Trip Report 5/3-5/12

sbkline, I hope you don't mind but I thought your preposting of your schedule was fun, so I'm going to try it too. I am going with my DH, DSIL, and DS4. It will be DS first trip, and DH and I haven't been down since our honeymoon in Oct. 2002. We're staying at Pop Century and are on the Deluxe Dining plan. We're celebrating my gradution. DH called Central Reservations and told them that when he requested the 50's or 70's at POP. Here's our itinerary as much as we've planned it. We haven't planned what parks we want to hit after dinner when we're eating at a resort.

Sat May 3: Official beginning of vacation. We will be leaving home 10:30 and 11 AM after DS Dance class, and Driving up to Dominican University for my graduation. My Graduate School is hosting a reception from 12:30-1:30. Then I get my Masters in Library and Information Science at the ceremony at 2. My parents are treating us to Dinner at Trattoria Peppino afterwards. Then DH, DS, and I will go to the Super 8 O'Hare and check in. DSIL is staying witha friend in Chicago.

Sunday May 4: Lazy day at the hotel swimming pool and dinner inn the city at Uno's. Early to bed because we have a 6 AM flight out of O'Hare in the morning.

Monday May 5: Going to Disney World. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 9:30. Hoping to be at POP to check-in by 11. Since room will probably not be ready, we will store our carryons and head to the Magic Kindom. Will probably either snack or grab a quick service lunch. Dinner at Liberty Tree at 6:05.

Tuesday May 6: Epcot. Lunch at Teppan Edo. Afternoon at DTD and POP. DSIL is keeping DS that night and DH and I are going to Yachtsman Steakhouse for supper at 6:10 and then Boardwalk, DTD, and PI.

Wednesday May 7: 8:05 Breakfast at Tusker House. Animal Kingdom till early afternoon. Snack or QS for lunch. Resort to swim or nap. 5:30 dinner at Artist's Point. Probably MGM after dinner.

Thursday May 8: DS is doing GF Pirate Cruise from 9:30-11:30. DH is staying at POP in morning to work on schoolwork. DSIL and I will hop the monorail resortd to shop and check them out whil DS is on Pirate Cruise. After Cruise spend the day in Epcot. DH meeting us for lunch at 1 at Coral Reef. (I know DS gets food on cruise, but he refuses to eat peanut butter.) Dinner at Restuarant Marrakesh at 6. Since DH will have internet access today from the morning, this is the night that DH will try to get DS to bed relatively early while DSIL and I go to PI.

Friday May 9: 8:05 breakfast at Crystal Palace. Then spend an hour or two in the MK. Go to POP and change into suits fot Typhoon Lagoon. Leave TL by 1 or 2 and go back to POP for rest and clothes. Back to MK for Tony's at 4:30 and then the Pirate and Princess Party.

Saturday May 10: DHS. Lunch at Sci-Fi at 11:30. Afternoon is up in the air. Mickey's Backyard BBQ at 6:30. Probably an early night back at POP after the BBQ.

Sunday May 11: Mother's Day Brunch at Epcot at 9. DisneyQuest and/or Mini-Golf in the afternoon. Dinner at Jiko's at 5:30. We left the evening open.

Monday May 12: We left the day open to do anything we missed or really want to do one more time before leaving. If we're not exhausted we will take advantage of AK moring EMH that day, then hop to MK, Epcot or both. Use up any remaining meal and snack credits. Fly out of Orlando at 7:05 PM.

 

[baz212]

Our Itinerary:

Sunday May 11: Mother's Day Brunch at Epcot at 9. DisneyQuest and/or Mini-Golf in the afternoon. Dinner at Jiko's at 5:30. We left the evening open.

What we did:

DSIL spent the day with DH and DSIL's aunt, so we could have Mother's Day as a family. I loved the Mother's Day Brunch at Epcot. It had a princess and roses theme. THe food was absolutely wonderful. I would highly reccomend it for anyone who will be in WDW on Mother's Day next year. The only complaint I had is that we had a 9:05 reservation and Belle and the Beast didn't get there til well after we were already seated, so we never got our picture with them.

This is where Belle and the Beast were later

There was a great make your own cupcake station for the kids.

 

[baz212]

After brunch we walked to imagination. DS liked it and is still talking about the skunk Figment. Next we did HISTA and DS did not like that. He said he didn't like the snake or the rats. We walked back to World Showcase and DS wanted his picture taken in front of Pluto, who has become his new favorite character.

Then we did the rides in Mexico and Norway and had a snack at Kringla. I liked the new Mexico, but I was never a fan of the old one. I thought that it was boring, especially back when it was the only ride in WS. After that we headed to MouseGears. They didn't have the yellow Epcot shirt in my size, or a single Figment plush, which I wanted. So while DS and DH bought the blue shark Power Ranger, I ran back to Imagination to get my Figment.

