interesting, but not captivating. When I was entering the lobby, I really wanted to be awe-inspired in a similar way to the Wilderness Lodge. There are some real similarities to the WL, but the follow through is not quite there. The lobby is very large and has some beautiful aspects. However, there is not an inviting feel to it. The overall feel of the outside carries through inside. The floors are dark as well as the decorations and general construction. The desire to stay in the lobby is not there. This is not to say that you can not enjoy it. The "neat" factor is in areas not quite in the lobby itself. There is an indoor firepit as well as several areas that look out to the grassland. The two items that really struck me in the lobby are the simulated rope bridge and the large viewing glass in the back. The combination of the two gives me the sense that the lobby is simply meant to be a gateway to the grassland. That is where the AK Lodge shows off. When you exit the lobby through a set of stairs, the first item to notice is the outdoor firepit surrounded by various chairs. You can almost imagine story telling around the fire at night. Continuing past the fire, you can start your journey into some simple paths. The paths walk outward to some look out points to the animals. A couple of CMs are available to answer questions. The grassland is definitely in its infancy. There needs to be many more plants and several more animals. However, what is there is impressive. Look around here, you can see why you would want to stay here. You can literally walk out on to your balcony to see the animals roam the grassland. After the initial view of the grassland, there was still some time till our seating at Boma. We decided to explore the resort some more. The walk to the restaurants is composed more of pathways than anything else. There is a type of explorer feel to everything. This is nice. When you walk past the restaurants to the outside, there is an entirely new experience. The pool is the first thing that you see. It is really large! They designed this pool to hold a lot of people. That is really nice. Still, I just could not get into the earthy colors where the plantings are not grown enough to compliment it. Even the pool floor is colored to carry the Africa theme through. Go past the pool and you have another set of lookout points into the grassland. I really enjoyed this. After walking around even more, it was time for our seating at Boma. If you want to read about my restaurant experience, read further down. When dinner was over, we walked around the resort yet again. All in all, it has a nice layout. There are lookout points in key areas for you to enjoy.
******************************** Restaurants ****************************************** Star Rating * - Don't bother. ** - Ehhh, it's a meal and it did not make me sick. *** - Good eating. **** - Now we are talking! ***** - Can I live here? Prelog +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +Starlight Ray's Cosmic Cafe+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Where: Magic Kingdom Type of Service: Counter Type of Food: Fastfood Characters: No Meal Experienced: Lunch Ranking: 2.0 Comments -------- I hear what you are saying. "He is starting off with this place?" Hang in there, we went to other spots. This spot is not as bad as you might think. The service could be a bit speedier, but it is good. There are plenty of fastfood options to satisfy the family. Seating is split into two categories. The first is the entertaining area in front of a stage with a singing animatronic alien (LOL!). If you have not done this, it's a hoot. For those who want to avoid this, you can sit in the non-entertaining areas in the front, back, or outdoors. +++++++++++++++++++ +Pecos Bill's Cafe+ +++++++++++++++++++ Where: Magic Kingdom Type of Service: Counter Type of Food: Various fast and healthy foods Characters: No Meal Experienced: Lunch/Dinner Ranking: 2.5 Comments -------- The salad here is the best counter service food you can get in the MK. ++++++++++++++++ +Mama Melrose's+ ++++++++++++++++ Where: Disney-MGM Studios Type of Service: Table Type of Food: Italian/Seafood Characters: No Meal Experienced: Dinner Ranking: 3.0 Comments -------- I knocked this restaurant down a notch due to some so-so service. Our waitress was a trip! She comes over, says her name and that she is a waitress (in a very "I don't care" tone), then stares at us. OK.... After a few awkward moments, we just tell her our drink orders. My wife and I get a chuckle out this and start to look at the menu. About 10 minutes later, she comes back, puts the drinks on the opposite end of the table, and then proceeds to flick the straws at us. She mentions something along the line of "are you ready" to us. Trying to be understanding, we give our orders. In the absence of an acknowledgement, the waitress walks away. Well, this goes on, but I notice she tries to recover as the end of the meal approaches (tip time). Don't get me wrong, the food was good. However, our tip was no where near as nice as we usually give. Bad service = no customers. +++++++++++++++++++ +Electric Umbrella+ +++++++++++++++++++ Where: Epcot Center Type of Service: Counter Type of Food: Typical fast food Characters: No Meal Experienced: Lunch Ranking: 2.5 Comments -------- Even though the faire is simple, the views are great. Try to get a 2nd floor seat. I hear rumors that McDonalds might be offered this spot. Please, don't do it! McNuggets just don't compare to WDW Chicken Strips! ++++++++++++ +Le Cellier+ ++++++++++++ Where: Epcot (Canada Pavillion) Type of Service: Table Type of Food: North American Style Characters: No Meal Experienced: Dinner Ranking: 4.0 Comments -------- This is the type of food I would expect from an upscale American restaurant. Everything is served as you want it. The service is prompt and courteous. Definitely get the field green salad. The most simplistic combination of ingredients truly makes this a treat. The atmosphere is calm and inviting. There are many different works on the walls. Ask your server to describe how the restaurant is designed into the areas of Canada. ++++++++++++++ +Tempura Kiku+ ++++++++++++++ Where: Epcot (Japan Pavillion) Type of Service: Table Type of Food: Tempura and Sushi Characters: No Meal Experienced: Dinner Ranking: 3.0 Comments -------- This is a nice simple restaurant serving various forms of Tempura and Sushi. All entrees include salad, rice, and soup on the side. It is more than enough to eat. ++++++++++++++++ +Flame Tree BBQ+ ++++++++++++++++ Where: Animal Kindgom Type of Service: Counter Type of Food: Fast BBQ Characters: No Meal Experienced: Lunch Ranking: 2.5 Comments -------- For counter service, this is a good one. The food is on the pricey side. The seating area is spread out in different covered areas. You can find various spots to enjoy the view. +++++++++++++++++++ +Beaches and Cream+ +++++++++++++++++++ Where: Yacht/Beach Club Type of Service: Table/countertop (bar) Type of Food: Ice Cream, Fountain Soda, Shakes, and other goodies Characters: No Meal Experienced: Lunch Ranking: 3.0 Comments -------- Great place for a getaway lunch. This restaurant really reminds me of places in a beach side community. ++++++++++++++++++ +California Grill+ ++++++++++++++++++ Where: Contemporary Resort Type of Service: Table Type of Food: Californian cuisine Characters: No Meal Experienced: Dinner Ranking: 4.5 Comments -------- This place has the BEST Sushi I ever tasted! I ordered the Deluxe Sushi Platter along with a field green salad for dinner. Everything was so good. Dessert here was very good, but could be better. It was that close to being perfect. You can not just say the view of WDW is good here. It is outstanding! Be sure to check out the outside viewing areas. ++++++ +Boma+ ++++++ Where: Animal Kindgom Lodge Type of Service: Buffet Type of Food: African Style Characters: No Meal Experienced: Dinner Ranking: 3.0 Comments -------- Fu Fu? Pap? What is this stuff? That may or may not be what you would say when going up to the buffet here. However, fear not because there are many selections that are more familiar. We were told that we should be adventurous. Well, we were and it was an experience. Some foods are very spicy while others were bland. Tour the AK Lodge before and after dinner. The Savannah area is definitely new and needs some more plants. On the flip side, it is so cool to be able to look out your balcony and see giraffe running about. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +Big River Grille and Brewing Works+ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Where: Boardwalk Type of Service: Table Type of Food: Beer and standard faire Characters: No Meal Experienced: Dinner Ranking: 2.5 Comments -------- Oh, I had high hopes for this place. I read the menu and it sound like good chow. I should have read the prices a bit more. This place is just too expensive for what you get. I did try a "Rocket Red Ale." It reminded me of "Killian's Irish Red." There was an expectation it would be something different. Personally, only come here to try out the beers. If you are looking for something more, go to the ESPN club. Let me also say that the service here was very good. Our waitress was great. ++++++++++ +Spoodles+ ++++++++++ Where: Boardwalk Type of Service: Table Type of Food: Mediterranean Characters: No Meal Experienced: Dinner Ranking: 4.0 Comments -------- Here you eat till you can not eat any more. The food is definitely more exotic in some areas. If you feel more conservative, you can order from the Tapas selection. Otherwise, have at it! For those looking for a more romantic dinner, go later in the evening when the sun goes down. The view over the Boardwalk to the Yacht/Beach is nostalgic. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +California Pizza Kitchen ASAP+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Where: Charlotte Airport Type of Service: Counter Type of Food: Horrible Meal Experienced: A bad one Ranking: -1.0 Comments -------- What did they do here? I'm a fan of the CPK chain. The "ASAP" version of this restaurant is an abomination. Avoid this place like the Villa Pizza chains.
