Monday 6/6 - Had luggage delivered from Poly to Boardwalk. Left it with bellman at 8:00 am, not delivered to Boardwalk until 6:00pm, and only after several calls from the Boardwalk concierge and bell services. Keep up the good work Polynesian!
Back to the good. Day started magically. Walked to TTC for Monorail to EPCOT. Asked for the front, and Mike took us right up. He drove and was as pleasant and informative as all CMs should be. It was a great moment for my wife and two ten year olds and a highlight of the trip. We really liked the "Assistant Monorail driver cards".
Arrived at EPCOT, and went right to Soarin. The standby was 45 minutes. We got a FP (for 12:10) and got in the line. The wait was pleasant and the ride was awesome. The Land pavillion was certainly more crowded than I have ever seen it. The wait for the boat ride was an hour! Go plants.
My son and I got in the singles line for Test Track. We waited about fifteen minutes and got seated in the same car. I sat behind him and got a great video of the ride and his expressions.
Did Universe of Energy, fun as always.
Back to Soarin, five minute wait with FP. Fun again. If you look down at your feet (not the bottom of the screen) the effect is even better.
Had lunch at Mexico counter service (we were on dining plan) Excellent food, huge portions. Some of the more expensive counter service places really give you the dining plan bang for the buck. Walked to Norway, and onto Malestrom. I don't know why I like this ride as much as I do, but I do.
Walked through countries and out the gateway to Boardwalk. Checked in around 2:00. We stayed in a Garden Suite. The person at the check in desk swipe my cc, and then escorted us to our room, 1205. It was one of the three suites with balconies instead of front yards, which was great. She let us in and a few minutes later Pete, from the concierge staff, came to the room where we sat down on the couch to do our full check in. All ready seeing a difference between Concierge service at Boardwalk and Poly.
During our check in, I told Pete that when I booked (through Disney) they sold me an eight day ticket and a one day ticket, stating that it was the least expensive way to do it. Pete had a puzzled expression, which leads to something truely amazing which happened later.
Pete took me up to the lounge (wife and kids were swimming). The lounge was beautiful. We were encouraged to take as many bottles of water as we wanted and put them in our room fridge, as well as soda or glasses of wine. At the Poly I felt like I was stealing if I took a soda, whereas at the Boardwalk they offered it and truly wanted us to stock up. All of the staff in the Concierge lounge made a point of saying hello (again, unlike the Poly) and remembering you.
At 4:00 I called the concierge to ask about the luggage, which the Poly promised by 4:00. No luck. At 4:30 I called bell services, who knew who I was, and that we were waiting so that we could change for dinner, but still no luggage. Laura at the concierge desk moved our dinner reservations at france till later. Still, it took until almost six for the Poly to deliver our luggage. Kudos to the staff at the Boardwalk for caring, and repeated apologizing for the delay.
The offerings at the lounge were nice, and the wines were excellent (ten to 12 dollar range. Went to France for dinner. Asked for a window table (at Pete's suggestion) and had a lovely view. The dinner was excellent, as always, and the service was impeccable. Just as we finished, Illiminations started, and we had an excellent waterside view. Played some games back on the Boardwalk, and after a swim in the quiet pool (about fifty feet from the door to our room) had some well deserved rest in the lovely four poster bed.
6/7 Early Morning at MGM. Crowded, but managable. FP for RNR, fifteen minutes wait for TOT. Did Indy stunt show and star tours. Had FP for Extreme Action show. Bad move. This is the single worst experience I have ever had at Disney. Forced into a sweltering gulag under the stands, packed in like sardines for a half hour. Strange loading of the stands, so that late comers got better seats. Had the show been good, or even mediocre, it might have been worth it. But it wasn't. There are about five minutes of action in the 35 minute show. Really, really bad.
That ended the day at MGM for us. We went back to the hotel and the kids absolutely love the Luna Pool at the Boardwalk. Only downside is that if you are on the Hotel side, you have to walk through the beautiful, upscale lobby in your swim trunks to get to the pool. Not a complaint, just an observation. I frankly have no complaints about the Boardwalk at all.
Getting back to my room, there was a message from Pete (the concierge). I went up to the lounge. He told me that he had been thinking about the way my tickets were sold to me the previous evening, and that it didn't make any sense, because it increased the price considerably. He talked to the manager, and credited the difference to my bill, $390.00. Wow. I can not compliment the concierge team at the Boardwalk enough. Guess where I will be staying on my next visit?
