This has been a while in getting back here in order to wrap up our trip but here I am and let’s get at it.
We were first timers and were not really aware of what to expect. Well at least the kids were as they didn’t even know we were going. I just did tonnes of research and had a good idea, however nothing beats hands on experience. But I came prepared with my agendas, FP+s, dinner reservations and MDE app all to try to ensure I didn’t forget anything. I was certain if I went in without the above, I would have been like a deer in headlights and miss doing half of what we did. As such, I think we really got a lot accomplished for our first visit.
Magic Kingdom: This is where we spent most of our time, 3 out of our 7 park days. I believe there was only one closure, Big Thunder Mountain (if you don’t include the Tree House), during our visit. There were other closures during our visit, however not for our whole visit so we were able to see them at some point. Good thing I had my MDE app, otherwise would have missed them and allowed me some time to alter our agendas. This was also where we had the majority of our character M&Gs, especially on our first two days. I would say where two of our more enjoyable M&Gs, Gaston and Woody & Jessie, took place. We were able to complete most of the attractions on our first two visits, allowing us to finish up on our third visit and enjoy a few rides a second or third time. I would say the big hits were; Haunted Mansion (after DD got over her fear), Splash Mountain, Buzz Adventure, Monster Laugh Floor and the People Mover. And for DD, Space Mountain. I would have to say, MK was probably the most enjoyed and favourite of the four parks. The park was full; however we were able to maneuver very well around the crowds to where we wanted to go. I still like DS asking how I knew where to go, without the aid of the map for the most part, and replied research, research and more research. Not to mention being able to maximize our FP+ experience to which I believe one day we got up to 9. Mind you, we only got rained on while at MK.
Epcot: We ended up spending a day and half here after finding out the extended hours at Animal Kingdom. The down side of Epcot, and Hollywood Studios for that fact, is the two tier system which makes it difficult to enjoy the tier one attractions on one visit. But we got a little help due to a dinner reservation issue we had. J I would say the favourites here were by far Test Track, Spaceship Earth, and Soarin (after DD got over her fear of being in the air 30 feet). And for DS Mission: Space and for DD Frozen. The kids really enjoyed lunch at the Garden Grill. Even with a day and a half we were not able to see everything, we missed things on the East side and not really able to visit many of the pavilions. Speaking of the World Showcase, Food & Wine Fest was going on and it was busier down there due to it. We were more than happy to spend most of our time away from the WS. This was really the only place I got lost and went for a little detour in going to where we were suppose to go.
Animal Kingdom: This was a one day visit, which we were a little late (according to the agenda) and ended a little early due to a request to go swimming. One attraction was closed, Dinosaur (and we didn’t venture into Dinoland due to time) and we didn’t do Everest. Due to time, we were also not able to take the Tiger Adventure walk. But we were able to do just about everything else. The kids were split upon which show was best. DD liked Lion King and DS liked Nemo. Both liked meeting Baloo & King Louie, surprise guest Governor Ratcliffe and really enjoyed the interaction with Chip & Dale. RofL had still not started so we were not able to have a preview. We all like animals, so we did enjoy the park. Even though we do like animals, I would say Rapids was the highlight, considering we went on it twice without having to get off our raft and sure we would have done it a 3rd or 4th time if they didn’t want to go swimming. Weather wise, this was probably the best day. Overcast and not overly hot. But DS has stated this was his least favourite of the four parks only due to the fact we could see the animals anywhere.
