Trip Report Old Disney World Virgin

I'm 54, and my wife and I have never been to Disney World

So why are we going? I always thought it was a kiddie park, so never gave it thought, but I had been catching coworkers talking about it, so I asked, and they are pushing me to go. I looked into it and discovered how generous Disney is towards military, even retired military, and with my airlines points almost expiring, we decided to pull the trigger. We are way way way overdue for a vacation, and as we explore sites like this and various youtube videos, we are getting really excited about our decision.

We are flying out on 9 Sep, and using a 5 day park hopper, 10-14 Sep. Our airline points paid for the flight for my wife and I. Shades of Green had a room available for all but the last night, so we will switch to the Poly for the last night, which also had a military discount, and got a generous deal on the park hopper passes through the "Salute to Military" special. We wouldn't have been able to pull this off if it wasn't for the stars aligning with the points and specials.

I feel like I did my homework and got the Magic Bands in the mail, scheduled fastpasses and made a few dining reservations... just made a recent discovery though, I was puzzled why MK closed early a couple days, at 1800?... I thought they had fireworks every night? Then I read something about the Halloween parties... Bingo! it all made sense. We purchased a party ticket for the Sunday when we arrive, now we have something to do that evening before our park hopper tickets are in effect Bonus!

We are not getting a rental car... we need to figure out transportation to Shades of Green from the airport, but because we are staying at Poly the last night, we can use the shuttle from Poly to get us back to the airport.

One lesson learned I can already note: this isn't a vacation that should be booked on a short notice whim. I missed the planning window on some of the restaurant reservations and fast passes. I keep checking though, and was able to snag the Ohana breakfast as it surprisingly popped up just a couple days ago... still watching for Be Our Guest. The only fastpass we couldn't get was the Avatar Flight, but we will go early and wait the regular line. Can't complain, I think we did pretty good considering the fairly short notice.

I bought my wife a Stitch doll (her fav Disney char) and a shirt through the online Disney store to help build the excitement... I think it's working as she already has her suitcase contents all spread out in the spare bedroom, ready to be packed.

It was also a nice surprise to read about Epcots food and wine fest going on... looking forward to that.

I'll try to keep this report going as we make discoveries, and thanks to everyone for sharing the loads of information here!

 

[Swissmiss]

Love the picture of the two of you on Splash - it really captures how much fun you’re having!

 

[MinnieM123]

Off to the airport, but we had to make a stop on the way to drop our boy off at the doggie resort... the toughest part about taking a vacation was leaving our boy behind.

Hugs. Your dog looks very sweet, and he'll be so excited to see you, when you return from vacation.

 

[Telly03]

DAY 2, 10 Sep - ANIMAL KINGDOM
​

We got up pretty early, excited about our first full Disney day. Our goal today was to reach the park around rope drop to get a jump on Flight of Passage before the line gets too long, as we were unable to get a Fast Pass. We didn't even stop for a proper breakfast, just grabbed a coffee and pastry from the quick counter at the resort.

Now how to get to the park? Shades of Green has their own bus system separate from the the other Disney resorts, and they run it differently... every 20 minutes to the Ticket Center, but only every hour at specific times to the parks. Using their buses would not get us to Animal Kingdom prior to rope drop. One option could have been to walk to the Poly and use their bus, but our anxiousness and excitement provided the rational to splurge on a Minnie Van.

I have never used UBER or LYFT before, so this was a new experience. From my pre-trip research and prep, I had LYFT already loaded on my phone and was hoping I set it up correctly. I opened the app, easily found the Minnie Van option, and it quickly found a driver just 6 minutes away. This was dangerously too easy.

We arrived at the park just a little after 7:30AM and noticed people were already entering the park. We couldn't go right in as we had "Salute to the Military" certificates that we had to visit the ticket office to exchange for the actual Park Hopper passes, but this process was pretty quick and painless.

