Well, I have been back for over 10 days now and am just finally sitting down to write my trip report.
First of all, the players:
Myself - Tracy. I have been going to Disney since I was 3 years old and have had 12 trips to the World to date.
My Better Half (MBH from here on out) - his name is also Tracy. He was not as in love with Disney as I was until his first trip with me in 2003. Now, he LOVES it as much as I do.
We left Columbus, Ohio on Friday morning, 09/25/09. Our flight left at 6:00am, which meant a 2:30 am wake-up call in order to arrive at the airport on time. Ouch!! But, it didn't take long for the Disney hysteria to set in with me.
Our flight left on time and we arrived to MCO earlier than our scheduled time. Sweet.
MBH decided several weeks before we left that he wanted to do something special since this was an anniversary trip. So, he ordered a town car to pick us up and take us to the Contemporary. We have never done this before, so I was extremely excited about it. There is something to be said for stepping off your flight and arriving at baggage claim to see this:
Plus, it really cut down on our transportation time. We arrived at the Contemporary and while MBH unloaded our bags and took care of paying for the town car I went inside to the on-line check in counter. No one was in line so I was immediately greeted by a CM. It only took about 10 minutes to finalize all of our paperwork and get our welcome packet. We were informed that our room wasn't quite ready but that we would receive a text as soon as it was. No problem, we hadn't really had anything to eat that morning so we ran up to the Contempo Cafe to grab some lunch.
We had just sat down to start eating when I got the magical text that our room was ready. Well, that was quick. Disney magic.
We had a room in the Garden wing. I was somewhat apprehensive about this since I have read so many complaints about the walk from the Garden wing to the main building, but I have to say that it really did not bother us at all.
Our room was really nice. It was clean and I loved the beds here. Very comfortable. Plus, we could lay in bed and look out our window and see the monorail zooming by. That was great.
The plan was to rest for awhile once we checked in because we had tickets that night for the Halloween party. Well, that plan went right out the window as soon as I got into the room. I ran around like a banshee for about 20 minutes unpacking everything then looked at MBH and said "I can't sit in this room when the Magic Kingdom is a 5 minute walk away. Let's go".
Now, I live in Ohio and we have had a VERY mild summer this year. I think we only reached 90 degrees about 5 times all summer long so I was seriously under prepared for the extreme heat and humidity. It was between 90 and 94 degrees everyday, which would have been bad enough on it's own but we also had over 90% humidity most every day. That is what eventually got to me in the long run - the humidity. Ughhh!!
Anywho, back to the good stuff. We arrived at the MK at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon. I was so excited to go this time of the year so that I could experience the Halloween decorations. They did not disappoint. Disney really does know how to do total immersion type of experience.
Now, I have a steadfast rule when it comes to my Disney trips: Haunted Mansion HAS to be the very first thing that I ride and the very last thing that I ride every trip. This time was no different.
I honestly can't explain how happy this ride makes me. It is quintessential Disney in my book. We only had a 5 minute wait, which was awesome. And let me also say this, if the weather is screaming hot outside, this is the perfect ride to cool down on since they purposely keep it cool in order to add to that creepy effect.
Next up, Pirates (amazing) and then Jungle Cruise (love it!). Since we were over in Adventureland I decided to try a Dole Whip. I was a Dole Whip virgin so I really wasn't sure what it was. In the end, I did not get a Dole Whip that first time but rather a Pineapple float, which is simply vanilla soft serve with pineapple juice. Now, maybe it was because I was overheated and just happy to have something nice and cold, or perhaps it was the overwhelming thrill of being at MK but that simple little pineapple float was the greatest thing EVER. Seriously, I loved it and highly recommend it.
Since we were attending the Halloween party that night we ran over to the hub to get our wrist bands. I swear we were like 6 year olds. Jumping up and down and acting like we had just won the lottery after the CM placed our bands on us.
Here is the picture that a very nice lady took for us:
After getting our bands and running around in circles for ten minutes it was time to head over to Tomorrowland and check it out.