Hollywood Studios: This was also a day and a half visit. The first half day was to clear the way for the Star Wars birthday day. Being a little late at Epcot and getting lost put a little wrench into the plans, missing the Beauty & the Beast Show and the Mermaid ride. But we got every other non Star Wars attraction/M&G in. I do believe nothing was temporarily closed. The tier system didn’t bother us here considering we were not intending on going on either Aerosmith or the TofT. Not to mention the extra FPs we ended up receiving would have helped us by pass any long lines. The weather the first day was overcast as it had just rained but it was hot and sunny the second day. And I didn’t have to get updates from the Weather Channel on this as all I had to do was look at the kids. I could tell the heat was getting to them, especially during the two outdoor Star Wars shows. Favourite attraction, not sure. Thought it would be Toy Story, however after the first ride, DS didn’t want any more. I still think it was because my ride didn’t work and when they offered a replacement ride was told at first DS had to wait to the side until we completed our re run ride. He still states this is not the reason but I do think it did put a damper on the ride. For this and a few other reasons, which I will mention in the birthday wrap up, I believe this was the least favourite park we visited. L
Disney Dining Plan: I know there is debate on if this is worth it or not. This is easier for me to say considering it was included in the package we purchased. I did however, have to purchase a small up charge in order to get an upgrade on our plan to 1 snack, 1 quick service and 1 table service per day per person. For us, I would have to say it did work out in our favour. I am not sure how I would have reacted if I had to pay for each meal we had. We still may still be there waiting for DD to finish her meals. There would not have been any way we would have been leaving the table with the amount of food she left on her plate. We would have lost a lot of park time waiting for her to finish. And I didn’t want to finish off what she had left. I am trying to do the opposite. We also saved on meals by bringing our own breakfast and having it in our room. Not to mention, the time it saved us in the morning. The table services came in very handy especially in getting the number of character meals we were able to get. This did enhance our character experiences. Would I purchase it in the future? Yes, as this would ensure all family members returned home safely. (But I would still like to have it for free.) I couldn’t just sit there and watch half, or more than half, the food go into the trash and then get the Disney bill for the meal. I am sure my stress level would go through the roof worrying about all the money being waste. Would not make for a very stress free trip.
Restaurants: We made great use of our dining plan and ate at a number of different locations. Eight of them being character meals. I was not impressed with the two Princess meals, if I am being honest. The Princesses appeared to be rushed at Akershus and the meal options were not appealing to the kids. The Princesses were more interactive at CRT, but I won’t say it was worth 2 credits. If I was to name our top three it would be; Garden Grill (for both food and character interaction), Hollywood & Vine (mostly for the character interaction and the food selection was okay, but the kids were distracted by the characters) and then Crystal Palace (again mostly for the character interaction). The food court at Sports was busy every time we were there. It didn’t matter what time it was. It was even busy when I went there late night to refill my refillable cup.
Memory Maker: Same debate here as with the free dining, on if it is worth it or not. Maybe it is not worth it if you are there for a short trip and/or taking it slow and easy during the trip. We were not doing either. We had 7 days in the parks and our days were packed to the hilt. There was no slowing down for us, well maybe a little here and there. But our goal was to get in as much as we could, and in some cases more than one, in the time we were there. A number of attractions take photo shots while you are on the rides, however most the majority of Memory Maker opportunities come either from the special scenic locations or character M&Gs. There are Photopass Photographers throughout the parks, in special scenic locations, and I was surprised as to how many we actually ended up getting. But this was not where we utilized MM the most. I haven’t spoken about our M&Gs as of yet, it is coming, but this is where we fully utilized MM. There were not many M&Gs that we missed. My total picture count for the trip was a little over 3000, with approximately 1000 coming from MM. I am not ashamed to admit that the majority of the pictures used in my trip report were MM pictures. They just came out better/clearer than mine in most cases. Not all, but most. We also didn’t come across any ‘distracted’ Photographers either, which made it more enjoyable. The most beneficially aspect of MM in my opinion, would be the fact I was actually in the pictures. I don’t have many pictures of me and the kids. I am usually behind the camera, not in front of it. Not only the above, but it also allowed me to be involved with our trip and help enhance our family experience. The children still bring up some of our experiences and the way I ‘behaved’. Such as making Donald jealous or spraying down the Chipmunks. These all allowed for better memories and for this reason alone, I would have to say MM was worth every penny and would seriously consider getting it again.
Magic Bands: Really have nothing to compare with the old system as this was our first visit. We did have a few hiccups with them. The kids were not able to open our door the first night, but this was fixed that night and didn’t have any issue in this area afterwards. DD had issues entering the parks for the first 2-4 days. But think we found out why, had to use the same finger when checking into the parks. I don’t think we knew that, just DS and I ended up using the same finger. DD kept switching. No more issues once this was explained. The kids really enjoyed turning Mickey’s head green each time we went through the FP+ gates. Personally, it was nice not having to worry about which pocket your keys/credit card was in or digging into your backpack and for those affected, purse. It was just there on your wrist. Kind of hard to lose it.