******************************** General Comments ****************************************** Disney only trip? ----------------- A Disney only trip means you only stay within the WDW area for the entire trip. A lot of times, we head outside the boundaries. That can be fun. It also can be downer. Staying inside the WDW is really nice. You get the feeling of being totally surrounded by fun! Attending Mass at WDW -------------------------- For Catholics, there are two places that I know of to attend Mass. The closest to WDW is the Luau Cove at the Polynesian Resort. Mass times are 08:00 and 10:15 on Sunday. This is a nice place for Mass. A special thanks to WDW for allowing us to celebrate Mass here. The other option, I know of, is at Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine. The location of the Church is 8300 Vineland Avenue in Orlando, FL. Check their web site for Mass times (http://www.maryqueenoftheuniverse.org/). If you have never gone here, please do so. This is a beautiful Church with inspired clergy. Early May vs. other times -------------------------- This is another good time to go. The weather temperature tends to be more consistently warm. Keep in mind that rain is always a possibility. As far as crowds, they seem a bit higher than late August (honestly, late August is a very good time to avoid crowds). The line wait is tolerable, but there are not too many walk-ons. The general makeup of the crowds is families with lots of cute, little babies. The number of strollers can be overwhelming (especially the larger equipped ones). Another good option for crowd levels over May is September. It seems like everyone is back in school. The weather is a bit more unpredictable. The best aspect of May is the Flower and Garden Festival. Anyone who has a garden or general interest in such should enjoy this. Another item to consider about May is that the parks are open a bit later which makes the evening fun. Since you can return at night for more park fun, afternoon naps/breaks are easy to do. If the possibility comes again, I plan on returning to WDW in May on future trips. This is a well-rounded experience. Note to Disney Officials ------------------------ I need to make a note about this. I have no doubt you read trip reports from your customers. The time is ripe to reintroduce yourself to your customers. The prices for WDW trips go up every year. This does not mean it is justified. I received an amazing shock when I saw the price of 1-day ticket is $50! Furthermore, I noted the price of deluxe resorts being over $300 a night! Scarier still, the price of meals is increasing as well! I can not imagine what the "true" cost is for a traditional family. I can not comprehend how a company that claims to cater to these same families would alienate them through increasing prices. Even as DVC Members, my wife and I are taking note at the cost of a WDW trip. Thankfully, this year was filled with many blessings that allowed us to take many trips. In a normal year, this just could not happen. With the current trend of prices, future trips to WDW are going to be scarce. For new DVC Members, I can not believe Disney is going to charge over $70/point! That is a monstrous cost in comparison to what early members paid. Service tends to ebb and flow. In many aspects, the service is fantastic. Then again, the limits on the service are getting tighter. I begin to wonder what is Disney doing to justify increased costs? Adding low cost shows and rides that only get a smirk out of customers is not going to do it. Asking people to pay for queue privileges is not going to do it. Removing conveniences, such as the Friendships at Epcot (how many elderly, disabled, or just plain tired people are going to be upset at this one?), is not going to do it. Laying off more workers that help to keep people happy is not going to do it. Increasing prices for less is not going to do it. This is an abuse of a customer's loyalty. You have to start lowering your prices and shoring up your points. Add more services, keep everything in pristine condition, provide affordable resort packages, maintain high quality in food, provide high quality entertainment, and update out-of-date attractions in a high quality manner. This is what keeps your current customers coming back. To be short, you are pricing yourself out of the market. Even at the business level (which is where you seem to be going), you are losing out to others in terms of price and convenience. Please, change this trend now. Making a good faith effort to your customers as they do to you shows your concern and dedication. Finally ------- OK, I can not leave this report on a bad note. This trip, as well as all the others, was a great one. It shows the real flexibility of DVC Membership. We started off going to one destination. With 1 phone call, the accommodations are set. If the AirTran/Expedia snafu did not happen, it was near perfect for planning. After so many trips, one has to wonder if WDW gets boring. My answer is a simple no. Your excitement for going becomes more of enjoying food, resorts, convenience, and entertainment rather than ride after ride. Sure, you go to your favorites. After that, you just enjoy a stroll, pool, long dinners, beach side naps, park bench, or whatever. It is familiar and relaxing. No rush to do anything. That's what vacation is about. We rush around so much trying to do everything. We do this so much we often miss out on the beauty of life. Wherever you may go for vacation, may it be good. Andrew Della Vecchia andrewdv@adelphia.net Mail a Comment to Andrew Della Vecchia |
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