Trip Reports

• Time of Year: Holiday Season
• Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
• Resort: WL, PO
• Accommodations: Standard Room
• Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult
• WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
• Comments: Lisa's report on her second trip in 1996 (this time with her husband and son) focuses less on attractions and more on restaurants, hotels, and lessons learned.. She stayed at Port Orleans and Wilderness Lodge on this trip. To learn more, read Lisa's report from October, too...(she was lucky enough to go to WDW twice in 1996!)

Well, this was my second trip in 1996. My first trip was in October, and I did a detailed trip report on WDW rides, so this trip report will focus more on restaurants, hotels, and lessons learned. My October trip was by myself, and it was my first trip back to WDW in 10 years. I am glad I made this trip alone so I could Type-A all around the parks - early entry until they kick me out of the parks. This trip was nothing of the sort. I (Lisa - soon to be 30) was traveling with my husband (35 - recovering from a serious back injury as a result of a car accident) and my son (6 year old). We stayed at the Port Orleans (landscaped view) for 3 nights, and the Wilderness Lodge (courtyard view) for 4 nights.

First off, let's discuss transportation:

Ok, so I looked into how to get to WDW for months - Mears, Florida Town Cars, or rental cars. At the last minute, I looked into what it would cost to rent a car one way from the airport to drop at WDW, and vice versa. Due to a corporate rate, it only cost me $24 each way, with no drop charge. (This rate was for a compact car - I had coupons for a free upgrade to a 4 door full size). I also had a $25 off coupon due to a horrible rental experience with National at the Dulles airport. So, in total, my rental cost us $27 including tax!!! What a deal. Plus, it enabled us to go to the Character Warehouse, where I found some great deals. So, you may want to check this option out. With a MKC discount, it could end up being less than Mears or FL Town Cars.

On to the WDW transportation…

Well, we used the Disney transportation during our whole trip. The transportation from Port Orleans was great, although unnecessary long due to multiple stops at the Dixie Landings. We rarely stayed until park close, so we never had to deal with overcrowded buses. We especially loved the boat transportation to the VMP from the PO, and did all our shopping before we transferred to the Wilderness Lodge, as I had heard rumors of transportation problems there (and how true they were!!). Now, WL transportation was a whole different ball game. Transportation to MK was great on the boats, but trying to get ANYWHERE else was a major pain in lower areas of my body. But, I addressed that in an earlier post, so I won't go into detail here. My lesson learned was to take WL transportation to the TTC, and transfer to the monorail to get to Epcot. I stayed at ASM during my October trip and found the transportation from there to be superior to PO and WL. Although the ASM is more remote, bus transportation was faster from the ASM. Plus, there was only one bus stop which took you direct to your destination. Aah…. Hassle free transportation.

Now, on to hotel discussions:

In an earlier post, I discussed my disappointment in the WL. Not in the environment of the WL, because it is truly a beautiful hotel. But the food court, room noise, and transportation problems were too much for us. We tend to spend a great deal of time at the resort and in our room, as compared to other guests, which is probably why I noticed all these negative details. My husband had to take daily rests due to his back, plus my son needed naps to keep his attitude together (it's a lot of walking for a little guy). So, for our family, and for our needs, we will not stay in the WL again. But, every trip to WDW will include a visit there to enjoy the restaurants, and lobby area.

Our son enjoyed the PO a great deal (especially the water slide in the pool). Now, we have to include the pool theming in all our vacation decisions. He would have happily spent his entire vacation in the pool (well, that is, before he met Figment). We had to negotiate a daily visit to the pool to normalize the 6 year old attitude (the I'm tired, I want to go back to the hotel, I don't want to do that, etc - more on that later).

We are planning our next trip to WDW, which will include a stay at the PO (and the Coronado Springs - yippee).

So let's talk about crowd size:

We were never able to make it out of bed to take advantage of early entry. But, we found the crowd levels to be very low. The only place we encountered crowds was in the Magic Kingdom. But then again, there was our last day, December 8th, at the Magic Kingdom….. the place was a complete nightmare. A zoo….. Minimum 30 minute wait for everything, and a nerve rattling crowd.

From my discussion with CMs, the crowd was due to a special CM event they were having (which was evident due to the longest line - the line for the CM holiday reception area). But then the power went down - some rides were not operating, and all the shops on Main Street closed. So we skipped out of MK, and tried to find some lunch. We finally ended up at the Grand Floridian Café. I am so glad we stopped there. Our meal was excellent, and our server was WONDERFUL. It was a great way to end a vacation. After that, my husband bought me the caroling Mickey and Minnie stuffed toys I had been eyeing the whole vacation. So, it really lifted my mood after encountering the sea of humanity at MK.

Another great bonus we experienced was rain. It rained several times during our trip, which was great for clearing out the parks. After an incredibly substantial rain on Dec. 7th (day of the RADP meet), we went to the Studios where everything was a walk on. I loved that! I guess when you visit WDW, you should always count on rain. We purchased our yellow ponchos and were on our way. (Could have used an extra pair of shoes, though, but a hair dryer can work in no time on them - oh, and swimming in the rain is also very fun….).

Let's not forget Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party:

We went to the VMCP on Dec. 5th, the first night, I believe. It was great. The lines were non-existent and the entertainment was GREAT. We used a strategy that seemed to work. We arrived around 7:30 when they opened the gates. We got our stroller, and were off to Adventureland to get our picture.

This worked well, as most people entered and staked a spot for the first parade on Main Street. We were COMPLETELY alone in Adventureland. Got our picture right away and rode Pirates about a million times. My husband, who can never ride Pirates too many times, decided to continue riding Pirates while my son and I went to ride Splash Mountain( BTW, beware of the water cannon they have installed on Splash. As you are rounding the area in front of where the logs go down the hill, there is a water cannon that shouts water forward, completely drenching the boat. Not good when it is cold. BRRR….)

