My husband and I just got back two weeks ago from WDW and had a great trip! It was DH's first time at a Disney park and I was sort of nervous about how he would like it, but I think he enjoyed himself.
Anyway, this isn't really a trip report, but more of a list of some notable things that happened and that I observed. Here we go!
** It was a lot more crowded than the last time I went on these exact dates (9/30 - 10/6), which was 8 years ago. We were kind of overwhelmed, especially at Epcot with the F&WF going on. The crowds over the weekend there were nuts! A lot hotter than I remember, too! We still had a great time there, though.
** I probably ate more food on this trip than I have on all of my past Disney trips combined! DH loves to go all-out on vacation and indulge, and why not? Most of our dinners were at Epcot: Tangerine Cafe, Le Cellier, Tokyo Dining, Via Napoli, Nine Dragons, La Hacienda de San Angel...we did not have one bad meal! My favorites? The pretzel bread at Le Cellier and the shawarma at Tangerine Cafe! Yum!
** Most of the lines were pretty manageable. I had gotten FP+ for some attractions so we didn't have to wait that long anyway, but I think the longest I waited for Space Mountain without FP+ was only 30 minutes (which didn't even feel like 30 minutes). Still, we didn't get to ride the Seven Dwarves Mine Train because I couldn't secure a FP and the standby line was too darn long for us.
** I'm so glad we rented a car. We rented through Alamo and did the online check-in/skip the counter thing, which was awesome. We basically got to the garage, picked our car, and were on our merry way. The car came in VERY useful. We took it to our breakfast reservation at the Poly and we drove it every day to all the parks (even though we were staying at POFQ, there were some very long waits for the buses, especially for MK. I waited about a half hour for the bus one day). The car also came in handy because almost every day DH left the parks early and went back to the room (the heat and crowds were getting to him) so he would either take the car back to POFQ and I'd take the bus after I was done in the park, or he'd take the bus and I'd take the car. DH also took the car to Half Price Books and we went to CVS to pick up some more blister bandages, so having the car was great for that as well.
** I also discovered that DH does not really enjoy the rides as much as I do. At least the wilder rides. On our second day, after we rode BTMRR, he didn't feel too great and needed to sit down for a bit which is totally understandable. I didn't make him go on anything he didn't want to and he didn't keep me from going on anything I wanted to. The big surprise was that he really enjoyed It's a Small World! We both love Mary Blair's art and that sold him on going on it in the first place. After riding it the first time, he said he thought the ride was kind of creepy, but then after we rode it again he said he really liked the look of it.
** The single rider line thing: The only attraction I ever actually saw any signage about a single rider wait was at Test Track. On other rides, do you just tell a CM that you are riding alone when you enter the line? I'd just like to know since I will probably be going onto a majority of the attractions by myself next visit. There were a few times that I got lucky and a CM would ask everyone if there was a party of one and I'd get moved up ahead, but by that time I was almost at the front of the line anyway!
** We only stayed in DHS for about an hour. We're not really show people and didn't feel like riding anything (ToT scares me to death), so we walked around and tried to find DH an Oswald shirt. We also went into One Man's Dream, which I had never seen before. We both loved it! I've wanted to be an animator since I was a kid, so seeing the desk and the multiplane camera made me squeal. Still, I agree with many people that there's not really that much there. I guess we'll just have to wait for the expansion, huh?
** The day before we left, I went ahead and booked the FD bounce back offer that was in our room! This is the first time I've booked a bounce back and the first time I've ever had the dining plan/gotten free dining, so I'm pretty happy. Yeah, a room discount would be nice, but from the way we ate this past trip, I think the FD will come in handy!
Anyway, this isn't really a trip report, but more of a list of some notable things that happened and that I observed. Here we go!
** It was a lot more crowded than the last time I went on these exact dates (9/30 - 10/6), which was 8 years ago. We were kind of overwhelmed, especially at Epcot with the F&WF going on. The crowds over the weekend there were nuts! A lot hotter than I remember, too! We still had a great time there, though.
** I probably ate more food on this trip than I have on all of my past Disney trips combined! DH loves to go all-out on vacation and indulge, and why not? Most of our dinners were at Epcot: Tangerine Cafe, Le Cellier, Tokyo Dining, Via Napoli, Nine Dragons, La Hacienda de San Angel...we did not have one bad meal! My favorites? The pretzel bread at Le Cellier and the shawarma at Tangerine Cafe! Yum!
** Most of the lines were pretty manageable. I had gotten FP+ for some attractions so we didn't have to wait that long anyway, but I think the longest I waited for Space Mountain without FP+ was only 30 minutes (which didn't even feel like 30 minutes). Still, we didn't get to ride the Seven Dwarves Mine Train because I couldn't secure a FP and the standby line was too darn long for us.
** I'm so glad we rented a car. We rented through Alamo and did the online check-in/skip the counter thing, which was awesome. We basically got to the garage, picked our car, and were on our merry way. The car came in VERY useful. We took it to our breakfast reservation at the Poly and we drove it every day to all the parks (even though we were staying at POFQ, there were some very long waits for the buses, especially for MK. I waited about a half hour for the bus one day). The car also came in handy because almost every day DH left the parks early and went back to the room (the heat and crowds were getting to him) so he would either take the car back to POFQ and I'd take the bus after I was done in the park, or he'd take the bus and I'd take the car. DH also took the car to Half Price Books and we went to CVS to pick up some more blister bandages, so having the car was great for that as well.
** I also discovered that DH does not really enjoy the rides as much as I do. At least the wilder rides. On our second day, after we rode BTMRR, he didn't feel too great and needed to sit down for a bit which is totally understandable. I didn't make him go on anything he didn't want to and he didn't keep me from going on anything I wanted to. The big surprise was that he really enjoyed It's a Small World! We both love Mary Blair's art and that sold him on going on it in the first place. After riding it the first time, he said he thought the ride was kind of creepy, but then after we rode it again he said he really liked the look of it.
** The single rider line thing: The only attraction I ever actually saw any signage about a single rider wait was at Test Track. On other rides, do you just tell a CM that you are riding alone when you enter the line? I'd just like to know since I will probably be going onto a majority of the attractions by myself next visit. There were a few times that I got lucky and a CM would ask everyone if there was a party of one and I'd get moved up ahead, but by that time I was almost at the front of the line anyway!
** We only stayed in DHS for about an hour. We're not really show people and didn't feel like riding anything (ToT scares me to death), so we walked around and tried to find DH an Oswald shirt. We also went into One Man's Dream, which I had never seen before. We both loved it! I've wanted to be an animator since I was a kid, so seeing the desk and the multiplane camera made me squeal. Still, I agree with many people that there's not really that much there. I guess we'll just have to wait for the expansion, huh?
** The day before we left, I went ahead and booked the FD bounce back offer that was in our room! This is the first time I've booked a bounce back and the first time I've ever had the dining plan/gotten free dining, so I'm pretty happy. Yeah, a room discount would be nice, but from the way we ate this past trip, I think the FD will come in handy!
