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Gary Gresham -- February 2002 -- Walt Disney World (Offsite, ASMoR)The Cast:
Day 1: No Snow The one downside to traveling this time of year is that you risk getting snowed in. The weather guys were calling for 1-3 inches, which can easily shut down our part of the country [Kentucky]. Ian was very concerned, so he an Mommy prayed it wouldn't snow. So on Thursday morning we awoke to - not a flake! I didn't know they had such clout. Good travel day, from Paducah to Atlanta. The only downside was that the Fairfield in Atlanta [Southlake] was the most run-down I've seen, and we had a very small room. It was rather depressing, although the staff was very friendly and helpful. Oh, and a TV/VCR in the car makes all the difference with small kids. Day 2: The Fairfield Another decent day from Atlanta to Orlando. We had this plan to meet some people in Jacksonville that night, and then drive down the coast through Daytona the next day, arriving in Orlando at check-in time. Our meeting fell through, and as we drove, I realized the kids wouldn't find the ocean that impressive. Besides, after seeing the Gulf, the Atlantic just doesn't compare most days. So I tried calling WDW CRO, to see if we could pick up an extra night on the front end of our reservation. After three calls, during each of which I spent fifteen minutes on hold and never actually got to speak to a person [what's up with that?], I called the front desk, and found they were booked. Packed. Full. Occupado. So we changed our reservation to the Fairfield in Lake Buena Vista. This new property has one big problem: it is so nice and new, and the rooms are so big and well-equipped, that it made our room at Music look small. This is the first resort that would tempt me to stay off-property. The resort is brand-new, the room was the biggest non-suite room I've ever seen, and each room has a small fridge, a microwave, and a ironing board and iron. We even had a panoramic view of the Lake Buena Vista skyline and the I-4/535 interchange. It was actually an impressive view, in an urban sort of way. And the resort is very pretty overall. All for $68 [Marriott rewards and AAA discount], with a free breakfast. Well, the free breakfast was a bit slim [Everyone gets a maximum of a muffin or bagel, a bowl of cereal and milk, a fruit, and all the watered-down orange juice you can drink.], but otherwise, we were a bit sad to leave. Day 3: "I Don't Like Star Tours" Instead of driving down the coast as we had planned, we rolled into the Disney Studios parking lot at 8:50. Ian had wanted to ride Star Tours since seeing the WDW promotional tapes. There's nothing like seeing a four-year-old scream in terror and shout, "No! I don't like this!" We made it through, but he will stick to watching the video from now on. Someday I'll tell him that they made some movies about Star Tours and the robots too. There's also nothing like watching a two-year-old RUN from one side of Studios to the other. Closely supervised, of course. She has a big time wherever she is, and we got lots of, "Ohhhh, wow. Cool!" After a quick lunch from the Burger King on 535, we packed up and headed to Movies. Having stayed at the All-Stars on several trips, I should note that they were in excellent condition. There had been some cleanup work on the exteriors, and our room had been recently worked on. There were no scuff marks on the walls, and the only sign of wear was a bleached-out spot on the carpet. Once we had a rest, we headed to Epcot. Just not much for kids to do here, and not much for adults with kids anymore either. Ian was not impressed with Spaceship Earth, and neither was I, really. It's like an attraction in search of a theme. Kind of symbolic of the whole park. [I think the kids would have enjoyed World of Motion and Horizons, and the old Imagination ride. I know I would have.] So after picking up some tea in the UK [my wife's obsession, which I also enjoy], we waited for Illuminations, which everyone enjoyed. Day 4: Wilderness Lodge and Downtown Disney I like to alternate park days with "off" days, where we do other things around the resort and generally rest. Today was one of those days, and we did some needed sleeping-in, got ready, and headed to the Wilderness Lodge at 10:30. Mainly, we were going to eat lunch at the Whispering Canyon [which was very good, and entertained the kids too], but we also poked around the resort, and visited the new Vacation Club addition. To the right of the entrance is the Iron Spike Room, with lots of memorabilia from Walt's backyard railroad, all in a quiet, rustic setting with large leather rocking chairs. You really need to visit this room, just to take a break from the mayhem, but also to see where the Magic Kingdom started. The Walt Disney Company started with a mouse, but Disneyland and the resorts division started with a railroad. The Iron Spike room features several photos of Walt's backyard empire, as well as two of the actual train cars that Walt's little engine pulled. After some other activities and a nice rest, we headed out to Downtown Disney. Where did all of these people come from! It was packed for a Sunday night. The kids enjoyed the Lego store