Okay, time for some final thoughts regarding this trip. First off, I can't stress enough how much easier it is to go with 2 people instead of 7. Everything was much more flexible, and we could just walk in places to eat a lot of days. We were much better prepared for the crazy Florida weather this time around. We pretty much always had our rain coats, and a change of shoes for when it rained ready to go.
Dapper Day, Epcot Food & Wine Festival, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. These 3 events were incredibly fun, if you have not been to any of these, and they peak your interest at all, GO!!! I give all of these events 5 stars. The whole time during this trip, we kept talking about how amazing this was, and how much we want to do this again next year. One thing we kept talking about during food and wine was, how we wished they had some more adventurous options from some of the marketplaces. I would love to see real haggis at Scotland, it just feels like they are playing it safe, which I totally understand. Also, not enough candy from MNSSHP
Boardwalk Inn, wow! We loved this place, 5 minute walk to the International Gateway at Epcot, 10-15 minute walk to Hollywood Studios, plus all the fun activities on the actual Boardwalk. As I mentioned several times in this trip, Epcot is our favorite park, so being able to walk there was a huge perk for us. However, I am torn. I have stayed at only 3 Disney Hotels, Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Boardwalk, and it was still the 80's when I last stayed at the Polynesian, so I don't remember it real well. Part of me wants to experience some of the other resorts, I would love to stay on the monorail sometime. Of course, it's hard to justify paying the prices at the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, or Polynesian, when the Epcot resorts seem just as nice.
Maelstrom, I am going to miss you. When I eventually ride the Frozen ride, I will probably say "Back, back, over tha falls" every time I go on this new ride.
Cara and I have a slight difference in opinion on how we want to do things when we are at WDW. I am very much, let's wake up early, get to the park at open, and stay until they kick us out. She would rather head to the parks sometime after 10 or 11, take a midday break, and overall take things at a slower place. We talked about how it may be beneficial to try and take a longer trip, but designate a day off in the middle. A day to relax, sleep until noon, sit by the pool, and get some brightly colored drinks with tiny umbrellas in them.
Drinking Around the World, this was possibly the most fun we had. We met a lot of interesting people that day, all of whom were doing the same thing. So, if you are traveling with out children, (or ditching them with grandma and grandpa or something for a day) and you enjoy having a few spirited beverages now and then, you must try drinking around the world. I think this was made even better because of the Food & Wine festival.
I can't remember us having a meal we didn't like this trip, of course some were better than others. Sci-Fi Drive in was a blast, the setting was really cool. I can't say the food is fantastic, but it was perfectly acceptable. I know Le Cellier gets a lot of love it/hate it on the boards here, Cara and I both really enjoy it, and have had some great meals there, and fantastic service, the best service we have had at a Disney restaurant. California Grill might be a new favorite too. We also discovered the Columbia Harbor House, which was a good quick service meal at MK. I have to thank people on the boards here for suggesting that one.
Next time, we talk a lot about what we want to do next time. I think we would like to try to eat at VIctoria and Albert, for sure. Also, I want to get breakfast at the Crystal Palace, mainly I hear of this thing called breakfast lasagna, and I must know what that is. If we do indeed stay longer next time, and if it does occur during the Halloween season again we would like to go to Universal for Hollywood Horror Nights, also I think a day at one of the waterparks might be something to consider.
Okay, finally, My Magic +. I have found this system incredibly easy to use, and I think they improved it tremendously in the 8 months between our two 2014 trips. I can't really compare it to the previous system too much, when we went in 2007 we never got FPs. Mostly I think we got to the kiosks after all the passes were given away, so we did wait in lines, but I don't recall the lines being that bad during that trip. Expedition Everest was brand new, and occasionally had waits that were approaching 2 hours, but nothing else was that bad. Anyway I like the new system, I figured it out very quickly. My one real complaint is the magic band, I think they are uncomfortable. I am constantly adjusting the stupid thing on my wrist, since I can never get it in that sweet spot. Oh well.
Thank you so much for reading my trip report, I hope you all enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Of course experiencing it firsthand was the best part! Here's hoping I get to write another trip report in 2015!!!
