Ok, so this is the first time I’ve done a recap of a trip, so please bear with me…..lol! My wife and I are dvc members and we began a new tradition of making a trip early to mid December each year. We love the lighter crowds and the weather is usually a nice escape from here in the northeast. This year we decided to take another couple with us who weren’t huge Disney fans- at least not at our level- lol.
I was going into this trip with my fingers crossed, since Disney has been “wal-marting” itself recently, putting more into the bottom line as opposed to its front line. Of course, I’ll keep a huge chip on my shoulder for the AC- Kungaloosh!
Anyway, it was a short trip, Saturday 12/13 thru Tuesday 12/16. Like I said, it was just a quick getaway.
Saturday:
Travel days are rarely the best of days on a vacation, but we were determined to make the best of it! We arrived at mco right on time at 2:30. But…. I couldn’t believe the line for the magical express! I stretched easily 100 yards from the entrance to the turnstiles! In dozens of previous trips( even summer) rarely have I witnessed a line that goes much beyond the turnstiles. I nearly decided to rent a car, but to my delight the line moved rather quickly. Until all was said and done, we arrived at ssr around 3:45 and we had a terrific bus driver!
Then came the dreaded “we’re sorry, but you’re room is not yet ready….” . needless to say I wasn’t very thrilled. We were tired and wanted to just chill for a bit in our room and settle in. Luckily, our wait was only around 20 minutes ( I think I made about 5 calls though). We loved our 2 bedroom and loved the location- right near a bus stop, near the waterfront in Congress Park.
We made our way to epcot for the remainder of the evening to sample some of the flavors in world showcase, ride a few attractions, partake in a few international beverages, and enjoy illuminations. The rides were great as usual, although the lines were longer than expected. The feel of world showcase was its usual indulging self. There may be few things better than WS at night when you can just relax and enjoy….. and let the wife do some shopping! However, when it was time for illuminations (I don’t care much for the change to the preshow announcements, small as it may be I’m just grew to know the old voice I guess) I was hugely disappointed in the show! I heard there had been cuts in the fireworks, but man! I felt the need to apologize to our friends after I had talked the show up so much. The finale was good, but there was soooo much missing in the middle….. really disappointing.
Now, on to PI for the nightcap! Oh, wait…!
Sunday:
Our friends attended a nearby mass at Our Lady of the Universe. A huge thank you to those who provided assistance finding one nearby, in a previous thread! They enjoyed the services and even some of the nearby shopping.
My wife and I were off to the marketplace for lunch. We ate at Earl of Sandwich. It was my first visit there and it didn’t disappoint for a quick stop. I highly recommend the Full Montague as well as the Chicken Noodle Soup- yum!
After our bellies were full it was on to some shopping. I didn’t last too long and I decided to head over to espn zone for an afternoon of football. The place was packed as expected. (On a side note, I was never really a fan of the idea of moving this to downtown Disney, but maybe a larger facility could make some sense. ) I stood for about the first hour and a half, and only after my wife showed up was I able to get a seat. We had too share one, but that was perfectly fine with us. The atmosphere were great, with some good natured ribbing taking place.
Dinner was at the California Grille. It was also my first visit here after many attempts, so I was really looking forward to it! Nothing and I mean nothing disappointed! Our waiter was wonderful- very personable, and extremely knowledgeable. The food was outstanding, and of course the view can’t be beat! I could go on, but I’m being rather long winded already…..
After diner, we ventured over to MVMCP. We arrived just as the parade was making its way to the town square. This is when I knew our friends were having a great time- their smiles were ear to ear! There’s absolutely nothing like Main Street USA! To me this is always the warmest, and sometimes emotional, part of any wdw trip. Particularly at dusk! Ahhhh, the lights, the sounds…….
After the parade, we went straight to Space Mountain! A 5 minute wait was all we endured, and what a blast it was!!!
Then we made our way towards the hub for the fireworks. After my disappointment with illuminations, I was really worried about the upcoming show. But I honestly thought this was the best show I’ve ever seen for Holiday Wishes! They were just amazing! We did a few more rides and then called it a night.
Monday:
We started Monday back at MK. We hit the other side of the park- PotC, Splash, BTMRR, even philharmagic. I must say that I thought the crowds were as heavy as I’ve ever witnessed on our December trips….. After a bit more shopping, we were on our way back to our room to get ready for dinner.
We had dinner at one of our favorites- the Hollywood Brown Derby. Again, nothing disappointed. We then headed over to watch Fantasmic! Again, it blows my mind that Disney is messing with a good thing. I love F! and so did our friends. We had just enough time to squeeze in a quick trip on ToT before going over to watch the Osbourne lights. Another scene that left our friends in awe. There were people dancing all around us, singing along with the music, and I believe there was even some sort of congo line- lol!
We ended the night with a trip to espn zone for Monday night football. After an hour or two we were ready to try someplace else. We headed towards Jellyrolls only to find they were still asking for a $10 cover with 45 minutes until close. Even our friends had to say they were shocked that there was really nowhere else for any nightlife on property.
Tuesday:
Departure day is never really a fun day. There was an issue with our room pickup. Luckily, a bellman was kind enough to notice us waiting and radioed to inform them of the mistake and picked us up.
My next issue would be with the airport check in service at the resort. We had to pay a checked bag fee which obviously has nothing to do with Disney. But, inorder to pay it, we needed to call a number from our cell phone, to get a confirmation #. Then we had to give our credit card # over the phone to make payment. I know this is probably more of an issue with the airline, but there has to be a better way of doing things than to have to give personal info over the phone in a busy area.