and the Disney store. Almost too much. Day 5: Animal Kingdom, Studios and the Magic Kingdom Our plan was to get to the park early, and do what we could before the crowds arrived. I should add that you should add about 10-20 minutes to the time needed to get in any park, because of the time needed to get through security. After a quick search of our bags by very friendly guards, we headed straight back to Kilamanjaro Safaris, where the line was already 20 minutes long. There were plenty of animals about, and the kids enjoyed bouncing along the trail. Afterwards, since our daughter likes trains ["toots", in her terminology], we caught the train, which had an odd diesel rumble for a steam engine. Not wanting to see Rafiki's whatever, we returned on the same train, and after a trip to see the gorillas, we decided the park was filling up, and it was time for us to leave. For a park with so many trees, there isn't much shade at the AK, and long distances to walk. Too bad they couldn't have used that train to transport people to the far reaches of this large park. We took the bus to Disney Studios, where we picked up Fastpasses to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, which I have been wanting to ride since it opened, and headed back across the park to eat at Mama Melrose's. Despite the fact that there is no such thing as a leisurely lunch with two small children, it was a refreshing and relaxing meal. So we headed back to the coaster, only to learn that anyone under 40" isn't even allowed in line. With Fastpass, I was gone about 15 minutes, but that was more than enough for my wife, who was stuck with two very active and tired kids. When I returned, her quote was, "You owe me BIG TIME." It was a fun ride, but probably not worth hearing those words. Our afternoon break took longer than expected, as we had really worn the kids out that morning. We also had to take a drive in the minivan after returning to the hotel, since they never fell asleep on the bus. I've tried to like the busses, I really have, but they just aren't any fun. I also feel unsafe, zooming around without seatbelts on the kids or us adults. Maybe my prejudices as an ex-monorail driver are showing, but next trip we'll drive the van more. By the time the kids were rested and ready to go, it was almost 5:30, not leaving much time before the Magic Kingdom closed at 7:00. I think we got caught in between, with park hours that had been adjusted for lower attendance and actual attendance numbers that were rebounding. Main Street was packed, and we gave up on getting into any attractions. Instead, we waited in line at the Main Street Bakery for 15 minutes for cookies, and staked out a spot to see the fireworks. The fireworks were great, and as everyone else filed out of the park, we hung out, let the kids play, and enjoyed the ambience of a quiet MK for almost an hour. Hey, wait on Main Street or wait in the bus line. Easy choice. Day 6: Magic Kingdom The key is to get there early, and we did. We had just gotten through the bag search when they started letting people through the gates, at 9am sharp. Ian was obviously excited about walking down Main Street, and seeing the castle in the morning sunlight. We headed straight down the street, being careful not to tell Ian that these were shops on either side. That could have wrecked out plans right there. In front of the castle, Mickey and Minnie were greeting guests. "How perfect," I thought, until I noticed the Disney photographers snapping photos for guests to purchase later. I smell a Pressler! Anyhow, we made the rounds of Fantasyland, seeing Peter Pan, Small World and Pooh before the lines got long. Perfect. The kids enjoyed Pooh especially, much more than they would have enjoyed the charming story of a frog who gets drunk, steals a car, gets run over by a train and ends up in the fires of perdition. [Sorry, had to throw that in.] By the time we got to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger spin, the line was already over 30 minutes long. Fastpass to the rescue. While we were waiting, Ian and Mom rode the Astro-Orbiter, and we all rode the TTA. [Space Mountain was under rehab, so the lights were on. Does anyone else think it smells like a bowling alley in there?] Buzz was a big hit, although my wife scored more points than I. Afterward we headed to the Plaza restaurant for an early lunch. We got a seat with a wonderful view of the castle, and enjoyed a semi-civilized lunch. The kids were getting restless, so desert was not a good idea. Next trip. By this time, the park was in full tourist mode. We did get in to see the new Tiki Birds show [Everything seemed well maintained, and the updated sound was good, but what a silly script.], but it was apparent that between the crowds and the kids, it was time for a break. The kids were tired, but they never fell asleep on the bus, so we drove around again until the little one nodded off. Again, there wasn't much time left when we returned to the MK, so we did what we could. Emmy likes trains, but had never ridden one, so we waited for the steam train to arrive behind the Lilly Belle. Once we arrived at Mickey's Toontown Fair, Ian announced that he wanted to ride Buzz again. After