After scanning our Magic Bands and finger to enter, there was a 2nd line of defense for a path leading to Pandora, a line of CMs manually scanning our Magic Bands... we did not pass this scan test, and was asked what resort we were staying at. After showing them our paper pass provided from Shades of Green, they allowed our entry.

It was 7:40AM when we reached Flight of Passage, and the posted wait was 30 minutes, which was pretty accurate. This was probably our favorite ride of the trip. I remember hearing an excited "woah", with laughter, from DW during the ride, and she was just beaming with a huge smile after the ride.

We had a little time before our first Fast Pass, Expedition Everest, so we walked around Pandora to admire the landscape. They really did a nice job creating Pandora.

Even though we had a Fast Pass for Expedition Everest, I still took note of the "Stand By" posted time to give a reference of the park crowd... at 9:52AM the posted wait was only 20 minutes.

We both enjoyed Expedition Everest, the theme with a broken track made it more interesting than a typical coaster.

The wait for Kali River Rapids was only 15 minutes, so we jumped on that... we didn’t get very wet, but had fun.

After the rapids, we stumbled upon Yak and Yeti's, and decided to stop for lunch. We didn't have a reservation and had to wait 15 min to get a table. DW ordered the Dim Sum basket and I ordered the Chicken Marsala. DW opinion of the Dim Sum was "just OK", but I enjoyed the Marsala, although the star of this show was the Ahi Tuna Nachos we ordered as an appetizer. It was sushi grade tuna over fried won tons, instead of corn chips you would expect in typical nachos... we both thought the nachos were amazing!

Our next Fast Pass was for the Navi River, so back to Pandora. On the way to Navi River we passed the Flight of Passage entrance, and at 12:25PM, the wait time was posted as 70 minutes... I'm glad we hit that early.

The Navi River ride very pretty and relaxing... we appreciated all the work they put into to this ride to create the really cool atmosphere.

The next Fast Pass stop was Dinosaur... I didn't think I would care much for this ride after viewing some youtube videos... the videos make this ride look very hokey, but was pleasantly surprised by how much fun we had. It is much better experienced in person.

At this point the unexpected and unplanned happened, we were getting exhausted from the heat. Every day of this trip had us encountering "feels like" temps of 103-104 degrees. We tapped out and went back to our room. This time we took the Poly bus, then walked to Shades of Green. This ended up being our routine for the rest of the trip... back to the room for a cool shower, quick nap and fresh clothes to regain our strength to head back out. This also meant we had to schedule in a couple laundry stops.

After our nap, we headed back to Animal Kingdom. I was able to find another Fast Pass for the Safaris. The window for this pass ended just after 8PM and we arrived plenty early, early enough to check the Flight of Passage line for possibly another go... wait time was posted as 60 minutes... just enough time

DW claimed the 2nd go at Flight of Passage was even more fun than the first go... she was seriously beaming. The actual wait though was more like 70 minutes, and found ourselves rushing to the Safaris as we only had 6 minutes left for our pass.

It started to rain as we approached the Safaris line, and the CMs rushed us under the cover and told us not to worry about scanning our Fast Pass as there was no line. Not only was there no line, there were only 7 of us in the jeep for the ride. It was dark at this point and it was looking like a bad time for a Safaris as we couldn't see any animals, but then the White Rhino came walking across the road right in front of us. We were able to see some giraffes and wilder beasts through the darkness. Then the coolest thing happened... as we approached the Lions, we could see the male lion was up and walking. He walked to the edge where we had a good view and started roaring. Our guide explained that he is calling out to the lionesses, and sure enough two lionesses started answering. Very cool!

We started walking back trying to find the exit, and came upon the Harambe Market place. It seemed really odd that no CMs or park visitors were in sight. It felt like they closed the park with us inside.

We kept walking to find the exit, then came upon a view of the Tree of Life... there was a show going on, projecting a story onto the tree. This was a nice surprise that we didn't know about.

After the tree show, we continued walking to find the exit and came upon the lake... this is where all the other visitors were hanging out, and we arrived just in time for a boat light, water and fire show that was really awe inspiring. We didn't know about, or expect this either.

