TheTophDaddy
New Member
My family (wife, wife’s parents, and DD 3.5 yrs and DD 1.67 years) and I just returned from our vacation to Walt Disney World. I am pleased to bring you this long, but hopefully informative report.
First, the basic overview:
Resort –
All-Star Movies for one Bonus Night
(thanks to a much cheaper flight).
Animal Kingdom Lodge for the rest.
Timeframe – September 21st through the 27th
Parks Visited – MK, Dis/MGM, AK, Epcot, and Blizzard Beach
Restaurants – Cinderella’s Royal Table, Jiko, the Mara, Le Cellier, Rainforest Café (at AK), Wolfgang Puck’s, Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Melrose’s, Starlight Café (and other counters throughout), McDonald’s (Downtown Disney)
Other Highlights – Adventurer’s Club three nights (yay!), DisneyQuest, Comedy Warehouse, Once Upon a Toy
Weather – Days were pretty clear and pretty warm, but it rained not less than three hours a day. Every night was good for a 20 minute downpour or two. I was wet a lot. I actually bought an Indiana Jones fedora just to keep the rain off my glasses. Good thing I wanted one anyway, huh?
Saturday the 21st:
Arrived in the mid-afternoon and took Tiffany Town Car transportation to All-Star Movies. Nice place, nicer than I expected, but very loud (in color and decibel level). We had a room in the 101 Dalmatians building (the male dog’s, I think) and swam in the Mighty Ducks pool. LOVED the Toy Story theming, and the food was decent in the food court. Also, loved the popcorn box light fixtures in the room, as well as the movie poster decorations. Relaxed here for the most part in anticipation of an early trip over to the AKL to check in before MK on Sunday. Watched Ohio State eke out a win over Cinci.
Sunday the 22nd:
Began the day by going over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge with my mother-in-law and eight bags. We taxied over, and only one word adequately sums up my initial experience. WOW. I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge on my honeymoon in 1995, and this place amazed me just like that did, right out of the box. Checked in, and had a room on the second floor of the kudu trail, facing the Sunset Savannah. This turned out to be just wonderful. The lobby is a dream come true when it comes to theme and architecture… for example, I loved the web of stairways to the lounge and restaurants. Animals are everywhere. Because our room was on the Sunset Savannah, I had easy access to all three savannas on the trip… Arusha Rock, Pool, and Room.
Met the rest of my family at MK at 8:45. Got to see characters outside, right inside, and on the path to the castle. Rode Dumbo (my kids’ first Disney ride) and the Carousel before heading in for the CRT Princess Breakfast. Another great experience with great food and wonderful character interaction for my daughters. Because crowds were light, we were able to get on Peter Pan, small world, Pooh, the Indy Speedway, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, TTA, Pirates, Splash Mountain (three times in a row, doing a pure walk-on), Big Thunder, Magic Carpets, Country Bears, the Jungle Cruise, and (cymbal crash) the HAUNTED MANSION, which had opened just as I walked by! And this was all before 5:00 P.M.
Finished the night with Jiko. Wonderful food, great atmosphere, even with an ornery 20-month old.
Monday the 22nd:
Because we finished MK in one day, we had Monday to go to Blizzard Beach. What a wonderful place for my young kids. We spent an hour in the lazy river, quite a bit of time in Tike’s Peak and the Ski Patrol Training Area, and even went on Teamboat Springs together. This was the biggest surprise of the week… how much fun we four had at the water park. The lazy river was a particular highlight.
Wife and I then left the kids with their grandparents, went to Epcot for Test Track, sushi, dinner at Le Cellier and desert in France… all during an Isadore-fueled downpour. We finished the evening with a quick ride over to the Wilderness Lodge and an evening at Pleasure Island.
Tuesday the 23rd:
Long day planned… MGM from morning until Fantasmic. Hit Tower of Terror early, rode Star Tours, played Millionaire, ate at the Hollywood Brown Derby, saw BEAR! And the MUPPETS! Saw Hunchback before it closed (sniff, it was always a favorite, movie and show), and loved the Little Mermaid. Went to Mama Melrose’s for the Fantasmic Package. Will NEVER do that again. Waste of money, the food was lousy, and the seats were only as good as others we could have walked up and gotten. HOWEVER, it was my first time seeing Fantasmic and everyone loved it. HBD is a wonderful restaurant, as usual, and the food quality was superb. Enjoyed a few minutes at the Muppets fountain alone with my little girls, and also got to see Buzz, Woody, and Jesse. One Man’s Dream, both the display and the movie, are wonderful and are long overdue.