We had arranged to meet around 9pm in front of Pirates. Oh, was that a mistake. I did not realize that the Christmas parade was so long (like 30 minutes), and there is no crossing the parade line once you are stuck in the Splash/ BTMRR side of the park (at least, none according to the CM). We made the best of it by riding Splash (walk on) and BTMRR about a zillion times.

Then we met my husband, who was shopping in the pirates store, and had not really noticed how late we were. After that, we rushed through the crowds to get a place outside of Pecos Bill to watch the fireworks. Found a great spot, and had Peco's food for a quick dinner. After that, we went to get a great spot for the next parade in Liberty Square. My son and husband went off to ride the Haunted Mansion numerous times before returning. I waited in that spot for 1 hour, and was so glad I did. My son was able to sit in the stroller and enjoy the parade in the front row. That parade is second only to the Lion King parade, in my book. After the parade, we decided to skip the rides, and try to get in as much entertainment as possible. We made it to the Night Before Christmas show in Tomorrowland, which we loved. Then we rode Caroussel of Progress twice, before they threw us out of Tomorrowland. We then proceeded to shop another hour along Main Street and caught the last boat back to the WL at 2am. What a night!!!

Lessons learned:

Next time we go to the VMCP, we will buy two nights of tickets. The night is structured so that in order to see all the special Christmas entertainment, you have no time for rides. So next time, one night will be for non-stop walk on rides, and the next night will be Disney entertainment only. (Plus I won't get stuck in that corner of the park before the parade again).

What about traveling with a 6 year old?

Well, this was my son's first trip to WDW. We visited DL with him when he was 5 years old, which he really enjoyed. However, this trip was a whole different ball game. My son was frightened of many things this trip. Like the Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, and loud things like fireworks. This lead to numerous confrontations over what to ride. My son wanted to be in the hotel room for the whole trip. He was very miserable for the first few days until we did the following:

• child care: we had him visit both the Neverland Club and the Cub's Den. He loved both of them and was very happy after returning. I think part of the problem was that he missed spending time with kids his age, and, also doing things himself. Both clubs encourage group time, but also allow the children to do explore by themselves. The CMs were very caring, and I had no reservations leaving him there. Plus, it gave my husband and I touring time by ourselves, which we enjoyed.
• options: we all discussed what we wanted from our vacation, and compromised to allow all to have fun. My son got his daily swim time, and we alternated choices for rides. Of course, this killed all ability to follow any touring plan, but that was not our style anyway.
• stroller: even though our son was 6 years old, he enjoyed having a stroller. It helped him conserve his energy.
• daily naps: he does not nap at home, but needed to at WDW. Of course, this cut into our touring time, but touring was more enjoyable and "productive."
• character meals: he really enjoyed being with the characters. We had only planned on doing one due to the expense. But after we saw how happy it made him, we made every effort to attend as many as possible. Besides, it is one of those things you can only do on Disney property. His favorite character meal was at WL, because he enjoyed interacting with the "face" characters, who answer questions and talk to him.

So for all you parents out there, you may want to keep these items in mind to try if your little one is having problems being overstimulated by WDW.

What have I left out? Oh yes, our favorites:

• Family Favorite ride: Journey into Imagination. I will never forget my son's face when he first saw Figment. He bought a Figment stuffed puppet, and is still playing with it. (Although, I am getting tired of pretending I am the Dreamfinder).
• Favorite character meal: Crystal Palace. We had priority seating for the last seating of the night (at 7:15 after the park closed at 7pm). I cannot recommend this enough. The dining room was empty, and we had a lot of time with the characters. And when we left, we got to walk down a deserted Main Street with the beautiful Christmas decorations...Heave...
• Favorite "other" activity: RADP meets. I had no idea all of you were so "normal". I had a great time on 12/4 meet where I got to meet Gail and Mike Shively, Barb aka Gardenia, Melanie and her girls, and Linda Tomisha (sp?) and her family. Of course, I felt rather ridiculous waving my little American flag trying to find people…. But, it was a unique way to stand out….. Then, there was Deb's meet on 12/7 at Epcot. Got to see the WDW god, Kenny Cottrell, himself. And got to meet Debbie, Aven and Gene Barel, and many other nice folks. A meet is now a must-do on my WDW list. I hope to meet lots of other nice people in the future.
• Best pool: Port Orleans hands down, no comparison to ASM, or WL.
• Favorite grown up meal: California Grille - great food and a great view. We had no problems with our priority seating (but then again, we did not sit near the windows, but near the kitchen area, where I could stand nearby and see them cook.

Other noteworthy meals:

• Garden Grille in Epcot - had the best service of the trip, and really good food
• Tony's Town Square (for my husband's birthday - they gave us a free cake. Good food, but be prepared for a long meal)
• Grand Floridian Café - delicious food, great service.

Disappointments:

• The WL - too noisy, transportation problems, got our reservation wrong (we had a guaranteed non-smoking room, but they put us in a smoking room. We ended up having to change rooms twice)
• Whispering Canyon Café - they did not do anything remotely fun or zanny while we were there. But we went to an early seating (around 5pm). My suggestion is to go after 6:30pm when things really start hopping.
• Not having more time - our next stay is going to be 10 nights……
• San Angel Inn restaurant - let's just say it involved a little black rock among my black beans……
• Juan and Only's in the Dolphin - used our $50 off coupon here - thank goodness the meal was virtually free. The service was TERRIBLE, and the food was Chi-Chi quality at best.

Well, there is much more to talk about, but, in summary, we had a magical *magical* time. We can't wait to go again. This time we will go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween (where I want to be Malificent if I could only find the costume).

See you in the parks

Lisa Harris

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