 |  |
| Discussion Boards | Reviews | News | Trip Planning | Shop | Travel | Site Map |
| Disney Trip Report Archive An archive of reader-submitted trip reports | |
| Alex Stroup, editor | Search just the Trip Report Archive. |
|
Keith Kobland -- April 2002 -- Walt Disney World (WL)Trip report for our family vacation 4/13-4/19 Cast Members:
4/13 9am We depart rain soaked Syracuse bright and early, after arriving 2 hours prior to our flight. No problems clearing security and after an hour in the air, we land in NYC and by 5, we are touching down in Orlando. Both flights packed to the gills, but considering the excitement, who cares? Thanks to many posters regarding MCO, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect at the airport, including where to go for luggage pickup. Despite hearing horror stories regarding car rental, we breeze through Avis and pick up our car... a late model Dodge Intrepid. Did we need it? I'll get to that later. However, the car is nice, clean, and big enough for all our stuff. We depart for our first night Hotel, the Best Western International Plaza. Being a guy, DD decides he can get to hotel WITHOUT really knowing exactly where it is... (C'mon, its on International Drive, right? And its visible from I-4, how hard can it be?) After 20 minutes of driving around with no Best Western in sight, DD does the unthinkable, shocks DW (and may even have caused the planets to go out of alignment) by pulling over and asking for directions. 10 minutes later, we are pulling into Hotel parking lot. After getting settled in our room we head out for food, deciding on a place called Holihans, just a short distance away from our hotel. Good solid food, and big fish tank up front to keep DD occupied before meal arrives. Keeping DD occupied is a constant theme, and again, its thanks to posters who stress being flexible and keeping pace with child, as opposed to child keeping pace with you, that I owe a debt of gratitude. By now its getting late, but since its vacation I lean over to my DS and ask if he wants to go for a late night swim. Are you kidding? We hit the pool at 10pm, and much to my surprise, there are dozens of kids my son's age still up, swimming away, with parents watching nearby. After we both get our fill of getting wet, we head back to room, where DW and DD are fast asleep. We officially check in at Disney tomorrow, and we all need to get our rest. 4/14 We get up at 8, look out the window. Ahhh. Sunshine, glorious sunshine. Being from upstate NY, we don't get enough of it, so what a feeling to see it first thing in the morning!! We repack (isn't it amazing how much stuff you can actually get out of a suitcase and spread around for only a one night stay?) and hit the highway, bound for the Wilderness Lodge. Its hard to describe the feeling when you pull into Disney property... the billboards promoting rides and attractions like Tower of Terror, the signs that point the way to attractions and resorts that up until now I had only read about. But when we finally pull onto the road leading up to Lodge, I was floored. What a wonderful entrance. The guard at gate has our pass all ready to go, and we proceed to the huge entrance to the Lodge itself. But if I thought the driveway leading up to the building was great, I hadn't seen anything yet. To walk in that lobby for the first time, with its soaring ceiling and beautiful parks theme. With the western music playing in the background and the bubbling stream to one end leading out back, I was awe struck. I probably shouldn't include this next bit of info, but what the heck? Through a work contact, I had received a great rate at WL, half of what most everyone else was paying. I was a little worried about how this would be handled at check in... no need, since it was no problem at all. I asked CM at desk if she could think of a nice way for me to return the favor, perhaps a nice letter to my contact's boss or something. She advised against it, since CM's are only supposed to arrange discount for family members, not work associates. 'Nuff said. But I will always be grateful for what my contact did for me. He made this trip possible. After arriving in our room, which was a standard suite-overlooking lobby, we look at each other and say "now what?" Epcot! We have RS at Chef Mickey's for later that night, so we figure we'll drive over to the Contemporary, tell the guard we're eating there, and take a few hours to ride the monorail over to Epcot to check things out. By now, it had starting raining, so as we arrive in the park we purchase the yellow ponchos. This is probably the one mistake I made, even after reading everyone's advice to purchase rain gear before arriving at Disney (a dollar at Wal-Mart as opposed to 6 at the parks for poncho) but figure, its Disney, the poncho has a nice logo on the back, and it'll be a nice