Wednesday the 24th:
Went to the Animal Kingdom in the morning… was able to ride Dinosaur twice (it was better before they toned it down, but it is still good), Primeval Whirl (it’s an “eh” ride… rough and not too much fun), the Triceratops Spin (kids loved it, what else is new?), Kali River Rapids three times with my older daughter, who was just tall enough. She loved it! I also had the best ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris I’ve ever had… we saw everything. An, in my opinion, Bug’s Life has the best effects when it comes to the Magical Moments pins. Wife and kids loved Tarzan Rocks, while I went on the rides. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Café, where the thunder and lightning scared my Kali River Rapids loving kid. This was the last time we tried to sit down to a decent meal.
While my kids napped, I spent 40 minutes watching a small herd of Thompson’s Gazelle graze near my room. Realized that the Animal Kingdom Lodge is my new favorite hotel in the world when one popped out from behind a bush right in front of me. Giraffe in the background, ostriches nearby, I was in a peculiar heaven.
Finished the night at Downtown Disney buying stuff for the kiddies (and the kiddies inside of us!). Once Upon a Toy was really cool, and I got both board games I wanted (Theme Park Monopoly and the Haunted Mansion Clue). Spent a fortune on kids’ toys, too. Enjoyed the McDonald’s, because my youngest finally behaved at a meal. Grandparents took the kids back to the hotel, and wife and I enjoyed another night in the Adventurer’s Club.
KUNGALOOSH!
Thursday the 26th:
Last full day. We did a whirlwind tour of FutureWorld at Epcot before heading back to the hotel. Rode Imagination (except for the finale, this is a silly ride), Living with the Land (always a strange highlight… everyone loved it), Test Track and one of my favorite attractions, Spaceship Earth.
A nice nap in the afternoon was followed by my wife and me taking my older daughter to MK for three hours. Hit Peter Pan, small world, Dumbo, Carousel, Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, Astro Orbiter, Space Mountain, Magic Carpets (x3… kids, huh?), and for the finale, Pirates of the Caribbean. It was incredible… the three of us were the only ones on the ride. It was easily the best ride on Pirates I have ever had. Empty boats in front of us, behind us, audible dialogue, and perfect ambiance. What a night.
We saw SpectroMagic on the way out. And then, we left our daughter with her grandparents and went to DisneyQuest and, you guessed it, the Adventurer’s Club. The Pirate game at DisneyQuest is great fun.
Friday the 27th:
Packed, swam in the wonderful pool at AKL, and played on the playground before leaving for the airport.
What a wonderful trip. I have loved Disney since I was six years old, but I have never had as much fun as I did on this trip with my babies. I thought I still knew what the magic was, but looking into their faces as they saw Cinderella or rode on Small World, or experienced the Muppet movie, I realized something. I may remember the magic, and love it, and try to hold onto it, but only the little ones who don’t yet know fantasy from reality can feel it in every fiber of their being. To experience the magic I have to forcibly forget that these are people earning wages and striving for successful commerce, but to a three-year-old, it’s real. And when the magic is real to them… it’s real to all of us, too.
Thanks for reading. I hope that all of your vacations turn out as well as this one did for us.
First, the basic overview:
Resort –
All-Star Movies for one Bonus Night
(thanks to a much cheaper flight).
Animal Kingdom Lodge for the rest.
Timeframe – September 21st through the 27th
Parks Visited – MK, Dis/MGM, AK, Epcot, and Blizzard Beach
Restaurants – Cinderella’s Royal Table, Jiko, the Mara, Le Cellier, Rainforest Café (at AK), Wolfgang Puck’s, Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Melrose’s, Starlight Café (and other counters throughout), McDonald’s (Downtown Disney)
Other Highlights – Adventurer’s Club three nights (yay!), DisneyQuest, Comedy Warehouse, Once Upon a Toy
Weather – Days were pretty clear and pretty warm, but it rained not less than three hours a day. Every night was good for a 20 minute downpour or two. I was wet a lot. I actually bought an Indiana Jones fedora just to keep the rain off my glasses. Good thing I wanted one anyway, huh?
Saturday the 21st:
Arrived in the mid-afternoon and took Tiffany Town Car transportation to All-Star Movies. Nice place, nicer than I expected, but very loud (in color and decibel level). We had a room in the 101 Dalmatians building (the male dog’s, I think) and swam in the Mighty Ducks pool. LOVED the Toy Story theming, and the food was decent in the food court. Also, loved the popcorn box light fixtures in the room, as well as the movie poster decorations. Relaxed here for the most part in anticipation of an early trip over to the AKL to check in before MK on Sunday. Watched Ohio State eke out a win over Cinci.
Sunday the 22nd:
Began the day by going over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge with my mother-in-law and eight bags. We taxied over, and only one word adequately sums up my initial experience. WOW. I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge on my honeymoon in 1995, and this place amazed me just like that did, right out of the box. Checked in, and had a room on the second floor of the kudu trail, facing the Sunset Savannah. This turned out to be just wonderful. The lobby is a dream come true when it comes to theme and architecture… for example, I loved the web of stairways to the lounge and restaurants. Animals are everywhere. Because our room was on the Sunset Savannah, I had easy access to all three savannas on the trip… Arusha Rock, Pool, and Room.