Had dinner at Alfredo's. It was excellent. One note, you can not use the dining plan to get Fetuccini Alfredo as an appitizer. I understand not being able to get the 28.00 antipasta, but what does a plate of pasta cost? It just didn't make any sense. However, I was allowed to get the 38.00 veal chop, and it was magnificent. (please no anti-veal flames)
Another swim, another wonderful nights sleep.
6/8 Spent a relaxing mornign in epcot. Had lunch at the Biergarden. The price was very reasonable, especially for the kids, so I did not using the dining plan. We were so full that we decided not to go to Crystal Palace for dinner as we had planned.
After an afternoon of swimming, went to MK for the EMH around seven. The crowds upon crowds of people going into the park at that hour were unbelievable. It did not look good for the Enight expierences of yesteryear to be repeated. Lines for bracelets looked to be about half an hour long. Around 11:00 (start of EMH) went over to Splash, BTR. You couldn't even get over the bridge near them. I think Space Mountain closed for repairs too. It was the most crowded I have ever seen the MK. Did the Country Bears, Philharmagic and Pooh, the waits longer than during regular hours. Make no mistake, this was a really bad scene. There was just no way to have fun. I am sure things cleared out a little around 1:00 am, but that's just too late for my family. EMH has become way too overcrowded, particulary the night EMH, to justify going. I think Disney might want to consider limiting the number of wristbands to the first several thousand people. As it is, this is not magic. On the other hand, it might just have been a bad night.
6/9 Breakfast at Cape May Cafe. This is the character breakfast that is everything Chef Mickey's was not. Pleasant, quiet, lots of time with the characters.
Went to MGM, crowds medium. Got on everything without a problem.
After swimming, EPCOT for dinner at Canada. Great meal, first time I have eaten there. The grilled Rib Eye was great. Unlike at Alfredo's, they let my son order the expensive cheese plate apitizer on the meal plan. They also had surf and turf (huge canadian lobster tails), which was excellent. Epcot was crowded. The staff was trying to find people places to eat, and all they could get was a single table at the Land or Morroco.
Again, EMH very crowded. Did Figment and Honey I shrunk the Audience. Spaceship Earth was broken (it seemed to break quite a bit). Left well enough alone and went home to sleep.
6/10 MK. 1/2 hour wait for the Speedway. Fifteen minutes for Space Mountain. Then Space Mountain closed for repairs, but got FP for noon. Went to BTR and waited about fifteen minutes. Then Splash Mountain closed. Went to Tom Sawyers island. Time for lunch.
Arrived at 11:45 for the first ever Princess Lunch at the castle. What a great experience. Treated like royalty (of course). Seated right by the window overlooking fantasy land. The service was great, the food (pot pie and pork tenderloin) were fantastic, and the princesses were very friendly, taking time with the kids (and me, I have a thing for Belle) Mary Poppins was there, even though not a princess. A thrilling, perfect lunch.
Went back over to try splash, still closed. Space Mountain reopened. Used FP. Park was getting crowded. Stayed till around five and decided to go back and hang around the boardwalk. Swam until eight, had dinner on boardwalk. Kids raved about the cheese fries. The pizza at the Spoodles window was mediocre at best. They need a new mozzarella provider at disney, because the cheese is just bad. However, the meatball sandwich was suprisingly good (use up those counter service meals people).
6/11 Last day
. Flying Song, so used the resort check in service. Luggage tagged and taken away, will it get on the plane and be at JFK upon our arrival?
Went to MK. Empty. Walk on Splash and BTR twice. Over to Space and walked on. Did Hall of Presidents, always a favorite. Last was Philharmagic, definitely a family favorite. Sat close this time, and the effects were better, particularly when Ariel sticks her hands out of the screen.
Took mono to EPCOT. Half an hour for Spaceship earth. Did Malestrom again. Lunch at America (turkey sandwich on bagel very good, suprising to get such a good bagel outside of NY) for the kids. We ate at Morroco and the rotisserie meats were excellent, very similar to Gyro meats.
Back to the hotel. DME picked us up right on time. The goodbye video shows all the characters leaving at the end of their trip, and they play the Mickey Mouse Club goodbye song, if you aren't depressed enough allready. At the airport with plenty of time to eat and browse.
At JFK, there is our luggage. I give Magical Express only the highest possible marks. Our experience was glitch free.