keepsake. DW and DS then head over to Spaceship earth (no line) while I occupy DD, who by now had fallen asleep in her stroller. I decide to walk her around a bit and do some people watching. Park isn't crowded, but I am still very aware of how much space I'm taking up with stroller. A common theme of frustrated Disney fans seems to be that these strollers get in the way, bump into shins, and generally cause disruption of the magic for other park visitors. I keep this in mind as I walk along... checking out the dancing water fountains, the gift shops, and the "leave a legacy" display, which I found interesting to say the least. DW and DS finish up with ride, and we then head over to check out the rest of Epcot. We hit several buildings (Innoventions is nearly empty... DS gets to do all the "stuff" in there without waiting in line) then decide to do the loop around the lake. By now we're getting a bit hungry, but don't want to waste our appetite for Chef Mickey's, so we grab some fish and chips in England. Sit down near the water, fight off an overly friendly squirrel, and relax. By now the drizzle had stopped, and things were drying up nicely. So we continue the loop, taking video's and photo's and of course, picking up a couple of toys... (including a spinning lighted Buzz Lightyear) until we get back to the front of the park. We had intentions of going on Test Track, but by the time we arrived it was a 40-minute wait. Not bad, but no need to push DD, who had already waited patiently for us to enjoy other attractions. So its back on the monorail, back to the Contemporary, then back to our room for a quick swim and then prep for dinner. The pool at WL is great... nice water slide that DS and DD loved (yes, a 2 year old who loves water slides. go figure). Both kids (and mom and dad for that matter) benefited from life vests we picked up for the week at the equipment shed located near Bay Lake in back of our resort. Kids not only used the life vests for swimming, but also for Water Mice (which we rented later in the week). So we freshen up, amazed at how awake and alert we feel, even though it's going on 8pm and back home, that's bedtime for 3/4 of our family. Back at the Contemporary, things are rocking at Chef Mickey's... people singing the cute theme song, waving towels, with characters running around. My kid's eyes light up, and I realize we've made the right decision to eat here!! The food is good and solid... a nice buffet and all the shrimp you can eat, along with a dynamite dessert bar with make your own sundaes and even a cupcake icing area!! We finish up dinner, and since we're among the final few at the place, we get some extra face time with characters... kids loved this, especially Chip and Dale who played along nicely, and helped warm my daughter up to the idea that these big fuzzy animals really are okay!! Before leaving we pick up our family photo (which they snapped as we arrived) and headed back downstairs to car, and back to WL. My wife and I both comment on the sterile atmosphere overall of the Contemporary... interesting that when it was built, this must have seemed so futuristic. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful place, but compared with the WL? No comparison, IMHO. Anyhow, we head back to our room, catch some sports center, and hit the hay. 4/15 Wow. Another sunny start to the day! After a great night of rest, DD gets up and picks up the USA today to see... that its now warmer in upstate NY than in Florida. Imagine that... .. near 90 in Albany. I however, am still pleased with where I am... mid 80's isn't too bad either!! We decide to do Animal Kingdom today, and after kids and wife get up, we get dressed, and head down to Roaring Forks snack bar for some breakfast. After all I had read about the refillable mugs, you better bet I'm picking one up. Talk about the best bargain on Disney Property... .. through the week we must have filled that sucker several dozen times. Okay, so several dozen 20oz mugs of lemonade, coffee, and soda may not have added up to 10-dollars in the real world, but on Disney property that's a savings in the dozens of dollars. Possibly even more! Even though I wasn't on vacation to SAVE money, this was a bargain at twice the price!! Today we are taking the bus to AK. The bus stop is just outside our front door at WL, so we head on down, being sure to fold the stroller long before the bus arrives as to not block everyone else trying to get onto the vehicle. Bus is there as soon as we arrive, and minutes later we're on the road to AK! We arrive, take some photos, and head in, gawking in amazement at the Tree of Life. AK is nice, but like many have posted, it had the feel of a nicely kept zoo. We had our first experience here with Fast Pass. And for those who've yet to enjoy this system, you much check it out. It works great. We wanted to