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Sheila D'Agostino -- May 2002 -- Walt Disney World (Downtown Disney Hotel)May 13 - 16, 2002 Disney Experience: Our first trip to Walt Disney World was on our honeymoon in 1978. We had made several other trips to Walt Disney World on an infrequent basis until this past year. Now we've visited Disney World three times since October and are planning our next trip for September. My husband and I are both retired and living in Sun City near Hilton Head, South Carolina. This past year we made the five-hour driving trip to Walt Disney World three times. The first two trips we stayed at the All Star Music Resort and were very pleased with the accommodations there. But when we saw a rate of $125 at the Doubletree Guest Suites for a one-bedroom suite, we decided that it would be pleasant to have the extra room. Since the Doubletree Guest Suites is on Disney property, it seemed like a good idea. Our first impressions of the Doubletree Guest Suites were positive. We liked the cheerful décor in the lobby, check-in was prompt and courteous, and we were given two warm chocolate chip cookies. Upon first glance, our suite looked great. It was spacious and well laid out. The suite had a large living room with a kitchenette at one end, and there was a separate bedroom with a good-sized vanity and bath. However, a closer inspection revealed less than sparkling housekeeping. There was a fine layer of long blond hair scattered all over the carpet, and later we found a number of large ants in the bathroom and kitchen area. Also, one of the two elevators was broken and unusable during our entire stay. On the positive side, our suite was very quiet, and the beds were comfortable. The first morning there we had the hotel restaurant's buffet breakfast, which was very good. There was a bountiful array of fruit, cereal, pastries, breads, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, grits, bacon, sausage, and sausage gravy. The price was very reasonable, about $7.50 per person for all you can eat. The bus transportation was a bit of a disappointment. While the seats were generally more comfortable than on the Disney buses, when the bus was full standees had nothing to hang onto. Also, it took longer to get to the parks than we experienced on the Disney buses when we stayed at the All Stars during our previous recent visits. On one bus trip it took us over an hour to travel from the Magic Kingdom back to the hotel; the bus driver got out and took a break at just about every hotel stop he made. One benefit to staying on Hotel Plaza Blvd was the proximity to Downtown Disney. We spent quite a bit of time in the evenings wandering around and shopping there. We especially liked the marvelous variety of music offerings at the Virgin Mega Store and bought several CDs. We enjoyed the great chocolate at Ghiardelli's, and laughed at the snoring Lego man sitting on the bench. We bought a saluting Mickey picture from the Disney Art store as well as some cards. We look forward to spending more time there on our next visit, particularly since we're curious to see the results of all of the construction that was going on. We spent two days at the parks. The first morning we went to Epcot where we rode Test Track first thing. We got fast passes for the ride but they were not needed. After the ride we admired the new General Motors vehicles on display. We then spent time at Innoventions where we marveled at the Ultimate Home Theater Experience. We also enjoyed sampling the drinks at Ice Station Cool and saw Food Rocks. Then we started walking toward World Showcase, admiring the topiary and flower displays along the way. The topiary of Lady and the Tramp was particularly impressive. Then we took the boat ride to World Showcase. In World Showcase we saw the movie Impressions De France, after which we left Epcot by the back gate to check out the Boardwalk. We took a boat ride to the Boardwalk and just looked around. It was very quiet with no street entertainment going on, so after a visit to the ice cream parlor, we took the boat back to Epcot. We enjoyed a beer at the American pavilion, admired the topiary displays, and poked around in the American shop. In Japan we treated ourselves to a refreshing rainbow snow cone. In Norway we rode the Maelstrom and watched the movie. In Mexico we went on the El Rio Del Tiempo, and my husband bought me a lovely pair of silver and lapis earrings. We also stopped to admire the special agricultural displays of Mexico and Sri Lanka. The representative from Sri Lanka engaged us in a long and very interesting discussion about her country and the agricultural products grown there, including coffee, tea, and varieties of legumes. We visited the pub in Great Britain and enjoyed fish and chips and a couple of British beers. Next we stopped in Canada for a Beaver Tail treat and to listen to one set of Off Kilter, which was also a treat. On the way out of the park we rode Space Ship Earth. The second morning we had priority seating reservations for the Character Breakfast at Disney-MGM Studio's Hollywood and Vine. This was a repeat performance for us, because we had enjoyed it so much on our last visit. We enjoy the characters, who are Minnie, Goofy, Chip, Dale, and Pluto. And the buffet breakfast is luscious, with everything that we could want, including French toast with chocolate drizzled on it, plain grits, cheese grits, all sorts of pastries and breads, ham, sausage, bacon, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, potatoes, pancakes, many kinds of fresh fruit, and much more. This is perhaps our favorite meal at Walt Disney World. After breakfast we did Tower of Terror, which was great, then Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. After browsing through some of the shops we left the Studios and took a boat to Epcot, where we walked through and took the Monorails to the Contemporary Hotel. We wandered through the Contemporary, where we had stayed a number of years before. We toured the lower floors, then enjoyed a frozen strawberry daiquiri at the bar. Mid-afternoon we took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, where we rode one of our favorite rides, Buzz Lightyear, where my husband got many more points than I did. We also did the Haunted Mansion and Snow White's Scary Adventures, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Then we strolled through the park and browsed in the shops for a while until it was time for an early dinner. We enjoyed excellent salads (very fresh field greens, chunks of grilled chicken and pineapple dressed in a delicious vinaigrette) and shared a bread bowl of clam chowder at the Columbia Harbour House. The next morning, we started the drive home. Conclusion: For this trip we wanted to do some things we hadn't done before, to do and see some things that we hadn't experienced for a long time, and to repeat some of our favorites. We did not want to be in "commando" mode. I think we accomplished what we set out to do. We experienced Test Track, Tower of Terror, Off Kilter, the British fish and chips, the French film, and the Boardwalk, all of which were new to one or both of us. We rode the monorail and visited the Contemporary, neither of which we had done together for many years. We also re-experienced several favorites such as the character breakfast at Hollywood and Vine, and Buzz Light Year. Our lesson-learned is that it is much more convenient to stay at one of the Disney resorts, particularly with regard to bus transportation. During our next trip we plan to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and spend some time at the Animal Kingdom, which we have only visited once and thus have only barely scratched its surface. Sheila D'Agostino sdagostino@hargray.com Mail a Comment to Sheila D'Agostino |
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