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Suzanne Payne -- March 2002 -- Walt Disney World (BWR)
Introduction: My family took our first trip to Disney in the summer of '75. We drove down and camped out. Which now is absolutely hysterical to us because we are not the camping out type at all. We were hooked from the first time and have treasured our WDW trips. On our last vacation in '00, we joined the Disney Vacation Club and stayed our last 3 nights at OKW. We were all very anxious to get back to the magic and try out our home resort, Boardwalk Villas. One other side note...my husband is fairly new to this Disney "thing". Our trip in '00 was his first time and he just didn't feel the magic like the rest of us, but we're still working on him. Background Info: Our original plans were for my husband, daughter, mom, dad and myself to go on this trip. In March of '01 we discovered that my mom's breast cancer had reappeared in her liver and all plans were up in the air. After much back and forth, my family kept our original plans and my parents would actually go on Wednesday, March 6th and return on Wednesday, March 13th and spend most of their time at the resorts. Friday, March 8th Plan: Arrive at Boardwalk, eat supper at Beaches & Cream, get Lauren's hair wrapped Everything went very smooth with our flights and we arrived in Orlando about 7:00 that evening. As soon as we pulled up at the Boardwalk my parents were on the balcony shouting to us. Amazing how they can still do those little things that embarrass us so! They had already checked us in so we met them at the elevators and went up to the room. Our first minor disappointment was that we had asked for rooms near the elevator that were close to each other. When my parents checked in, they discovered that our rooms were very far from the elevators. Due to my mom undergoing chemo, she is constantly drained and can't walk that far. They were able to move them closer, but we weren't able to get ours switched. Not a problem, we felt we had a better view and didn't mind the walk. We basically dumped our stuff and headed over to Beaches & Cream. I love going here on our first evening because it's easy, laid back, and you get some of that excitement seeing everyone come in from the parks. We all enjoyed burgers and cherry cokes then headed back to the BW. We had promised Lauren that she could get a hair wrap the first night and of course the line was huge. Mom and Dad found a nice bench while she waited in line and we were able to go up to the room and unpack. Finally about 11:00 the hair wrap was complete and everyone went to bed. Saturday, March 9th Plan: Epcot, Lunch at Alfredo's, Illumination's Cruise We arrived at Epcot just before opening. I was really surprised how quick the walk is to International Gateway. Test Track was reopening that day after a weeklong rehab and lots of people around us were discussing that. As the rope dropped, we headed to TT with everyone else in the park and grabbed FP. We strolled over to the Universe of Energy, then hopped on Spaceship Earth. One of my goals this trip was to explore Innoventions. I had not been in these areas since the Communicore days and thought Lauren might enjoy it. We went in the west side and sent a couple of postcards, then Lloyd went in the Home Theater show while Lauren and I played the IBM game and looked at the Monsanto exhibits. Our FP time for TT came up, but wouldn't you know it, the ride was currently not running. We left with assurances that our FP would be honored all day. We had PS for Alfredo's at 1:00. As we approached the Friendship boats, we saw they were not running and had to hike around to Italy. Alfredo's was not crowded at all and our meal was very good. After this we decided to go back to the hotel to swim and rest, but made a quick stop in Morocco to see Jasmine & the Genie. We met up with my parents at the pool and discussed the day's events. That night Lloyd, Lauren and I were going on an Illuminations Cruise, but first we had to go back to Epcot to ride TT. We got on very quickly and loved the ride. We walked back through World Showcase to get supper for everyone. Lloyd had a bratwurst from Sommerfest, Lauren a hot dog from Liberty Inn, and I got a croissant and desserts for all at Boulangerie Patisserie in France. We headed over the Yacht Club where we joined 2 other families we met through the internet for our Illuminations Cruise. The boat was very nice and we had plenty of room for all 12 people. We had a very nice captain who took us around by MGM and told us lots of interesting facts. He also let Lauren drive the boat a good ways. We made our stop and the show started. It was a lot of fun and a great way to see the show, but unfortunately the