Buried in March - Damn Disney Is Busy!

So... this was our 2nd trip of the year. We decided it was worth it to book another trip and make use of our AP's. Well, I have to say that it was an odd trip. We were down at Disney March 18th - 25th and what made it odd was the crowd levels and how all of a sudden Disney turned the switch on.

Our first three days were golden... great weather, not too hot - no humidity, and the crowds were PERFECT. To me perfection is simple, 40-50 minutes for your E's and 5-10 on most other attractions. On our second day we hopped (MK in the AM, Epcot at night) and we rode 26 attractions that day WITH a full sit down dinner.

THEN... after the 3rd day the seas parted and it was BEYOND busy! Needless to say, I know it's supposed to be a busy time of year and we all know and read other trip reports but we have actually had a great deal of luck in March. But, I guess our luck ran out.

The trip comprised of myself, DW, and two mutual friends (who are a couple, first time back in nearly 10 years).

We stayed at the SWAN... which to me was a great deal, a moderate price tag with deluxe amenities and perks.

 

[Nemo14]

Many schools have the week before Easter off for Spring Break - hence the crowds.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Many schools have the week before Easter off for Spring Break - hence the crowds.

Ah yes, I didn't account for an early Easter. We went down for a week in March of 2010 and it was glorious. I wanted to repeat that same trip, oh well... images are loading from this trip it will likely be more of a photo trip report than a written one.

 

[Nemo14]

Around here (and probably up your way too) school vacation always comes in April. One year we went to FL for April break when Easter fell that same week. It was insane! I imagine that's what it's like down there this week and next.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Around here (and probably up your way too) school vacation always comes in April. One year we went to FL for April break when Easter fell that same week. It was insane! I imagine that's what it's like down there this week and next.

Yes, my wife teaches in a private school up here... it's common for independent schools to have two weeks in March as opposed to the traditional February and April breaks.

 

[Nemo14]

I taught in a private school too, but we always did the same vacaton weeks as the public schools, mostly because of the bus schedules.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I always try and bring one piece of professional photographic equipment... but with the crowds and the fact that I was playing "tour guide" for another couple who joined us meant I didn't get to shoot nearly as much as I would have liked.

I'll start uploading some of my crude instagram shots...

We were glad to be back for the rehaul of Splash... the 1st day it opened all of the animatronics were back working and there were no audio issues. It seemed they had issues throughout the day though keeping the ride working during our stay. Unfortunately we only rode this classic ONCE.

 

[ddbowdoin]

One of scheduled ADR's was Be Our Guest... absolutely stunning theming. Highlights: it's private, I like how you're checked at the gate and only dinner guests can peruse the interior. The main dining hall is beautiful but it has an awkward lay out. It doesn't feel tight but they probably have a few too many tables. Food 7/10... a little service faux pas when our mussels came out at the same time as our dinner. I had the grilled strip which was no less of quality than Le Cellier was about 10 dollars cheaper. We loved the desert cart... nice touch disney. The interactive snow scene outside of the windows was class as well.

We "celebrated" an anniversary... close enough, married for 8 months as we'll never actually celebrate an anniversary since we were married in July. I'll pass on FL summer heat/humidity and South American tour groups.

 

[ddbowdoin]

ADR's:

3/18 - Lunch at the Sci Fi - so it's certainly not the BEST food I've ever had but it's a classic spot for us and something we repeat with every trip. We absolutely love the syrup cokes (I'm a cherry guy) and the onion rings are great.

3/19 - Dinner at Teppan Edo - well, well... how to rank this. It's a great theme and basically just a dinner show. As for the food, nothing special really and at about 35 a head it's steep for what you're getting. Will I be a repeat customer? No

3/24 - Be Our Guest... see above

Probably the highlight of our dining experiences was the disgusting Kitchen Sink. It starts out amazing but if you don't hit the ice cream real fast the flavors all melt together and you get this terrible grey mess. But, we did it!

 

[ddbowdoin]

We drank around the world and a fully edited video is coming (I'm on a second vacation this month with my FIL) so once I'm back stateside I'll post that up.

 

[fractal]

Are those pictures shot with your film camera? I enjoyed the different perspective.