go on the safari ride, so we got our fast passes, and decided to kill some time by going on the train ride to petting zoo... nice way to cool off after walking a bit, and both DS and DD enjoyed the ride. We arrive back at Safari entrance and get right on the ride... and what a great ride it is!! Not a great thrill ride mind you, but the interaction between driver and the other characters "in the air" is great. Our driver is into it too, which makes it that much more fun. I highly recommend this ride for people of all ages... its fun and memorable. Afterward, we decide on some ice pops for the kids, and get a spot for the big parade. It is at this moment that I look around and marvel at all the people just like us... families that have probably saved for quite some time, just to be right where they are at that given point in time. People from all over the world sharing this moment, taking pictures, and hopefully gaining memories that will last a lifetime. The parade is great, really active with lots of dancing, lots of characters, and lots of life. My wife and I notice how people taking part in parade are taking great pains to make eye contact. trying to get the few of those who weren't to smile and bob along to the music. Amazing. This parade takes place every day, but yet the people who stage it make it appear fresh, exciting, and new. Nice job!! From there we walk around a little bit more, then head to the exit for more purchases, and to hop on our bus back to the Lodge. I remember someone remarking on this site how nice it was at the end of the day to return to the WL, because it was so peaceful compared with the hustle and bustle of the parks. Nicely said. That person was right on the money. After a quick swim, we decide to head "off campus" for dinner, hitting the local Red Lobster along International Drive. Good meal, but DD doesn't pay close enough attention to the bill, and doesn't realize gratuity is included. so we tip twice! We do some minor sight seeing along the drive, noticing the toy store of toy stores is located nearby... FAO Schwartz. We make a note of this... we'll have to stop there before the end of the week. We head back to lodge for some late night lemonade, and then it's off to bed! Big day tomorrow. its finally Magic Kingdom time. so we need to get our rest! 4/16 I start the morning with a big cup of java (in my refillable mug) along with USA Today, while waiting for the rest of the family to awaken. Like many, the only time I seem to read this paper is on vacation. I enjoy it, and silently wonder if it's actually the paper I like, or the fact that I equate USA Today with vacation. This morning I decide to read on one of the balconies that overlook the back area of lodge and pool area. Perhaps I'm a person of simple means, but paper, coffee, and the sound of the waterfall. with sunshine and warmth already (even though its only 8am or so)... man, this is the LIFE! Family gets up, and we get dressed for our day at MK. After a quick bite at Roaring Forks, we walk out the back of lodge along wooded path, to the boat launch for our ferry ride to MK. How great is this? We get to the park, and decide today we will rent a double stroller... I know it takes up space, but decide two happy kids are better than one, so double stroller, here we come! Before we get to stroller, we have to clear security. Again, as has been the case with just about every CM we encounter, the mood is friendly and light... almost apologetic that our bags must be checked. We clear front gate, get our stroller, then its off to Main street... man, what a place? Of course we don't make it 100-yards before purchasing something... in this case the big Mickey/Minnie balloons we've seen all over. Even though it's a bit of a hassle to add two balloons to an already packed stroller, we find the balloons actually make good markers when we have to park and leave stroller for a ride. Next, a quick stop inside one of the many stores along Main Street for more "stuff", then off to Buzz Lightyear! We get a Fastpass, and then decide to go on the transit authority ride (I'm not sure if this is the right name... it's the one that takes you all around Tomorrowland, through Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear, etc.) DD loves the ride, and it's a nice way to cool off a bit and check things out from above. After getting off the ride, I'm sidetracked briefly by a CM who comments on my hat, for the super bowl champion New England Patriots. In fact, I'm glad I wear this hat on vacation. along with protecting the top of my head (which seems to be poking out of my hair these days) it's also the source of many comments from CM's... all of them positive (like "Pats... great team!" or, "way to go NE"). I notice that there are many people wearing Patriots gear, then realize it IS spring break in NE, so there are