Trip Report Epcot is Glowing

Hello Everyone. We made it back from our 10 day trip a few days ago. I had a lot of fun working on my last trip report, so I wanted to do one for this trip too. The big change from last time??? We took both kids along for their first trip to Disney.

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Leading up to our trip, I had a lot of conversations with people I work with about our vacation plans. I guess I was just so excited that I was steering conversations that way. What I learned is that a lot of people see visiting Disney World with kids as an obligation. When I would tell them where we were going, I'd get, "Oh, you're going there..." It got to the point where I'd be able to finish their story before they did. They spent (insert high amount) of money to go there, it was hot and the kids only wanted to go to the pool, and they ended up not remembering the trip. They knew that Disney was something they should do with their family, but did not enjoy their trip while they were there. Maybe it had something to do with the fact I talked to a lot of dads.

I'm glad to say our trip was nothing like this. Sara, myself, and the kids had a great time, and Luke, our 4 year old, is constantly talking about what he enjoyed and what characters we met. As any parent can tell you, traveling with young children certainly has it's challenges (and that might be a nice way to say it). But it also has some truly great moments as children are able to fully immerse themselves in the magic. I'm very happy to say we had a good number of those moments.

The trip started at 3:15am on Friday.

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We had done most of the packing the night before. The kids slept in comfortable clothes, so we were able to get them up and place them in their car seats with the goal being to have them go back to sleep. They did fall asleep, but Luke woke up again before the sunrise.

Yes, this was a drive to WDW, first time we had done that. We did have a DVD player in the minivan, and I can't put into words how helpful this was. Ok, I could, but I doubt you'd want to read it. We threw on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates DVD, and made it south of Richmond for breakfast at McDonalds. They liked the play area.

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After breakfast, we continued our trek through the Carolinas, and ended our day in Brunswick, GA.

A few driving photos:

Sara taking a turn
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Luke watching something on DVD
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and Makayla taking it all in
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We stayed at a Hampton Inn for the night, and had dinner at a Toucan Ale House. It was right by the hotel and made for an easy dinner. We don't have them in Pennsylvania, but it reminded me of an Applebee's.

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Luke enjoying his meal.
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Sara and Makayla
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Time for a selfie (or groupie) Not sure what the cool kids are calling it these days. Obviously forgot to wipe Luke's mouth first.
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Makayla didn't eat a lot for dinner (which is completely unlike her), and we noticed that she had a bit of a fever. We hoped it was just due to a long day in the car and gave her some children's Tylenol. It was time for some sleep and then we'd finish the drive to WDW the next day.
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Altogether, we were in Disney World 10 days, from November 14th to the 23rd. The longest amount of time Sara and I had ever spent in Disney World, and obviously our kids' first trip. We won't be planning any trips this long in the near future, but do hope to be able to make a WDW trip an annual event for our household. As I finish this report, here's a few quick hints on things I noticed.

What happened to November?

November used to be a great time to go to WDW. I remember on one of Sara's and my first trips in November getting through the entire magic kingdom in one day. Well, everything besides Stitch's Great Escape ;). Going in the fall on a regular basis, we became used to near empty buses, short wait times, and easing our way through bag check. This trip it was exactly the opposite. I've never been to WDW the week between Christmas and New Years, but I've heard people compare November to that time. My guess is it has a lot to do with free dining, and possibly the Osborne Lights this year. But it was crazy crowded this year. It wasn't so much the high wait times. With fastpass you can really negate most wait times, IMO. But it was just the overall congestion. People were crowding in on you as you went through bag check, as you walked down main street, as you ordered your food at a quick service location, etc.

I fully understand Disney is not complaining about this problem, nor should they. Any amusement park would love to be packed every day. But for me, it was a little too much, and it made the trip less enjoyable. In the future, our plan is to forego free dining, and try to visit during a different time of year. We've heard mid December is a good time, so our current next trip is planned for December 10-17, 2016. Here's hoping what we've heard is correct. Still plenty of time to change it ;).