FP+: Again, can’t really compare it to the previous system, just how it affected our trip. The two tier system at Epcot and Hollywood Studios could use a little adjusting, especially with Star Wars Land coming to Hollywood Studios. Not sure how that is going to affect the current system. It takes a little more planning/park hopping to be able to see the ‘main’ attractions. Personally, if I am in a park I want to stay there and get as much of it done as I can. I don’t want to ‘waste’ my time waiting for a bus and in transit. Just appears to be a waste of time when I can be enjoying a few attractions during that period of time. Not to mention, more security screening. This plan is fine if you plan on going back to your resort to rest/sleep and go back to the parks in the afternoon/evening. For us, things worked out very for these two parks. Mind you, we did have a little help with both in order to get around the tier system.
We fully utilized the ability to book our first 3 FP+s per park per day and then acquiring further FP+s after the 3. There were a few times we were not able to get what we wanted but there were other options. The best was being able to avoid some of those lines, even it was only 10 minutes. And I did take full advantage of the extra FP+s, believe was able to get a total of 6 extra FP+s one day while at MK. I would call that a good day.
MDE App: I will be honest; I don’t have many apps on my phone. Mainly because I don’t have a data plan. But I had to get it, not to mention, upgrade my phone, in order to help make the trip less stressful. There were a few days, in which there were connection issues. But even with the connection issues at AK, was still able to reorganize our day and dinner reservations in order to honour someone’s request to leave early to go swimming. Used it a little to see wait times and M&G locations, but the biggest use came in getting extra FP+s.
Missed Attractions: To be honest there was not much we missed. There were a few closures: Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, Big Thunder Mountain (not that we were planning on going on but would take some pressure off some of the other attractions) and Dinosaur.
MK we only missed Astro Obiter and Mad Tea Party and these were due to DS stating he didn’t want to spin as hurts his head. I can relate. No plans for the Hall of Presidents. There was also the Royal Faire and Shake it, Move it Dance Party (which we did catch the tail end of one show) but this was because it was just too warm to stand around and watch a show in the middle of a large crowd under the hot sun. There was also the Pirate Adventure, Pirate Tutorial and the Scorcher’s adventure. These were suggested but rejected. All in all, I would think we did very well. And there were a number we did more than once.
Hollywood Studios we did well as well. No plans for Great Movie Ride, One Man’s Dream, Disney JRs, TofT or Areosmith. We did however miss the Mermaid ride, the Beauty & the Beast show and the Star Wars fireworks show.
Animal Kingdom, I would say we did okay considering the last minute changes made to appease a little someone. Everest and DinoLand (the Boneyard, Tricera Top Spin and Primeval Whirl) were not on the agenda and the only thing missed was Maharajah Jungle Trek.
Epcot was probably where we missed the most, but we got in all the Tier 1 attractions. J Adjustments were made here as well as we had a very productive first visit. Kids wanted to see Ellen for the second visit to the park and the 45 minute ride ended up taking a lot of time which may have been used for the other missed attractions, but I was here to make the kids happy and give them the most magical experience they could have. So, to this end we missed; Living with the Land, Figment, Image Works and the Short Film Festival. We also didn’t spend any time in the World Showcase Pavilions. We did try the Agent P Adventure, however had issues with the upload and were unable to accomplish our mission.
Transportation: We parked the van and utilized WDW transportation for our trip. We used the ferry once to get from Hollywood Studios to Epcot. We did miss the one ferry due to the line; however another was not far behind. It was crowded though. Standing room only. Used the monorail twice; to get to the Contemporary for dinner with Chef Mickey and then back to MK. The only issue we had was getting on the wrong side of the platform, but still managed not to miss the next monorail. So, this was more due to rookie error than issue with the monorail. So, unlike some, we had no issues with our use of the monorail. Must have been beginner’s luck. Other than the two above occasions, we mainly used the bus services. I don’t remember waiting for any long extended periods of time, even though it may have felt like it. Maybe 10 minutes most of the time. Most the times when heading to the parks the buses were full. Many times returning to the hotel they were bare to the point one time we almost had it all to ourselves and once we did actually have the bus to ourselves. I was not sure how smooth or long the rides were going to be but I really can’t complain with the outcome. I have no issue, if we are able to go back, to park and bus for the trip.