most likely many people from Mass. who've made the trip. Anyway, I nearly leave my camera on the ride, but another heads up CM grabs the camera and hands it to me as I exit the ride... thanks!! After that, it's onto Buzz Lightyear... DS and I breeze through fast pass line and get in car. what a blast!! We kill off some aliens, consider the ride a success, and then meet up with DW and DD, for another foray into fast pass land at Space Mountain. Since we have a little time to kill, we head over to the Tomorrowland grand prix... (I know, I have to learn the names of these rides) and line up for our cars. The wait for this ride is long, and mainly in the sun, but as seems to be the case with every line, it moves quickly and we hop on board for a ride around the track. DS loves steering the car, and after bumping off the guide rail a few times he starts to get the hang of it. DD also gets to steer a car even though she's only 2 1/2. She is beyond excited. Before you know it the ride is over, but before we exit we get a CM to snap a pix of us in car. Hopefully, it'll be another decade before my son asks to drive again. By now, its time to head over to Space Mountain. DW has expressed interest in going on this one, so DD and I walk around a bit while DS and DW hit the ride. Stop a spell and get some candy for my little girl, and before we know it, Space Mountain ride is over. with DS and DW's faces telling the story of how much fun this ride is. I'll get my chance later that night. From there it's off to check out Minnie and Mickey's house, play on the playground, and hit another ride. the goofy roller coaster. By now, park is getting a bit crowded and its hot, so we decide to leave for a while, head back to lodge for a swim and rest before returning to MK later. Ferry ride gets us back "home" in minutes, and before we know it we're heading down the water slide again! We spend an hour in the water, head upstairs for a quick change, then its back to the park. What a difference a few hours make. Things are much more manageable, and by now heat of afternoon was fading. After a quick stop for more lighted toys (hey, those lighted mouse antennae's look cool!) we decide to get some food. Hello turkey legs! I remember seeing people eating them earlier in the day, but the heat turns me off to the idea of eating turkey. But now, the family is starving, so we order three and sit down for our feast! By now I notice Space Mountain looks pretty empty, so DS and I head over... and walk right on board! How cool is this? My son is jazzed for this ride. having gone on it once with mom and now with dad. Too cool! We get on the ride, and away we go! I decide I love this ride... I know its just an indoor roller coaster, but the set up, like with most Disney rides is great, and considering this was the one ride I remember from when I visited years and years ago as a teen, it brings back some nice memories! Meanwhile, DW and DD hit a few gifts shops. Believe it or not, DD actually turned down the purchase of a few items DW thought she'd love, go figure. Eventually though we hit one shop that has some great things, so we pick a few items for DS as well and head back to meet up w/DD and DS. Upon exiting SM, hook back up with Mom and sis, and head over to Cinderella's castle. My wife wants to get a princess dress for our daughter, and who am I to argue? On the way, we run into the parade crowd, and catch a glimpse of the lighted floats. Once the parade ends, we do some more gift buying... then try to find a place for the fireworks. For me, it's the arrival of another one of those Magical moments. nice warm breeze, the castle is lit up wonderfully, people all around in a good mood with good vibes, the music playing in the background... man, now I know why so many visit Disney each year... ..it is right now that I realize we WILL be going back. It's just a matter of when. Anyway, we watch the fireworks, then exit the park, realizing there was much we didn't see, but that's okay... no need to tax two tired kids (and two tired adults for that matter). So it's back to ferry dock, and back to WL for late night lemonade and some quarter spending at the WL arcade!! Tomorrow is a hang out at lodge day, so we hit the hay after getting an update on sports scores from ESPN. 4/17 Wow. Another bright sunny day! DW and I decide this day will be set aside for pure relaxation... Water mice first, then pool and frosty drinks and lots of sun. We head down to dock and rent two water mice. One for me, the other for my wife. After a quick course on operation, we hit the water and tool around. What a great way to see the resorts and Magic Kingdom... from your own boat! After about 1/2 hour, DW decides she has to head back to shore... suntan lotion was mixing with sweat and getting in her eyes. She could barely see! So we head back to the dock, ready to cool off in the pool. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with WL, it actually has two pools. The main pool out back, then a quieter, smaller pool near the Villa's at WL... .. after finding some chairs, we hit the water for some tag, some water sliding, and then out for some tanning. Wife picks me up a slushy alcoholic drink ('Old faithful'), and I officially arrive in heaven... cool drink, hot sun, nice pool... what day is this? I don't know. And more importantly, don't care. Kids are having a ball, wife is having a ball, I'm having a ball... this place is great! After a while, we decide to hit the smaller pool around the corner. And spend most of the rest of the day there. Our most important decision of the day will be, where do we eat? Now that's vacation! We told kids earlier we would head over to FAO Schwartz for more money-spending, which we do, and then its off to dinner right next door at 'Monty's, a seafood place. The place is empty, we get served right away, and after a nice meal we head out for a little more shopping. Its right about now that DD decides a crying fit would be in order. After all, she is two, and has gone quite some time without a good "bender", and fatigue of a day in the water gets to her. We exit, stage left, head back to car, and back to lodge, where we go to the room to play with toys and call it a night. As much fun as the parks and shopping is, this turns out to be one of my more memorable days. Only because it was so lazy and laid back and relaxed. Not to mention the sunburn I get (along with my wife) is now beginning to peel, even as the snow falls outside here in CNY, so this memory is still very fresh. One more full day, one more park... and Tower of Terror await us on our final full day. Sleep, as it has all vacation long, comes very easily. May 18 Our final full day at Disney will be partly spent at MGM, and partly spent poolside. I get up; pick up the paper, and head downstairs for the morning cup of java. Reflecting on the past week, I realize that we have done quite a bit, but I still felt relaxed and in that "vacation mode". The night before DW made reservations for dinner at the Whispering Canyons Cafe, but this morning wanted to get a nice breakfast there as well. Once family was up and ready, we headed downstairs to the restaurant. Now, as an aside, this was one of the few times we took the staircase that hugs the front wall/entrance to the lodge. Typically we were elevator folk, even though being on the 4th floor wouldn't have meant much a walk down the stairs. The kids had gotten into a routine with who-pushed-what-button-first, which is a HUGE deal when you are a 6-year old and a younger sibling who wants to do everything too. But throughout our visit I had noticed it never took more than a few seconds to catch an elevator. Sooooo anyway, as we walked down the stairs to breakfast, DW and I took some time to notice all the nice nooks hidden away for reading and doing work if one chooses. Some had gas fireplaces; others work stations with lamps and solid furniture. I remember one of the reviews I read on the web indicated the WL was filled with these types of places... .. quiet places within a place that itself was so serene. Man, it's all done up right!! So we head to breakfast, walk right up with no reservation, and are seated within a few minutes. Just long enough for the kids to play with Lincoln logs up front. We sit, we eat, and we talk about what we want to do that day at MGM. That's easy. Tower of Terror. Today is the first and only day we use the car to get to the park. The weather was again warm, and we parked in the Goofy film lot, with some cars beginning to file in, but not a big crowd at all. From the car to the tram, then to the park entrance for a photo op, and in we go!! MGM was the one park that I kinda figured that, if we were going to miss any of them, this would be it. But after going inside, I realized that thought process was wrong. I don't know why, but there is something about that damn Mickey sorcerer hat with the ears used in 100 years logo that I really like. I'd never wear one, but I just think it looks cool. Imagine that... .. a year ago I might not even have thought about a Disney vacation... and now I'm marveling at Mickey's hat. So we head over to TOT, but first make a stop at Planet Hollywood for more stuff, more pix, and to cool off... thank goodness for Willis Carrier, (the father of air conditioning). After that, we hit the fast passes for the ride... minimum wait time, return in about an hour. So we decide on something to drink and eat (pizza, which DD saw and had to have, even though we ate b-fast a short while before... ah yes, the terrible two's... ). We somehow decided that I would venture onto ride with DS, so off we went. By that time they were only accepting fast passes, as the standby