The Drive

Our fist time driving, and I was very impressed by how well the kids did. Unfortunately Luke did get sick on the way home, but that's going to happen. We did have the occasional whine, tantrum, etc, but for a 4 and 1 year old, they did great. I cannot state enough how much the DVD player helped. If only we had one of those when I was a kid. It was very nice having our car there during the trip when we decided to drive to a park.

The Resort

All Star Music was everything we could have hoped for. I mentioned before, with some of the reviews we had seen, I thought we were going to be trying to pack everyone into a space slightly bigger than a closet. However, there was enough room for all of us, at least for a week. What really stood out to me was the theming. Luke loved the larger than life instruments, and loved that the buildings were all different colors. The pools were well themed and fun the day we went swimming. Even the playground was nice. Bus service was just fine. I think there was only 1 time this trip we were waiting for more than 10 minutes for a bus, which is saying something given how busy the place was. We will definitely be staying here again, and have it booked for our December, 2016 trip.

The Food

Not going to say too much more here as I talked in depth about the restaurants we ate at in the report. But we enjoyed it all. My favorite was Paradiso 37 in Disney Springs. They ironic thing is that this was Sara's least favorite. It's still undecided if we will be going here again, though convincing Sara to try it again will likely be difficult. Sara really enjoyed the character meals, and also thought the food at Mexico was really good. She is having trouble coming up with a favorite, as she enjoyed just about all of them.

The Experience

The reason you come to Disney is for those unforgettable memories, and we definitely got our share. We have some on the not-so-good side, such as Kiwi getting an ear infection, or Luke throwing a tantrum as we left Epcot. But we also have some great memories. I'm thinking about meeting Jake at Hollywood and Vine, scaring Captain Hook at Disney Jr. Live on Stage, dancing to the Osborne Lights, and sailing on the Pirates and Pals cruise. And those are just a few. I could also throw in Luke and Sara's wild ride on the Tomorrowland Speedway, which we still talk about to this day. Overall great experience here. Going with kids definitely allowed me to experience Disney through a child's eyes, and experience that magic in as pure a form as it can be experienced.

Was it Worth it?

Going back to the comments I heard as we planned our trip. That Disney is so expensive, and the kids won't remember it anyway. Well, yes, Disney is expensive. There's really no good way to plan a trip without spending a fortune. We can get mad at Disney over this, as some people do, but I always go back to the fact that Disney is a business, and businesses exist to make money. In that regard, Disney is doing what anyone else would. So I fully understand that going to Disney will never be cheap. However, as for the memories, I found our experience to be entirely opposite of what I had heard from so many people. We loved experiencing the attractions at Disney, and we still talk about it to this day. Luke is constantly bringing up what we did at Disney, and how he can't wait to ride Buzz next time we go. For Kiwi, she likely won't remember any of this, but I can't wait until she is a few years older and we get to experience the magic with both kids.

So now, I put Disney 2015 in the rear-view mirror, and soon we'll begin our plans for 2016 in earnest.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone to took time out of their day to read this report. It really was a joy to write, as I attempted to put into words exactly what we had experienced. I've read so many great reports out there, and I look forward to reading many more in the future.

Great report and epilogue. Sorry that Luke got sick, but as you said those things happen. Probably would have been worse experience if you were on a plane.

I agree with your cost/benefit analysis. Truly special times with your family. It is a bit disheartening to hear about the disappearance of "slow times" at the World.

Good luck planning the next trip!
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great report and epilogue. Sorry that Luke got sick, but as you said those things happen. Probably would have been worse experience if you were on a plane.

I agree with your cost/benefit analysis. Truly special times with your family. It is a bit disheartening to hear about the disappearance of "slow times" at the World.

Good luck planning the next trip!

Thanks Fractal. Trust me, if slow times exist, I will find them. :)
 

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