Hello All:
We're back from our 4 day honeymoon in Disney. We used all of our photo space on us, and, as such, I have no photos to display. Here's the report.
Lodging:
We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge (Tues. Oct. 31 - Sat. Nov. 4). The hotel is fantastic!! So much so that we do not plan to stay at any "value" hotels again. We found that the services, amenities and overall "feel" of the place was so much nicer than pop and asmo that we will not be able to go back to the less expensive resorts.
Upon arrival on Tuesday (we got in from our stay on the coast at 7:40am), our room was not ready. We returned from the MK around 2pm to check in and found that we had been given a room with 2 queens. As this was our honeymoon (and I had previously requested), we called guest services to see if we could get a King. Unfortunately, no King rooms were available on the parking lot side (yes, we selected the cheap rate). No worries, said our guest relations expert....so, Bingo, free upgrade to poolside. We were very stoked. The room was much bigger than the rooms we had stayed in before. The bathroom did have a "roll-in shower," but unlike this type shower in pop and asmo, there was a tile "lip" that kept water from running all over the bathroom. We really liked the room and the new furniture (including the flat screen tv).
Food:
California Grill: Absolutely Fantastic. We had ressies for 7:40 but got there early to try to get a window seat. However, none were available. As such, we sat in the middle of the dining room and had a clear view of the fireworks. I was disappointed in the dress of our fellow diners. The "house rules" note that you must wear biz casual dress, but there were plenty of rubes hanging out in shorts and t-shirts. The food was great. Good cheese selection, good sushi, good entrees, good dessert....I just can't say enough. This was the best meal I've ever eaten in Disney.
Chefs de France: Not as good as last year. Food was ok, but the choices were still limited. Who puts a burger on a french menu??? As a tip, get a carafe of the Bocuse house red...it's good french table wine.....right up the middle..... The food was prepared well, but it couldn't hold a candle to Cali Grill.
Le Cellier: Wonderful. We will go back again and again and again. We received complimentary champagne because of our recent marraige. The food was fantastic and WAY TOO MUCH!!! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. The menu is diverse and has some great items. The maple creme brulee is the best dessert I've had at a Disney Restaurant.
Ragland Road: We ate at RR on Halloween before going to the AC (more on that later). The food, though pricey, was great. I would visit this locale again, if I ever go back to PI (more on that later).
Parks:
MK - Tuesday was one of the least crowded days I've ever seen. We did not wait in line for anything....including lunch at Cosmic Rays. If there were more than 3k-5k people in the park, I'd be suprised. Even though it was severely overcast, Friday was much busier.
We weren't happy with the changes to POTC on our first trip through...however, the changes grew on us the more we rode. However, I still like the old ending. As for notes, the AAs look and sound great and the sound system is fantastic. I do miss the waterfalll warning, however.
Splash is definitely putting out more water at the "geyser" effect. We got soaked. In fact, most folks coming off the ride were soaked.
BTM was in full effect on Tuesday, however the side effects (man in the tub and whatnot) were not working on Friday.
HM sound did not break down for any ride we took.
We still hate the changes to Tropical Serenade.
COP was OPEN!!!! And was very fun to sit through again.
I obtained my best Buzz score to date (159,800).
Space was fun and unbusy.
The High School Musical Show is one of the most annoying things in the whole kingdom. In fact, it ranks at the top of our most annoying list right beside Top 7 Stacey.
The 1/4 slap rib and chicken combo is still on the Cosmic Rays menu. However, I opted for the 1/2 slab. Pecos Bill no longer has cheese sauce on the fixin's table.
The price of the Shootin' Gallery is now $1.00 per turn. I think is was only 50 cents last year. We didn't play.
Dole Whip Floats are still the best treat in the park. (Hi Robin and thanks for stopping by to say hello!!!!)
Epcot:
I can't believe I was this uninformed, but the Food and Wine Festival was still going on in Epcot. It was fantastic. 26 countries with food, wine and beer. What more could you ask for.
SE was in good form and looks good. There is a new Siemens display that is under wraps at the SE exit. It is protected by a round wall that says something about a new feature coming soon.
Only rode Orange on MS....its still unique and quite enjoyable.
Nemo Shell Ride is fun and well done. Though there was not a wait, I really liked the quene....quite nice.
I liked the land ride better as a person-guided tour, but we still rode it twice.
I'm still sad about Imagination. I remember that place being packed as a kid. If there were more than 20 non-cast folks in entire building, I'd be surprised.
The terracotta soldier display in China is interesting.
Animal Kingdom:
We only rode EE and Dinosaur.
EE is the best ride in WDW hands down. Its got all those visual niceties that Disney rides have, plus is very creative. We loved it.
Dinosaur was fantastic....and REALLY dark.
DS: Didn't go. Didn't want to.
PI: THE MOST DISAPPOINTED I'VE EVER BEEN AT WDW.
As noted above, we did enjoy RR; however, the Adventurer Club is another story altogether. I've got some choice words to say about our experience, but as I know many of you here are AC fans, I'll hold back on my personal feelings. However, I will say this. The "shows" are well acted, but this is not our type of place. I'm still po'd about the money spent to get in. We will not go back. We did not like it. WE WILL NOT GO BACK.
Other than our time at the AC, we REALLY enjoyed our honeymoon. If anyone has any specific questions, I'll be happy to respond.