After Epcot we did go to DTD, but we just shopped. DS and DH built Lightsabers and DS filled a box of Potato parts.

Then they headed off to buy my Mother's Day present (Dreamfinder and Figment Jumbo Pin) and play at the Lego store while I did a little alone shopping. We decided to hit MK since they had EMH that night and DS saw another Pluto on the way back to the buses.

When we got to MK we hit FL since we had only done Pooh there so far. We did teacups and Dumbo before the fireworks. We did Philharmagic during the fireworks and DS fell out of seat at least 5 times while trying to grab the 3-D images. After that we did Small World and Peter Pan and decided to call it a night. DH and I still had to pack because we were flying home the next day.

 

[baz212]

Our Itinerary for the last day:

Monday May 12: We left the day open to do anything we missed or really want to do one more time before leaving. If we're not exhausted we will take advantage of AK moring EMH that day, then hop to MK, Epcot or both. Use up any remaining meal and snack credits. Fly out of Orlando at 7:05 PM.

What we actually did:

We didn't make it to AK, but we spent from about after using Resort Airline Check-in we were at the MK by about 9:30. We took the train to frontierland and did BTMR twice in a row, then we did HM and stopped at Columbia Harbor House and split a couple of meals. DS had to share with us because they didn't have chicken nuggets. Their kid's meal choices there are pretty pathetic. I don't know any preschooler that will eat a grilled chicken salad while his/her parents are eating chicken nuggets and/or fried fish. Disney needs to use some common sense intheir whole healthy meals thing. Then we headed to TL to do Buzz. After Buzz, DS wanted DSIL and I to get our faces painted with him so we headed to Toontown.

After our faces were painted we diid Barnsormer and walked through Mickey and Minnie's houses but skipped the meet and greets.

For our last ride we headed over to do Pirates. Then DSIL and I had Dole whips, and I stopped in Casey's for corn dog nuggets while we shopped a little bit on Main Street. DS ate half of them on me.

Then it was back to the hotel to wait for our Magical Express pick-up time. DS made a Goofy Candy Powder straw and we used our last meal credits on a quick lunch, then it was time to head for the airport.

 

[disneygirl1]

First off, Congratulation on receiving your Masters! I start graduate school in the fall.... Looks like you all had an awesome trip. Your little man is so cute!

 

[NewfieFan]

Great TR! I really enjoyed reading it and looking at all the pics too. Thanks for sharing!:wave:

 

[baz212]

First off, Congratulation on receiving your Masters! I start graduate school in the fall.... Looks like you all had an awesome trip. Your little man is so cute!

Thanks. It was a lot of hard work, but worth it. Good luck on getting yours. Little Man has actually been our nickname for him since he were born.

A few final thoughts. We have stayed at All Star Music twice in the past and I have stayed at POFQ before. We much prefferred POP to any of them. It's not as spread out as the All-stars and the amenities are similiar enough to the moderates to not justify spending the extra $ on the room.

I really like the chicken nuggets, although to be honest, I don't really remember the strips.

I was really dissapointed in some of the children's menu choices. The counter service kids food was bland and a lower quality than the adults. At POP my son couldn't get a hot dog as a kids meal even though the adult menu featured a hot dog, and the kid's chicken nuggets were disgusting. I've had better ones at the daycare center I used to work at. Columbia Harbor House only had two options, neither of which my DS wanted. I was happy with the majority of the table service kids menus with the exception of Marrakesh.While DS thoroughly enjoyed his spaghetti, They didn't have a single ethnic dish on the kid's menu. Teppan Edo did.

On the Deluxe Dining Plan, the actual credits were not seperated by child and adult. It only shows total meals remaining. If we sent two adults through the lines at POP buying two meals a piece, we got 4 adult counter service meals. Because it didn't keep track for us and never denied a credit, I'm sure it is not seperated on the computer when you get rung up. I have no idea how long this discrepancy will last, but it was nice to be able to get my son hot dogs and the good chicken nuggets.

Overall the trip was really good and the complaints about kids menus and internet are minor. The internet ended up being fine because my husbands professors were sympathetic and allowed him to turn in the assignments due on 5-11 on 5-13. The front desk did comp all of the internet charges, but the whole system needs to be upgraded or not be advertised as high-speed.

 

[baz212]

Here's some bonus pictures.

Waiting for the bus

looking at monkeys outside of Kali

Waiting for the Pirate cruise to start

On the Monorail

Playing in the Tiki's

Watching the fireworks

Waiting for HISTA to start

"Quilting" like Mommy in Minnie's house

 

[sissa216]

thanks for the report!
I think I was at Brookfield Zoo the day before you