At the end of this show, I think the magic hit my DW as she squeezed my hand, looked me in the eye, and thanked me for bringing her here. This really ended up being a special day for us.

The night ended with a nice meal at Manginos Bistro at Shades of Green.

 

[Tiggertoo56]

So glad to hear that you were enjoying the trip - goes to show that no-one is too old to have the first trip to WDW. We're not spring chickens and enjoy it just as much now as the first time we went. Next month will be the first time we see Pandora and Toy Story Land and can't wait.

 

[KatieLVT]

Loving your report so far! It sounds like you were able to experience so many great things just by coming across them unexpectedly. That really is the best way to see things for the first time. Sounds like you're getting a lot of brownie points on this trip, too! Looking forward to reading more

 

[Swissmiss]

I’m loving your TR style - the wonder you experienced at AK has come through very well in your text. And how amazing to hear a lion roaring! I hope this will only be the first of many trips for you

 

[DisSplash]

I love everything about your trip report!! Your first time going, the sweet surprises for your wife, the short wait times, and the awe and excitement as you discover all of the magic that Disney has to offer! We stay at SOG when we go there too and love it (their upgrades are so nice)!

 

[Telly03]

DAY 3, 11 Sep - EPCOT - FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
​

We didn't feel a need to get up early today, we took our time and enjoyed breakfast at Shades of Green. They had buffet breakfast with several rows of food, covering everything we could think of, from french toast to corned beef and hash. They also had a chef cooking Mickey shaped pancakes on request, adding chocolate chips for ears and face features.

We strolled to the Poly and caught the Mono Rail to Epcot via Ticket Center

We had 3 Fast Passes scheduled in the morning; Spaceship Earth, Soarin and Mission Space... we arrived too late for Mission Space, but that was fine, because our focus for the day was FOOD... we did ride Spaceship Earth and Soarin, enjoyed both.

We hit the food booths really hard and our favorites were the piggy wings from Fire, pork sliders and passion fruit cheesecake from Hawaii, and the cheddar bacon soup w/ preztal roll and Radler beer from Canada. If I had to pick a meal to live on for the rest of my life, I would go with the pork sliders, passion fruit cheesecake and Radler beer, they were that good!

It took us most of the day making it around Epcot stopping at various shows such as O-Canada and the France review, and stopping at each of the stores.

Our plan was to hit Mission Space and Test Track after making the circle around Epcot, but again, the heat got to us and we had nothing left after completing the circle. My only complaint about Epcot would have to be lack of shade, but regardless, we had a good day. We knew we had a flex day built into our schedule, so we were counting on coming back for more sliders and Test Track.

Back to the room for a cool shower, fresh clothes, doing laundry and recovering from the over eating.

We had a big day ahead of us tomorrow as our Magic Kingdom day with an early character breakast.

 

[Telly03]

DAY 4, 12 Sep - MAGIC KINGDOM​

It was a fairly early rise for us as we had the Ohana breakfast scheduled at the Poly at 8AM. I was excited about this because we have lived in Hawaii for 15 years and miss the Poly atmosphere, and Stitch is DW's fav Disney char. Disney has done a great job creating the Poly vibe at this resort.

We were provided pineapple coconut bread with mixed tropical fruit juice as soon as we sat down, then later came with a large bowl of breakfast food, and stated this was all we cared to eat, they would bring out more of anything we wanted. What they brought out was plenty though, and everything was delicious. DW and I both agreed that the scrambled eggs were exceptional, or as they would say in Hawaii "broke da mouth".

The characters started to arrive and make their rounds to all the tables, first Micky, then Stitch, and then Lilo. It was so cute watching the kid's reactions. We didn't think we would get into meeting the characters, but we found ourselves getting into the moment, letting loose, and taking advantage of the opportunities.

The early breakfast allowed us plenty time to view the welcome ceremony at Cindarella's Castle which felt like the perfect way to start the day at Magic Kingdom.