First up Buzz Lightyear. This was my first time on this ride so of course I was talking trash to MBH and telling him how I was going to totally kick his behind. Ummmm.......that didn't happen. I totally sucked. I think I had about 588 points (seriously) while he had around 550,000. Okey dokey....next. We then hit the TTA, one of my favs. While it wasn't as great as usual due to all the construction, it was still a good time.
After that we headed over to Cosmic Ray's for some dinner as we were hot and hungry. Now, I have to explain that I had every intention of taking pictures of all of our meals, but it is amazing how excitement and hunger make you forget that until after the meal is in your belly. So, no pictures of our dinner here. But I will say that we loved this meal. It was one of our favorites from the whole trip. We both had the 1/2 chicken - 1/2 rib dinner with two sides and a drink. Even though we were on the dining plan and the meal was "technically" free, I would totally pay for this meal out of pocket. Good stuff there.
We saw so many great costumes at the party. I have no clue who these folks are but we loved their costumes and they must of been so hot:
After dinner we hit Speedway. I am not a fan of this ride but MBH likes it so I really don't mind doing it.
Next up, Pan. Wait - 30 minutes. Probably one of our longest waits all week long.
After this it was close to 7:30 pm so we decided to stake out a spot for the 8:15 Boo To You Parade.
This parade, and the party in general, was amazing. Spectromagic has always been my favorite parade but I have to say, I really think that Boo To You is now my fav.
As soon as the parade finished we ran back over to HM to ride again. By the time we got off it was almost time for 9:30 Hallowishes so we started making our way towards Main Street. The crowd on Friday night was pretty heavy so it took us awhile. We found a spot and watched Hallowishes. WOW. That's it - simply wow. Loved it.
By the time Hallowishes was over it was after 10:00 and I was starting to wind down. I really wanted to hang around for the second parade but after being awake since 2:30 am I was really tired and I knew that we had a busy day ahead of us on Saturday so we decided to head back to the Contemporary for some sleep. Tomorrow - Epcot.
First of all, the players:
Myself - Tracy. I have been going to Disney since I was 3 years old and have had 12 trips to the World to date.
My Better Half (MBH from here on out) - his name is also Tracy. He was not as in love with Disney as I was until his first trip with me in 2003. Now, he LOVES it as much as I do.
We left Columbus, Ohio on Friday morning, 09/25/09. Our flight left at 6:00am, which meant a 2:30 am wake-up call in order to arrive at the airport on time. Ouch!! But, it didn't take long for the Disney hysteria to set in with me.
Our flight left on time and we arrived to MCO earlier than our scheduled time. Sweet.
MBH decided several weeks before we left that he wanted to do something special since this was an anniversary trip. So, he ordered a town car to pick us up and take us to the Contemporary. We have never done this before, so I was extremely excited about it. There is something to be said for stepping off your flight and arriving at baggage claim to see this:
Plus, it really cut down on our transportation time. We arrived at the Contemporary and while MBH unloaded our bags and took care of paying for the town car I went inside to the on-line check in counter. No one was in line so I was immediately greeted by a CM. It only took about 10 minutes to finalize all of our paperwork and get our welcome packet. We were informed that our room wasn't quite ready but that we would receive a text as soon as it was. No problem, we hadn't really had anything to eat that morning so we ran up to the Contempo Cafe to grab some lunch.
We had just sat down to start eating when I got the magical text that our room was ready. Well, that was quick. Disney magic.
We had a room in the Garden wing. I was somewhat apprehensive about this since I have read so many complaints about the walk from the Garden wing to the main building, but I have to say that it really did not bother us at all.
Our room was really nice. It was clean and I loved the beds here. Very comfortable. Plus, we could lay in bed and look out our window and see the monorail zooming by. That was great.
The plan was to rest for awhile once we checked in because we had tickets that night for the Halloween party. Well, that plan went right out the window as soon as I got into the room. I ran around like a banshee for about 20 minutes unpacking everything then looked at MBH and said "I can't sit in this room when the Magic Kingdom is a 5 minute walk away. Let's go".