line had grown pretty long... why wait when you can fast pass? So we begin the long spooky walk up to the hotel. I had read quite a bit about this ride, and knew what to expect, but still... they set it up perfectly, move you right along. Then boom! Actually, there were some problems with the ride that day. We had entered one car ("scream if you need anything!!") but then, nothing. The CM picked up the phone, and a few seconds later we were asked to step out of the service elevator, and head down to the next one in line. We got right on, and away we went!! Great ride!! The falling elevator... .. a nightmare for many, all for the price of admission!! But also a bit too intense for some young ones. Such as my own. We leave the building, hook up with Mommy and DD, and switch roles. DW gets a chance to go on the ride now. So she does, and we kill time by walking around a bit. At this point I try to get fast pass for Rockin Roller coaster, but a CM out front says ride is shut down for next hour... not sure why. Is this typical for MGM, to have rides that can pop in and out of commission? A short while later we hook back up with DW, who loved the ride. My only problem with it was that it was so short. By now, we feel the need to buy some more stuff, so we head down to the candy store. We get some candy (what else?) and some frosty's to cool us off... after snapping a couple of pix of wicked witch in window, we continue on to the "downtown" set, and a stop at Pizza Planet. Ah, an arcade. My son is in heaven. We get some tokens, play some games, win a stuffed alien ("look, the claw... the claw!!"), and continue on our way. We walk, we take some pix, we see some characters, including Buzz, Woody, some of the princesses, and the one eye's monster dude from monster's inc. We also look for a Disney tee shirt for me... but for some reason, large in the style I like is hard to find... (we eventually do, where else, but right downstairs at the WL, where they had one of the best gift stores I'd seen in WDW). After picking up gifts at front gate, we head back to tram, back to car, and back to the lodge for one last swim. After getting some lemonade, we head out to pool and hit the water... its all a bit bittersweet... this has been a great week, and I know its going to be years before we go back. Wife and I both know though that when we do, we want to stay right here again... (even if its without the great rate). It would have been no problem at all to stay here all week long, without even going to the parks. Both pools were fun, the view of resort and lake fantastic, and the recreational activities abound. We even had a pin store (oh boy, what would we do without that??) right downstairs, and we used it often. Even purchased DS a magical moments video game there, (which, if you have a young one into hand held games would be a wise purchase, even at 20-dollars, since its a nice diversion waiting for dinner and during transport). Our final Disney experience is dinner at Whispering Canyons... and thank goodness I knew what we were in for!! We're seated quickly, and soon thereafter our waitress Wendy is asking for the attention of the rest of the restaurant to inform them that I've said the "P" word... Pepsi... since "Mickey only drinks coca cola". A few minutes later the kids line up for pony races... and of course my kids love it! There is a good sized crowd and everyone is cheering... this place rocks!! Afterwards, we listen as the kids take the "oath" ("I promise never to go to sea world!!")get their certificates, and return to their dinners. Thankfully, Wendy has mercy on us and rags very little... and anyway, my daughter loves anyone who throws straws up in the air!! We pay, head back to the arcade to get ride of any pesky change, and then up to bed. We have an early early wake up call with a 6:55am flight, so what little sleep we'll get has to come now. We pack... barely able to get all our new stuff in the bags, and then hit the hay. early 4/19 We're up, we're dressed, and we're outta here. Again, no problems at the airport, and we have more than an hour to kill at our gate. Again, an overbooked flight, and the offer is roundtrip trip vouchers to anyone willing to give up their seat. Man, if it was just the wife and I, it may be an inviting offer... plus, they promise to get you out by noon... free tix for a few hours spent reading the paper at the airport... that's not to tough. For someone traveling alone who is not pressed for time, this would be a great way to get some free airline tickets, all for being very patient. We arrive back home before noon (where it is just as warm as it was in Orlando), say hello to the dogs, and head upstairs for a nap!! It will be days before we officially unpack, and get everything put away. Post script
Keith Kobland keith04@localnet.com Mail a Comment to Keith Kobland |
|