a 30 minute wait [too late for Fast Pass], we exited just in time to see the fireworks again. By that time, it was 7:15, and the park was closing. Again, we took our time, and saw lots of suits getting the area near the old Swan Boats loading area ready for a wedding. Hey, a Coke is $2.00 now, so I wonder what they charge for that! We got some fries at Casey's Corner [cool costumes!], and meandered through the shops as the tourists filed out. One of the CM's gave the kids some stickers, which reminds me that we did not have ONE negative CM experience on this trip. We weren't too demanding, but overall I was impressed. Day 7: Character Breakfast and Class We took our time again, as our breakfast reservations weren't until 9:30. I had tried to make reservations at Chef Mickey's, but the only seating time available was at 7:15! I wish now that we had taken that time, since our breakfast at the Polynesian left much to be desired. Everyone was friendly enough, but the food comes in a cast iron bowl, all mixed together. Eggs, Mickey waffles, sausage links, some fruit, and biscuits - those were the choices. It was also very dark, making it hard to take pictures. Not that we had many opportunities, since there weren't many characters, and they seemed rushed. Overall, a very disappointing morning. We did take time to ride the monorail, and visit the Floridian and Contemporary to do some shopping, but breakfast left a bad taste in our mouths. Later, while Emmy napped, Ian and I went for a walk around the All-Stars, which we hadn't done yet. Just a year and a half ago, he had enjoyed the fountain in front of the Jazz buildings, but this year it didn't get a second glance. They change so fast at this age. Instead, the Toy Story and 101 Dalmatians areas of Movies were his thing this trip. It was nice to chase only one child, and next trip we need to plan to spend some one-on-one time with the kids. At about 5pm, I left to visit a User Group and do a short presentation in Orlando. Sometimes, when you're enjoying the trip, and the weather is so warm while our friends at home are being snowed on, the idea of moving to Orlando starts to look nice. My drive on a rush-hour I-4 was enough to bring me back to reality. But the meeting went very well, and it was amazing to see how the area has grown since I lived there in the late 80's. Day 8: Heading Home It always seems that the day we plan to leave, the weather turns cloudy and rainy. That makes it a bit easier. Eating lunch at Wendy's prices also helps. The only comment about the return trip was that we spent the night north of Atlanta, at the Fairfield in Kennesaw, GA. After our experience at Atlanta Southlake, we were apprehensive, but this was another winner. It was pretty new, with all interior corridors, and the lobby was nicely decorated. While I was loading the luggage, the desk clerk even pulled cookies out of the oven. Ahh. Again, this room was huge and clean, and we regretted that we weren't spending more time there. And, breakfast was better than in Orlando. The next day, we left early and rolled in about 3pm. Nice to be home. Notes: What Worked I must say that WDW was in better shape than I expected. I didn't notice any glaring maintenance problems anywhere. In fact, the resorts seemed to be in excellent condition, and the parks looked good. They even cleaned up the moon in Peter Pan. I should add though that with small kids running around you don't notice the details, since you are busy watching them. Some of you may notice things I missed. I also found that the CM's were very friendly, and this may be partly due to the fact that since my days in the 80's, the average cast member is older and wider. [Come to think of it, so am I !] But there are still plenty of people keeping the magic alive. The February weather was great for us. Highs about 72 each day. The Fairfields in Lake Buena Vista and Kennesaw, GA were also pleasant surprises. We also enjoyed a drive through Celebration. I hear the Italian restaurant there is very good, and we'll spend more time there next trip. Notes: What Didn't Work Despite the odd time of year, the parks were packed. That really detracts from the "magic" for me, and meant we didn't get to see lots of attractions. The short hours didn't help, either, although they were fine for our small kids. I can't get used to the busses, and we will drive more next trip. But most of all, I don't see many new attractions coming online, especially the E-ticket sorts that are the backbone of the parks. I also see fewer attractions that parents and small kids can do together, and I thought that that was the whole point. The story of the Disney company through the years seems to be one of conflict between artists and accountants, and it is pretty clear that over the last five or so years, the accountants seem to be winning. From the crowds we saw, it appears that there are still plenty of people who are willing to pay more for less. Maybe the accountants are right after all. As more classic attractions close, and more lackluster carnival rides are installed, we'll find out. The Good:
The Bad:
Gary Gresham gary@gaa.net Mail a Comment to Gary Gresham |
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