Now, I live in Ohio and we have had a VERY mild summer this year. I think we only reached 90 degrees about 5 times all summer long so I was seriously under prepared for the extreme heat and humidity. It was between 90 and 94 degrees everyday, which would have been bad enough on it's own but we also had over 90% humidity most every day. That is what eventually got to me in the long run - the humidity. Ughhh!!
Anywho, back to the good stuff. We arrived at the MK at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon. I was so excited to go this time of the year so that I could experience the Halloween decorations. They did not disappoint. Disney really does know how to do total immersion type of experience.
Now, I have a steadfast rule when it comes to my Disney trips: Haunted Mansion HAS to be the very first thing that I ride and the very last thing that I ride every trip. This time was no different.
I honestly can't explain how happy this ride makes me. It is quintessential Disney in my book. We only had a 5 minute wait, which was awesome. And let me also say this, if the weather is screaming hot outside, this is the perfect ride to cool down on since they purposely keep it cool in order to add to that creepy effect.
Next up, Pirates (amazing) and then Jungle Cruise (love it!). Since we were over in Adventureland I decided to try a Dole Whip. I was a Dole Whip virgin so I really wasn't sure what it was. In the end, I did not get a Dole Whip that first time but rather a Pineapple float, which is simply vanilla soft serve with pineapple juice. Now, maybe it was because I was overheated and just happy to have something nice and cold, or perhaps it was the overwhelming thrill of being at MK but that simple little pineapple float was the greatest thing EVER. Seriously, I loved it and highly recommend it.
Since we were attending the Halloween party that night we ran over to the hub to get our wrist bands. I swear we were like 6 year olds. Jumping up and down and acting like we had just won the lottery after the CM placed our bands on us.
Here is the picture that a very nice lady took for us:
After getting our bands and running around in circles for ten minutes it was time to head over to Tomorrowland and check it out.
First up Buzz Lightyear. This was my first time on this ride so of course I was talking trash to MBH and telling him how I was going to totally kick his behind. Ummmm.......that didn't happen. I totally sucked. I think I had about 588 points (seriously) while he had around 550,000. Okey dokey....next. We then hit the TTA, one of my favs. While it wasn't as great as usual due to all the construction, it was still a good time.
After that we headed over to Cosmic Ray's for some dinner as we were hot and hungry. Now, I have to explain that I had every intention of taking pictures of all of our meals, but it is amazing how excitement and hunger make you forget that until after the meal is in your belly. So, no pictures of our dinner here. But I will say that we loved this meal. It was one of our favorites from the whole trip. We both had the 1/2 chicken - 1/2 rib dinner with two sides and a drink. Even though we were on the dining plan and the meal was "technically" free, I would totally pay for this meal out of pocket. Good stuff there.
We saw so many great costumes at the party. I have no clue who these folks are but we loved their costumes and they must of been so hot:
After dinner we hit Speedway. I am not a fan of this ride but MBH likes it so I really don't mind doing it.
Next up, Pan. Wait - 30 minutes. Probably one of our longest waits all week long.
After this it was close to 7:30 pm so we decided to stake out a spot for the 8:15 Boo To You Parade.
This parade, and the party in general, was amazing. Spectromagic has always been my favorite parade but I have to say, I really think that Boo To You is now my fav.
As soon as the parade finished we ran back over to HM to ride again. By the time we got off it was almost time for 9:30 Hallowishes so we started making our way towards Main Street. The crowd on Friday night was pretty heavy so it took us awhile. We found a spot and watched Hallowishes. WOW. That's it - simply wow. Loved it.
By the time Hallowishes was over it was after 10:00 and I was starting to wind down. I really wanted to hang around for the second parade but after being awake since 2:30 am I was really tired and I knew that we had a busy day ahead of us on Saturday so we decided to head back to the Contemporary for some sleep. Tomorrow - Epcot.