wind was blowing towards us and we got some ash and soot in our eyes. But all in all we had a good time and are glad we did it. Sunday, March 10th Plan: Magic Kingdom, Crystal Palace breakfast, Plaza for lunch, O'hana's for supper My parents dropped us off in the rental car at the Grand Floridian because we had an 8:05 PS at Crystal Palace. The monorail was at the station when we got up to the platform and we were on our way. It was so neat walking down a near empty Main Street. I made sure we stopped and had our picture made by one of the photographers in front of the castle. Breakfast was very good. I had eaten lunch at CP once before and wasn't that impressed, but really enjoyed everything about the breakfast. As we walked out of the restaurant, I snapped a few more pictures of Main Street and we headed to Tomorrowland. When the rope dropped, I went to get FP for Space Mountain and Lloyd & Lauren went to get in line for Buzz. After Buzz we went on the TTA then back to Space Mountain. Next, we got FP for Pooh and were headed in to Toontown when Alice and the Mad Hatter walked out. We quickly grabbed the camera and autograph book and they kept saying, "Follow us!" Once we got over to the teacups they asked Lauren if she would like to ride with them. I got lots of great pictures of the three of them riding. Next we saw some characters at the old 20,00 Leagues Under the Sea area and stopped in there. At Toontown we visited with more characters then rode Goofy's Barnstormer. By now it was our time to ride Pooh and then we got FP for Peter Pan. We took a quick ice cream break and rode Snow White and Small World. Our FP window for Peter Pan came open so we rode it and headed in to Liberty Square. We got FP for Haunted Mansion and went to see the Hall of Presidents while we waited. After riding Haunted Mansion we went to get FP for Splash Mountain and for the first time we actually had about a 2-hour wait. This is when we finally started noticing the crowds! We had PS for the Plaza, but we were too tired to walk back over there. We decided instead to stop at Pecos Bills. I had never been in there and it was huge and packed!! We wolfed down our burgers and Lauren proceeded to fall asleep at the table. I had thought about going over to the Country Bears, but decided to just sit at the table and rest some more. After riding Splash Mtn. we were pooped and started back for the BW. We headed to the pool for some R&R and took a short nap before our PS at O'hana's with my parents. Of course about that time I remembered our photos we had taken on Main Street that morning. I went back and bought the pictures and met up with everyone else at the restaurant. O'hana's was a first and it was great. Lloyd is a big meat eater (think Fred Flintstone) and really got his fill. We also lucked out and got to see the MK fireworks from inside the restaurant. It was really magical. If you ever get the chance, try and catch them from there. After supper we called it a night. Monday, March 11th Plan: MGM, 50's Prime Time Café for lunch, Pizza Planet for dinner, Fantasmic! We really had a hard time doing too much because of FP and how that limits you with the shows. I think this park is the hardest to get done. We headed first to get FP for ToT then walked on to RnRC for Lauren's first upside down experience. She absolutely loved it and when we looked at our picture her eyes we squeezed shut. We immediately headed back to ride again and this time Lauren said she was going to keep her eyes open. When we again looked at the pictures, Lauren's eyes were the size of golf balls. It was hysterical! Our time for ToT had arrived, but Lloyd sat it out. Next we went on the Animation Tour that I had not done since '89. Everyone really enjoyed it. As we were walking towards the Honey Playground, we saw Mickey in the theater with no wait! We got some great shots then walked to the playground. Lauren had a ball. The last time we ventured in, she was a month shy of 3 and it seemed a little overwhelming to me. She loved it then, but I had a hard time keeping up with all of the little caves & tunnels (not easy for a 5'9" gal). We saw lots of characters on our way to lunch at 50's PTC, the most I've ever seen at MGM. Lunch was very good, but one of those places I like to do every couple of trips. After lunch we saw the Indy Show, mostly for Lloyd's sake, but having been to Universal Hollywood and seeing the Waterworld show, he was very under whelmed. We went back to rest/swim and decided we were too tired to try and get back for Fantasmic at 7:00. We just hung out at the BW that evening grabbing food from the Boardwalk Bakery and various food stands. Tuesday, March 12th Plan: Animal Kingdom, Flame Tree Barbecue, Epcot, Today we decided