Anyway, that was it! A great trip! Overall, my lowered view of Disney recently, has been raised quite a bit! It will always be magic to me……. I look forward to our next trip!!!!
I was going into this trip with my fingers crossed, since Disney has been “wal-marting” itself recently, putting more into the bottom line as opposed to its front line. Of course, I’ll keep a huge chip on my shoulder for the AC- Kungaloosh!
Anyway, it was a short trip, Saturday 12/13 thru Tuesday 12/16. Like I said, it was just a quick getaway.
Saturday:
Travel days are rarely the best of days on a vacation, but we were determined to make the best of it! We arrived at mco right on time at 2:30. But…. I couldn’t believe the line for the magical express! I stretched easily 100 yards from the entrance to the turnstiles! In dozens of previous trips( even summer) rarely have I witnessed a line that goes much beyond the turnstiles. I nearly decided to rent a car, but to my delight the line moved rather quickly. Until all was said and done, we arrived at ssr around 3:45 and we had a terrific bus driver!
Then came the dreaded “we’re sorry, but you’re room is not yet ready….” . needless to say I wasn’t very thrilled. We were tired and wanted to just chill for a bit in our room and settle in. Luckily, our wait was only around 20 minutes ( I think I made about 5 calls though). We loved our 2 bedroom and loved the location- right near a bus stop, near the waterfront in Congress Park.
We made our way to epcot for the remainder of the evening to sample some of the flavors in world showcase, ride a few attractions, partake in a few international beverages, and enjoy illuminations. The rides were great as usual, although the lines were longer than expected. The feel of world showcase was its usual indulging self. There may be few things better than WS at night when you can just relax and enjoy….. and let the wife do some shopping! However, when it was time for illuminations (I don’t care much for the change to the preshow announcements, small as it may be I’m just grew to know the old voice I guess) I was hugely disappointed in the show! I heard there had been cuts in the fireworks, but man! I felt the need to apologize to our friends after I had talked the show up so much. The finale was good, but there was soooo much missing in the middle….. really disappointing.
Now, on to PI for the nightcap! Oh, wait…!
Sunday:
Our friends attended a nearby mass at Our Lady of the Universe. A huge thank you to those who provided assistance finding one nearby, in a previous thread! They enjoyed the services and even some of the nearby shopping.
My wife and I were off to the marketplace for lunch. We ate at Earl of Sandwich. It was my first visit there and it didn’t disappoint for a quick stop. I highly recommend the Full Montague as well as the Chicken Noodle Soup- yum!
After our bellies were full it was on to some shopping. I didn’t last too long and I decided to head over to espn zone for an afternoon of football. The place was packed as expected. (On a side note, I was never really a fan of the idea of moving this to downtown Disney, but maybe a larger facility could make some sense. ) I stood for about the first hour and a half, and only after my wife showed up was I able to get a seat. We had too share one, but that was perfectly fine with us. The atmosphere were great, with some good natured ribbing taking place.
Dinner was at the California Grille. It was also my first visit here after many attempts, so I was really looking forward to it! Nothing and I mean nothing disappointed! Our waiter was wonderful- very personable, and extremely knowledgeable. The food was outstanding, and of course the view can’t be beat! I could go on, but I’m being rather long winded already…..
After diner, we ventured over to MVMCP. We arrived just as the parade was making its way to the town square. This is when I knew our friends were having a great time- their smiles were ear to ear! There’s absolutely nothing like Main Street USA! To me this is always the warmest, and sometimes emotional, part of any wdw trip. Particularly at dusk! Ahhhh, the lights, the sounds…….
After the parade, we went straight to Space Mountain! A 5 minute wait was all we endured, and what a blast it was!!!
Then we made our way towards the hub for the fireworks. After my disappointment with illuminations, I was really worried about the upcoming show. But I honestly thought this was the best show I’ve ever seen for Holiday Wishes! They were just amazing! We did a few more rides and then called it a night.
Monday:
We started Monday back at MK. We hit the other side of the park- PotC, Splash, BTMRR, even philharmagic. I must say that I thought the crowds were as heavy as I’ve ever witnessed on our December trips….. After a bit more shopping, we were on our way back to our room to get ready for dinner.
We had dinner at one of our favorites- the Hollywood Brown Derby. Again, nothing disappointed. We then headed over to watch Fantasmic! Again, it blows my mind that Disney is messing with a good thing. I love F! and so did our friends. We had just enough time to squeeze in a quick trip on ToT before going over to watch the Osbourne lights. Another scene that left our friends in awe. There were people dancing all around us, singing along with the music, and I believe there was even some sort of congo line- lol!
We ended the night with a trip to espn zone for Monday night football. After an hour or two we were ready to try someplace else. We headed towards Jellyrolls only to find they were still asking for a $10 cover with 45 minutes until close. Even our friends had to say they were shocked that there was really nowhere else for any nightlife on property.
Tuesday:
Departure day is never really a fun day. There was an issue with our room pickup. Luckily, a bellman was kind enough to notice us waiting and radioed to inform them of the mistake and picked us up.
My next issue would be with the airport check in service at the resort. We had to pay a checked bag fee which obviously has nothing to do with Disney. But, inorder to pay it, we needed to call a number from our cell phone, to get a confirmation #. Then we had to give our credit card # over the phone to make payment. I know this is probably more of an issue with the airline, but there has to be a better way of doing things than to have to give personal info over the phone in a busy area.
Anyway, that was it! A great trip! Overall, my lowered view of Disney recently, has been raised quite a bit! It will always be magic to me……. I look forward to our next trip!!!!