All Star Sports: All Star Sports, as most of you know, is a value resort hotel. This was our first visit to WDW and to be honest we were not planning on spending much time in our room. It was mostly a place to sleep and store our belongings. It may be easier to do the above as we were only a family of three. We each had our own drawer to store our clothing. It was nice to have a table and two chairs to have breakfast in the morning and for me to do some late night planning for the next day. Fridge to keep our drinks/milk cold. Really the only thing I would have liked to have would have been a coffee maker in order to make hot water for the oatmeal. But I brought my own; thanks to some advice receive here. With only three of us, one was able to sleep alone every 3rd night. We really didn’t explore the grounds until our last night, but didn’t really need to as we had a pool almost right outside our door. I am sure the kids would have spent more time in the water if they could. I had requested two things for our room; top floor (don’t like noise from above) and close to the main building (just in case running behind and not having to rush to the bus stop) and was given both. Plus the added bonus of a nearby pool. The only negative thing I would comment would be the food court. It was always busy in there, no matter the time. It was hard to find a table at times. And the lines for food. I remember one time the kids decided to eat something else so we were in two different lines. They were done long before I was. It was just taking so long in order to get a burger. Think they could expand/add more tables and expand the food prep area in order to prepare the food faster. I think waiting 30 minutes (at least) is a little long. I know it may be a little hard to plan what people are going to prefer on a given day and time, but there are patterns to work from. And I know it was busy this day as finding a try was a hard thing to do as well. Bottom line, it fulfilled our needs and allowed us to be able to afford to stay longer to help ensure we were able to do as much as we could. I did look into staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, so DD could wake up to giraffes in the yards, however this would have doubled if not almost tripled the cost of our trip. So, decided to go back to the value resort and increase our stay from 5 days in the parks to 7. I think this was a very good decision and it did allow us to do what we wanted without being overly rushed.
Disappointments: Can’t say I have many. Not having our raincoats on our first night may be one. Agent P Adventures not working another. Animal Kingdom backstage tour being way too expensive, definitely. (But the kids did love our little adventure to Tampa/Bush Gardens.) The lack of consistent Wi-Fi in the parks to stay connected to MDE app. Food lines at the Sports food court. Being on time/early for dinner reservations and still having to wait; guess issue here is the added affect to our plans after our meal. Biggest one for sure would be new video cards for the camera not working in one camera especially during the recording of the kids’ interaction with Gaston. DS wanted to get him going so we would get a good video to post, similar to some he had seen. Unfortunately, it kept crashing and I had to finally use the older smaller capacity cards. (Glad I brought them along with me and they had enough storage capacity to last for our WDW visit and just maxed out in Hershey.) I know the kids were both disappointed not to have dueled Darth Vader. DS still brings up his disappointment with DD on her being tired our first night and not being able to see Boo-To-You Halloween Parade. He really wanted to see the headless horseman. I can say with 100% certainty, the greatest disappointment was having to leave WDW. DS to this day still states, out of the blue; he wishes he was back in WDW as he misses it so much. DD would have one extra disappointment, not really WDW related, she still has not flown on a plane yet. She really wants to fly, however I did explain to her that if we had flown we won’t have been able to do/see everything we did on our way to WDW. This did make her understand and happy we drove.