to deviate from our plan since it would be my parents last day. We managed to change our PS for the Cape May Café character breakfast and had wonderful food and character interaction. All of us went to Typhoon Lagoon (mom & dad had brought their old hoppers just in case, so they sat and watched) and had a blast!! Mom just can't walk around much and didn't feel like it was much of a waste to just use the "plusses" since we never use them all anyway. Lauren & Lloyd did the shark reef which was very exciting for her. We ran to World of Disney store for souvenirs and some snacks from the Ghirardelli shop. After resting my dad, Lauren and I went to Epcot for the evening to go through the Land and some other stuff. As we entered the Land we caught a performance of Food Rocks. It really needs to be updated. Of course I would love to see Kitchen Kaberet again, but I know that won't happen. We tried to ride Living with the Land, but the stand by time was 45 minutes, so we skipped it and caught Circle of Life. We stopped for the movie in Canada, grabbed some food from the Fish & Chips stand, then saw the American Adventure. Mom & Dad's flight was VERY early Wednesday morning so we said our good byes and hit the sack. Wednesday, March 13th Plan: Typhoon Lagoon, MGM, Fantasmic! Now we were ready for our day at Animal Kingdom. We arrived just before opening and were greeted by characters once we entered the gates. We stopped at It's Tough to be a Bug then got FP for the Safari. We caught the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch for a new experience. Lauren loved the petting zoo and we also saw Meeko & Pocahontas. As we were leaving we saw the talking trashcan. This was the highlight of the trip for Lauren. They had an in depth conversation and she continues to talk about it. It was time for the Safari then we walked the Pangori Trail. We had hoped to eat at Flame Tree, but it was not open so we ate at Tusker House, which was okay, not bad, just not a lot of the basics that we like. We went back to for our daily rest/swim. That evening we decided to go back to MGM because we had promised Lauren we would eat at Pizza Planet. As luck would have it, it had closed early. We decided to ride Star Tours and the Great Movie Ride and actually ran into a little girl from Lauren's school. Every time we go to WDW, we seem to run in to someone we know. We were all getting hungry so we left MGM and went to the Kona Café for a very good meal then caught the monorail to MK and the bus to BW. Thursday, March 14th Plan: Pirate Cruise, breakfast at Kona Café, speedboats, E-ride night Lauren had done Alice's Tea Party last time so we opted for something new and the Pirate Cruise sounded very enticing to her. She immediately hooked up with another little girl and had a great time. Since Lloyd isn't much of a breakfast eater and we had just been to the Kona Café the night before, we decided to drive to some of the other resorts and just look around. When we picked up Lauren we rented speed boats and had a blast zipping around the lagoon. We went to the Yacht & Beach Club and had lunch at Beaches & Cream, then stayed to swim at Stormalong Bay. After resting, Lauren and I went to e-ride night. We got there a little early so we were able to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and the Magic Carpets. As we were walking back to Tomorrowland through Frontierland, the fireworks started. We stopped right by the Liberty Bell and had the best view. It felt like they were right on top of us. E-ride night was definitely crowded, but we rode the Astro Orbiter, which I had only ridden 1 other time about 15 years ago, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Country Bears, Space Mountain & Buzz each once. It was fun and we left at midnight, stopping in the Main Street Bakery for cookies. Friday, March 15th Plan: Breakfast at 1900 Park Fair, Typhoon Lagoon, Rose & Crown, Illuminations After our late night, we decided to pass on 1900 Park Fair and sleep in. We went back to Typhoon Lagoon for more fun. We love to swim!!! We stayed in the wave pool the entire time except for a lap around the lazy river. After resting that afternoon, we rented a surrey and took 2 laps around the BW area. That evening we rode the bus to MK and caught the monorail to the TTC. One disadvantage to staying in the Epcot area is the fact that you don't get a lot of opportunities to ride the monorail. Riding is so WDW to me, so we decided to take a round trip to Epcot. We were also able to ride in the front car to Epcot, which made it even more enjoyable. During our exploration of the resorts the previous day, we had checked out Whispering Canyons Café at WL. We made a PS and had a wonderful meal! Saturday, March 16th Plan: Magic Kingdom We had already done everything at MK, so Lauren and I went back to Epcot to do a little bit more of FW and go through all the kidcot stations. We started with FP for TT and went over to ride the Living with the Land. We took some time to play in the Imagination fountains and dream of the day we would be reunited with Figment. Then we walked toward World Showcase, rode the boat ride in Mexico and had a light lunch at Norway. It was finally time for the Kidcot stations to open. We made each stop, decorating our mask, but also getting a picture of Lauren with a CM from the country and her wearing some type of clothing representing the country as well. (It's makes for a great scrapbook!) After our trek around to Canada we went back to BW to rest/swim & pack. We ran to the Macaroni Grill near the Crossroads for supper and made one last trip to Epcot to ride TT and see the movie in the French Pavilion. Sunday, March 17th Plan: breakfast at Chef Mickey's, shop at the World of Disney Our plan was to go to a character breakfast, check out and go to the World of Disney store, but Blizzard Beach was reopening from refurbishment so we decided to go there for 2 hours then take off for the airport. We arrived about 15 minutes early and they started letting everyone in to the locker/towel area. We got our locker and it was time to open. We threw our stuff on a chair, then caught the ski lift to the top. We all rode Teamboat Spring together and Lloyd & Lauren walked back up to ride Slusher Gusher. I stayed at the bottom and caught it all on film. We went over and rode the Downhill Double Dipper two times. Finally we took a trip on the Toboggan Racers and body slides. Lauren went over to the Ski Patrol Training area and played around before we took a lap around the lazy river. We had so much fun, but our 2 hours were up and it was time to head for the airport. Monday, March 18th Back to reality..... Observations This was my first trip during spring break and the weather was wonderful!! I'm a teacher and Lloyd's job doesn't allow him to leave during summers, so we're limited to Thanksgiving week, Christmas or spring break. Crowds overall were very manageable and we felt it was the perfect time of year. We're already planning again for March '04. We usually visit Epcot on our first day and Lauren was really anxious to see the characters, but unfortunately we didn't see that many. I've heard that they've put the characters back in the countries, so hopefully we'll see more there next time or make a point of doing a character buffet the first day. We tried quite a few new restaurants this trip: O'hana's, Whispering Canyons, Crystal Palace for breakfast, Pecos Bills, Kona Café. The one I think we'll for sure eat at again is O'hana's. Also, CP for breakfast before park opening was great!! That was the perfect way to start out at MK, we'll definitely do that our next trip as well!! Fast Pass at MK works beautifully! We were able to get so much done with hardly a wait on a very crowded day. Can't say the same for MGM. There's just not enough little filler stuff while waiting for the FP window. If anyone has it figured out, please let me know!! We loved the BW and its location and the easy access to Epcot. We've already decided to stay in a one bedroom next time which I'm sure will spoil us. Transportation was also good. We usually seemed to catch the bus/boat with very little wait. One tip that I have that I heard others do as well, is to get off the boat/bus at the Swan and walk from there. I don't think it was a shorter walk, it was just the first stop. The bus trip especially is quite lengthy when you stop at the Swan... Dolphin... Yacht Club... Beach Club... and finally BW. For about a year before our trip, we gave Lauren opportunities to earn money. Each month we visited our local Disney store and got $10 in Disney Dollars. She used her own money for her hair wrap, souvenirs, and Mickey Ice Cream bars. It really made her more selective about what she purchased and no begging. I highly recommend this! Her latest project is recycling cans, in addition to other chores, to earn money. Lloyd is still not as "into" WDW as we are. Once he's done it, that's it, he doesn't want to do it again. Luckily Lauren is on my side and he doesn't mind taking the rental car and exploring Orlando. He even went over to DTD one night and saw a movie. Maybe someday he'll enjoy it like us. Overall it was a fantastic trip. We had a plan, but were flexible enough to change it when necessary. Weather, crowds, behavior (adults included) was perfect! I've already started my list of to do's for our next trip!! Suzanne Payne lod@door.net Mail a Comment to Suzanne Payne |
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