I thought these service dogs were too cute not to share

We had Fast Passes for Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad and Peter Pan, all of which we already rode at the Halloween party, but we enjoyed them all so we rode them again we also stood in line for 45 minutes for the 7 Dwarves Mine Train as we could not score a Fast Pass for it.

One thing I appreciated about many of the rides were the items and activities added to the lines to help with the wait. Granted, we never had to endure much wait, but I can imagine how helpful they are for the busier times of the year.

Our favorite treats for the day had to have been the lime sherbet items at the Storybook Treats... mine was the Peter Pan float with Sprite, and DW got a different version with just the sherbet, sprinkles and chocolate horns.

As with the other days, the heat started getting to us, so we made our routine trek back to our room to cool off and get some fresh clothes, but it didn't take long to head back out as we were excited to see more

We hit some more rides which included Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Cruise and the PhiharMagic. Winnie the Pooh was cute how the ride bounced during the Tigger section and rolled like a boat during the flodding section. The PhilharMagic was also some excellent 3-D, and we laughed at the added wind and water effects.

Our timing was perfect when we found the Dole Whips then was able to walk right into the Tiki Room... it was a treat to rest our legs and eat the whips during the show.

We found ourselves with a minor dilemma in the evening... we wanted to watch the 8:30 PM fireworks at Cinderella's castle, but we also had a 8:50 reservation at Be Our Guest. We found a spot behind the Castle thinking we could view fireworks for a few minutes then it would be a short walk to the restaurant. What we discovered though as the fire works started, was that the fireworks are actually right over the restaurant, so we walked over to the bridge to Be Our Guest and enjoyed the fireworks going off above our heads, then they called our name for dinner just as the show ended.

Be Our Guest is a French restaurant set in the Beauty and the Beast castle... it was really impressive inside and the food was really good. I ordered the meat & cheese appetizer while DW had the mixed greens. For Dinner I had the Lamb Chops which were delish. The desert had a trio which included "gray stuff" in an edible cup. Even the coconut/sugar paper was edible.

We got to tour the castle before leaving which included a room with the rose

And the "Beast" was also there in his Study

What a fun filled day we had... tomorrow we get to check out Hollywood Studios

 

[Gurt]

Great report it's really nice to have a report from a first time point of view, sounds like you had a great time.

 

[LeighM]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time!

 

[Rista1313]

Hubby and I just went for the first time in 24-38 years in May.. we had a great time! Trying to book another trip for late 2019, but we shall see.. my stepson just proposed to his gal, so a wedding may mess with my funds for Disney.

 

[Durfish]

Great report, Telly, and thanks for your service! We'll be staying as SoG for the first time beginning 9 October. Did you use SoG buses for any transpo or just hoof to Poly as you did for the first couple of days? Also...how much was the Lyft on property?

Loving the mid-day breaks. We're bringing 18 and 16 year old boys, so I'll likely let them peruse the parks and do a mid-day break as well (even if it's just riding the monorail around and around and around...).

 

[Telly03]

Great report, Telly, and thanks for your service! We'll be staying as SoG for the first time beginning 9 October. Did you use SoG buses for any transpo or just hoof to Poly as you did for the first couple of days? Also...how much was the Lyft on property?

Loving the mid-day breaks. We're bringing 18 and 16 year old boys, so I'll likely let them peruse the parks and do a mid-day break as well (even if it's just riding the monorail around and around and around...).

We used the SoG buses when it was convenient, but they are not always convenient... SoG has a bus leaving for the Ticket Center every 20 minutes which is convenient, but their buses for each park only runs once an hour, so sometimes it works out.

SoG buses have a convenient pickup/drop off spot at the Ticket Center, but not necessarily at the parks... Animal Kingdom for example has convenient bus section for all their resort buses, which does not include SoG. SoG bus has to park on the other side of a parking lot... you could always catch the Poly bus though and hoof it to SoG.

For Lyft, we only used the Minnie option for $25, I believe the regular Lyft would be a bit cheaper. The Minnie Lyft is $25 to any park, a bit more for Disney Springs.