Great vacation, though more crowded than I had been lead to expect. I don't think I would schedule the same time again.
Back to the good. Day started magically. Walked to TTC for Monorail to EPCOT. Asked for the front, and Mike took us right up. He drove and was as pleasant and informative as all CMs should be. It was a great moment for my wife and two ten year olds and a highlight of the trip. We really liked the "Assistant Monorail driver cards".
Arrived at EPCOT, and went right to Soarin. The standby was 45 minutes. We got a FP (for 12:10) and got in the line. The wait was pleasant and the ride was awesome. The Land pavillion was certainly more crowded than I have ever seen it. The wait for the boat ride was an hour! Go plants.
My son and I got in the singles line for Test Track. We waited about fifteen minutes and got seated in the same car. I sat behind him and got a great video of the ride and his expressions.
Did Universe of Energy, fun as always.
Back to Soarin, five minute wait with FP. Fun again. If you look down at your feet (not the bottom of the screen) the effect is even better.
Had lunch at Mexico counter service (we were on dining plan) Excellent food, huge portions. Some of the more expensive counter service places really give you the dining plan bang for the buck. Walked to Norway, and onto Malestrom. I don't know why I like this ride as much as I do, but I do.
Walked through countries and out the gateway to Boardwalk. Checked in around 2:00. We stayed in a Garden Suite. The person at the check in desk swipe my cc, and then escorted us to our room, 1205. It was one of the three suites with balconies instead of front yards, which was great. She let us in and a few minutes later Pete, from the concierge staff, came to the room where we sat down on the couch to do our full check in. All ready seeing a difference between Concierge service at Boardwalk and Poly.
During our check in, I told Pete that when I booked (through Disney) they sold me an eight day ticket and a one day ticket, stating that it was the least expensive way to do it. Pete had a puzzled expression, which leads to something truely amazing which happened later.
Pete took me up to the lounge (wife and kids were swimming). The lounge was beautiful. We were encouraged to take as many bottles of water as we wanted and put them in our room fridge, as well as soda or glasses of wine. At the Poly I felt like I was stealing if I took a soda, whereas at the Boardwalk they offered it and truly wanted us to stock up. All of the staff in the Concierge lounge made a point of saying hello (again, unlike the Poly) and remembering you.
At 4:00 I called the concierge to ask about the luggage, which the Poly promised by 4:00. No luck. At 4:30 I called bell services, who knew who I was, and that we were waiting so that we could change for dinner, but still no luggage. Laura at the concierge desk moved our dinner reservations at france till later. Still, it took until almost six for the Poly to deliver our luggage. Kudos to the staff at the Boardwalk for caring, and repeated apologizing for the delay.
The offerings at the lounge were nice, and the wines were excellent (ten to 12 dollar range. Went to France for dinner. Asked for a window table (at Pete's suggestion) and had a lovely view. The dinner was excellent, as always, and the service was impeccable. Just as we finished, Illiminations started, and we had an excellent waterside view. Played some games back on the Boardwalk, and after a swim in the quiet pool (about fifty feet from the door to our room) had some well deserved rest in the lovely four poster bed.
6/7 Early Morning at MGM. Crowded, but managable. FP for RNR, fifteen minutes wait for TOT. Did Indy stunt show and star tours. Had FP for Extreme Action show. Bad move. This is the single worst experience I have ever had at Disney. Forced into a sweltering gulag under the stands, packed in like sardines for a half hour. Strange loading of the stands, so that late comers got better seats. Had the show been good, or even mediocre, it might have been worth it. But it wasn't. There are about five minutes of action in the 35 minute show. Really, really bad.
That ended the day at MGM for us. We went back to the hotel and the kids absolutely love the Luna Pool at the Boardwalk. Only downside is that if you are on the Hotel side, you have to walk through the beautiful, upscale lobby in your swim trunks to get to the pool. Not a complaint, just an observation. I frankly have no complaints about the Boardwalk at all.
Getting back to my room, there was a message from Pete (the concierge). I went up to the lounge. He told me that he had been thinking about the way my tickets were sold to me the previous evening, and that it didn't make any sense, because it increased the price considerably. He talked to the manager, and credited the difference to my bill, $390.00. Wow. I can not compliment the concierge team at the Boardwalk enough. Guess where I will be staying on my next visit?