Thanks again to everyone for your imput during the trip planning stages.
dave
We're back from our 4 day honeymoon in Disney. We used all of our photo space on us, and, as such, I have no photos to display. Here's the report.
Lodging:
We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge (Tues. Oct. 31 - Sat. Nov. 4). The hotel is fantastic!! So much so that we do not plan to stay at any "value" hotels again. We found that the services, amenities and overall "feel" of the place was so much nicer than pop and asmo that we will not be able to go back to the less expensive resorts.
Upon arrival on Tuesday (we got in from our stay on the coast at 7:40am), our room was not ready. We returned from the MK around 2pm to check in and found that we had been given a room with 2 queens. As this was our honeymoon (and I had previously requested), we called guest services to see if we could get a King. Unfortunately, no King rooms were available on the parking lot side (yes, we selected the cheap rate). No worries, said our guest relations expert....so, Bingo, free upgrade to poolside. We were very stoked. The room was much bigger than the rooms we had stayed in before. The bathroom did have a "roll-in shower," but unlike this type shower in pop and asmo, there was a tile "lip" that kept water from running all over the bathroom. We really liked the room and the new furniture (including the flat screen tv).
Food:
California Grill: Absolutely Fantastic. We had ressies for 7:40 but got there early to try to get a window seat. However, none were available. As such, we sat in the middle of the dining room and had a clear view of the fireworks. I was disappointed in the dress of our fellow diners. The "house rules" note that you must wear biz casual dress, but there were plenty of rubes hanging out in shorts and t-shirts. The food was great. Good cheese selection, good sushi, good entrees, good dessert....I just can't say enough. This was the best meal I've ever eaten in Disney.
Chefs de France: Not as good as last year. Food was ok, but the choices were still limited. Who puts a burger on a french menu??? As a tip, get a carafe of the Bocuse house red...it's good french table wine.....right up the middle..... The food was prepared well, but it couldn't hold a candle to Cali Grill.
Le Cellier: Wonderful. We will go back again and again and again. We received complimentary champagne because of our recent marraige. The food was fantastic and WAY TOO MUCH!!! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. The menu is diverse and has some great items. The maple creme brulee is the best dessert I've had at a Disney Restaurant.
Ragland Road: We ate at RR on Halloween before going to the AC (more on that later). The food, though pricey, was great. I would visit this locale again, if I ever go back to PI (more on that later).
Parks:
MK - Tuesday was one of the least crowded days I've ever seen. We did not wait in line for anything....including lunch at Cosmic Rays. If there were more than 3k-5k people in the park, I'd be suprised. Even though it was severely overcast, Friday was much busier.
We weren't happy with the changes to POTC on our first trip through...however, the changes grew on us the more we rode. However, I still like the old ending. As for notes, the AAs look and sound great and the sound system is fantastic. I do miss the waterfalll warning, however.
Splash is definitely putting out more water at the "geyser" effect. We got soaked. In fact, most folks coming off the ride were soaked.
BTM was in full effect on Tuesday, however the side effects (man in the tub and whatnot) were not working on Friday.
HM sound did not break down for any ride we took.
We still hate the changes to Tropical Serenade.
COP was OPEN!!!! And was very fun to sit through again.
I obtained my best Buzz score to date (159,800).
Space was fun and unbusy.
The High School Musical Show is one of the most annoying things in the whole kingdom. In fact, it ranks at the top of our most annoying list right beside Top 7 Stacey.
The 1/4 slap rib and chicken combo is still on the Cosmic Rays menu. However, I opted for the 1/2 slab. Pecos Bill no longer has cheese sauce on the fixin's table.
The price of the Shootin' Gallery is now $1.00 per turn. I think is was only 50 cents last year. We didn't play.
Dole Whip Floats are still the best treat in the park. (Hi Robin and thanks for stopping by to say hello!!!!)
Epcot:
I can't believe I was this uninformed, but the Food and Wine Festival was still going on in Epcot. It was fantastic. 26 countries with food, wine and beer. What more could you ask for.
SE was in good form and looks good. There is a new Siemens display that is under wraps at the SE exit. It is protected by a round wall that says something about a new feature coming soon.
Only rode Orange on MS....its still unique and quite enjoyable.
Nemo Shell Ride is fun and well done. Though there was not a wait, I really liked the quene....quite nice.
I liked the land ride better as a person-guided tour, but we still rode it twice.
I'm still sad about Imagination. I remember that place being packed as a kid. If there were more than 20 non-cast folks in entire building, I'd be surprised.
The terracotta soldier display in China is interesting.
Animal Kingdom:
We only rode EE and Dinosaur.
EE is the best ride in WDW hands down. Its got all those visual niceties that Disney rides have, plus is very creative. We loved it.
Dinosaur was fantastic....and REALLY dark.
DS: Didn't go. Didn't want to.
PI: THE MOST DISAPPOINTED I'VE EVER BEEN AT WDW.
As noted above, we did enjoy RR; however, the Adventurer Club is another story altogether. I've got some choice words to say about our experience, but as I know many of you here are AC fans, I'll hold back on my personal feelings. However, I will say this. The "shows" are well acted, but this is not our type of place. I'm still po'd about the money spent to get in. We will not go back. We did not like it. WE WILL NOT GO BACK.
Other than our time at the AC, we REALLY enjoyed our honeymoon. If anyone has any specific questions, I'll be happy to respond.
Thanks again to everyone for your imput during the trip planning stages.
dave