Autographs/Pictures: These were high on our list of things to do. Main reason for purchasing extra camera cards, getting Memory Maker and getting the kids their own autograph kits which included; 3”x6” cards, fine & large point markers in various colours, mini characters and clipboard. DS wanted to see and get Mickey’s autograph. I think he accomplished this, to a total of 8 times. And of course DD’s main goal would be the Princesses. With the exception of Princess Sofia, she was able to get all of them. That would be all 13, with some twice, three and even four times. Okay, maybe it is more like 12 Princesses and 1 Queen. And Elena was not signing/had a scheduled M&G at this time, which if she had we would have visited as well. DD likes watching her show. If you were counting, throughout this report or even if you weren’t, you probably noticed we didn’t miss many characters. It would probably be quicker to list who we didn’t see/get autographs from then those we did. We did have a few meeting of rare characters such as; The Genie, Terk, Captain Jack Sparrow and Governor Ratcliffe to which they still speak how rare/special they are. There were a few characters we meet who were not able to sign or were just to mean to; Baymax, Jaffer, King Louie, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. I think it was only those five. I could share the number of pictures I had develop for each of the kids for their autograph albums, to give you a good picture as to how many autographs/pictures the kids were able to get. Their total pictures developed we approximately 85. This is not total. This is individual. Meaning DD had about 85 pictures and DS had about 85 pictures. And some of these pictures were group pictures, such as; Tarzan, Lady Jane and Terk, which would have three different autographs to go with one picture. I would say we were really successful in this category. But apparently not successful enough, or is that too successful, the kids want to get more autographs and pictures if we were able to go back.
MNSSHP: This was a first for us. Well, really wasn’t everything. Two of our disappointments came on this night; getting drenched during a mini monsoon and missing the boo-to-you parade. There was at least a positive on getting drenched; we never forgot our raincoats the rest of our trip and were able to score some extra paper FPs. We only took part in a few of the trick or treating stations as in all honestly, we would be doing this back home in about a month’s time and not like characters were handing out the candy. No offense to any CMs. So, it was decided our time would be better spent doing things we won’t be able to accomplish back home, such as; going on rides and meeting special characters. Now that I am thinking about it, more meeting characters and less rides. We only went on one ride and waited in four slow moving M&G lines. The kids enjoyed one extra ride as I held our spot to see Jaffer. Not sure if the extra ticket fee justified our experience. Maybe if we stayed a little longer. The kids enjoyed it, so that is all that matters. The kids will have a say on our agenda, if there is a next time, which will include when and where.
Birthday: I didn’t think this day was as enjoyed when it came to an end. It was all about DS; Indiana Jones, Toy Story and especially Star Wars. Between not dueling Darth Vader, his experience at Toy Story Mania and the heat affecting them between the two outdoor shows, I thought for sure it didn’t come up to what I had hoped. I know what you are all thinking; a birthday at WDW is better than anywhere else. However, when enquiring which of the parks the kids enjoyed DS mentioned HS was up near the top because of his birthday events. I told him it made me feel better as I thought for sure he didn’t enjoy it. He reassured me that he did. We did end the night on a good note; a group picture of all the characters at Hollywood & Vine.
Final Thoughts: It would be nice to be able to go back, however due to many factors may be unlikely. However, after this learning experience, I would probably do things a little differently. But it will all depend when we go, what is going on and how long we stay; such as more park hopping to maximize FPs and enjoying the most liked rides/attractions. I am really glad I did all the research I did before hand and prepared our agendas, but it really is eye opening actually being there. It did allow our trip to be less stressful; less worrying about what to do/what we were missing and more enjoying what the parks had to offer. I am glad I expanded our trip to 7 days from 5, also allowing us to fully enjoy the parks. It was a goal of mine to make this trip a surprise for the kids, as the title of this report states. And if anyone has viewed the video of our entry into WDW, near the beginning of the report, would know this goal was accomplished. DS has stated that when he asked if we were going into WDW I should have replied ‘No, we are planning on coming next year so we are going home.’ I told him I had actually thought of saying that but thought I had been ‘mean’ enough during the trip. But clearly the main goal was for the kids to have a fantastic time. So, the big question is; did they? DS has stated he has forgotten parts of memories of some of our other adventures; however he can remember all the details of this trip. Include the constant random ‘outbursts’ of wishing they were back at WDW, I would say this was a trip the kids truly enjoyed and should have memories of, for a very long time. A trip full of magic and memories to last a life time.
I would like to finish by saying thank you to everyone who helped make our trip as enjoyable as it was, by sharing your knowledge and experiences with this novice WDW visitor, as well as others. And thank you to those who followed my report and for all the kind words and support for my posts.