Had dinner at Alfredo's. It was excellent. One note, you can not use the dining plan to get Fetuccini Alfredo as an appitizer. I understand not being able to get the 28.00 antipasta, but what does a plate of pasta cost? It just didn't make any sense. However, I was allowed to get the 38.00 veal chop, and it was magnificent. (please no anti-veal flames)
Another swim, another wonderful nights sleep.
6/8 Spent a relaxing mornign in epcot. Had lunch at the Biergarden. The price was very reasonable, especially for the kids, so I did not using the dining plan. We were so full that we decided not to go to Crystal Palace for dinner as we had planned.
After an afternoon of swimming, went to MK for the EMH around seven. The crowds upon crowds of people going into the park at that hour were unbelievable. It did not look good for the Enight expierences of yesteryear to be repeated. Lines for bracelets looked to be about half an hour long. Around 11:00 (start of EMH) went over to Splash, BTR. You couldn't even get over the bridge near them. I think Space Mountain closed for repairs too. It was the most crowded I have ever seen the MK. Did the Country Bears, Philharmagic and Pooh, the waits longer than during regular hours. Make no mistake, this was a really bad scene. There was just no way to have fun. I am sure things cleared out a little around 1:00 am, but that's just too late for my family. EMH has become way too overcrowded, particulary the night EMH, to justify going. I think Disney might want to consider limiting the number of wristbands to the first several thousand people. As it is, this is not magic. On the other hand, it might just have been a bad night.
6/9 Breakfast at Cape May Cafe. This is the character breakfast that is everything Chef Mickey's was not. Pleasant, quiet, lots of time with the characters.
Went to MGM, crowds medium. Got on everything without a problem.
After swimming, EPCOT for dinner at Canada. Great meal, first time I have eaten there. The grilled Rib Eye was great. Unlike at Alfredo's, they let my son order the expensive cheese plate apitizer on the meal plan. They also had surf and turf (huge canadian lobster tails), which was excellent. Epcot was crowded. The staff was trying to find people places to eat, and all they could get was a single table at the Land or Morroco.
Again, EMH very crowded. Did Figment and Honey I shrunk the Audience. Spaceship Earth was broken (it seemed to break quite a bit). Left well enough alone and went home to sleep.
6/10 MK. 1/2 hour wait for the Speedway. Fifteen minutes for Space Mountain. Then Space Mountain closed for repairs, but got FP for noon. Went to BTR and waited about fifteen minutes. Then Splash Mountain closed. Went to Tom Sawyers island. Time for lunch.
Arrived at 11:45 for the first ever Princess Lunch at the castle. What a great experience. Treated like royalty (of course). Seated right by the window overlooking fantasy land. The service was great, the food (pot pie and pork tenderloin) were fantastic, and the princesses were very friendly, taking time with the kids (and me, I have a thing for Belle) Mary Poppins was there, even though not a princess. A thrilling, perfect lunch.
Went back over to try splash, still closed. Space Mountain reopened. Used FP. Park was getting crowded. Stayed till around five and decided to go back and hang around the boardwalk. Swam until eight, had dinner on boardwalk. Kids raved about the cheese fries. The pizza at the Spoodles window was mediocre at best. They need a new mozzarella provider at disney, because the cheese is just bad. However, the meatball sandwich was suprisingly good (use up those counter service meals people).
6/11 Last day
. Flying Song, so used the resort check in service. Luggage tagged and taken away, will it get on the plane and be at JFK upon our arrival?Went to MK. Empty. Walk on Splash and BTR twice. Over to Space and walked on. Did Hall of Presidents, always a favorite. Last was Philharmagic, definitely a family favorite. Sat close this time, and the effects were better, particularly when Ariel sticks her hands out of the screen.
Took mono to EPCOT. Half an hour for Spaceship earth. Did Malestrom again. Lunch at America (turkey sandwich on bagel very good, suprising to get such a good bagel outside of NY) for the kids. We ate at Morroco and the rotisserie meats were excellent, very similar to Gyro meats.
Back to the hotel. DME picked us up right on time. The goodbye video shows all the characters leaving at the end of their trip, and they play the Mickey Mouse Club goodbye song, if you aren't depressed enough allready. At the airport with plenty of time to eat and browse.
At JFK, there is our luggage. I give Magical Express only the highest possible marks. Our experience was glitch free.
Great vacation, though more crowded than I had been lead to expect. I don't think I would schedule the same time again.