Met the rest of my family at MK at 8:45. Got to see characters outside, right inside, and on the path to the castle. Rode Dumbo (my kids’ first Disney ride) and the Carousel before heading in for the CRT Princess Breakfast. Another great experience with great food and wonderful character interaction for my daughters. Because crowds were light, we were able to get on Peter Pan, small world, Pooh, the Indy Speedway, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, TTA, Pirates, Splash Mountain (three times in a row, doing a pure walk-on), Big Thunder, Magic Carpets, Country Bears, the Jungle Cruise, and (cymbal crash) the HAUNTED MANSION, which had opened just as I walked by! And this was all before 5:00 P.M.
Finished the night with Jiko. Wonderful food, great atmosphere, even with an ornery 20-month old.
Monday the 22nd:
Because we finished MK in one day, we had Monday to go to Blizzard Beach. What a wonderful place for my young kids. We spent an hour in the lazy river, quite a bit of time in Tike’s Peak and the Ski Patrol Training Area, and even went on Teamboat Springs together. This was the biggest surprise of the week… how much fun we four had at the water park. The lazy river was a particular highlight.
Wife and I then left the kids with their grandparents, went to Epcot for Test Track, sushi, dinner at Le Cellier and desert in France… all during an Isadore-fueled downpour. We finished the evening with a quick ride over to the Wilderness Lodge and an evening at Pleasure Island.
Tuesday the 23rd:
Long day planned… MGM from morning until Fantasmic. Hit Tower of Terror early, rode Star Tours, played Millionaire, ate at the Hollywood Brown Derby, saw BEAR! And the MUPPETS! Saw Hunchback before it closed (sniff, it was always a favorite, movie and show), and loved the Little Mermaid. Went to Mama Melrose’s for the Fantasmic Package. Will NEVER do that again. Waste of money, the food was lousy, and the seats were only as good as others we could have walked up and gotten. HOWEVER, it was my first time seeing Fantasmic and everyone loved it. HBD is a wonderful restaurant, as usual, and the food quality was superb. Enjoyed a few minutes at the Muppets fountain alone with my little girls, and also got to see Buzz, Woody, and Jesse. One Man’s Dream, both the display and the movie, are wonderful and are long overdue.
Wednesday the 24th:
Went to the Animal Kingdom in the morning… was able to ride Dinosaur twice (it was better before they toned it down, but it is still good), Primeval Whirl (it’s an “eh” ride… rough and not too much fun), the Triceratops Spin (kids loved it, what else is new?), Kali River Rapids three times with my older daughter, who was just tall enough. She loved it! I also had the best ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris I’ve ever had… we saw everything. An, in my opinion, Bug’s Life has the best effects when it comes to the Magical Moments pins. Wife and kids loved Tarzan Rocks, while I went on the rides. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Café, where the thunder and lightning scared my Kali River Rapids loving kid. This was the last time we tried to sit down to a decent meal.
While my kids napped, I spent 40 minutes watching a small herd of Thompson’s Gazelle graze near my room. Realized that the Animal Kingdom Lodge is my new favorite hotel in the world when one popped out from behind a bush right in front of me. Giraffe in the background, ostriches nearby, I was in a peculiar heaven.
Finished the night at Downtown Disney buying stuff for the kiddies (and the kiddies inside of us!). Once Upon a Toy was really cool, and I got both board games I wanted (Theme Park Monopoly and the Haunted Mansion Clue). Spent a fortune on kids’ toys, too. Enjoyed the McDonald’s, because my youngest finally behaved at a meal. Grandparents took the kids back to the hotel, and wife and I enjoyed another night in the Adventurer’s Club.
KUNGALOOSH!
Thursday the 26th:
Last full day. We did a whirlwind tour of FutureWorld at Epcot before heading back to the hotel. Rode Imagination (except for the finale, this is a silly ride), Living with the Land (always a strange highlight… everyone loved it), Test Track and one of my favorite attractions, Spaceship Earth.
A nice nap in the afternoon was followed by my wife and me taking my older daughter to MK for three hours. Hit Peter Pan, small world, Dumbo, Carousel, Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, Astro Orbiter, Space Mountain, Magic Carpets (x3… kids, huh?), and for the finale, Pirates of the Caribbean. It was incredible… the three of us were the only ones on the ride. It was easily the best ride on Pirates I have ever had. Empty boats in front of us, behind us, audible dialogue, and perfect ambiance. What a night.
We saw SpectroMagic on the way out. And then, we left our daughter with her grandparents and went to DisneyQuest and, you guessed it, the Adventurer’s Club. The Pirate game at DisneyQuest is great fun.
Friday the 27th:
Packed, swam in the wonderful pool at AKL, and played on the playground before leaving for the airport.
What a wonderful trip. I have loved Disney since I was six years old, but I have never had as much fun as I did on this trip with my babies. I thought I still knew what the magic was, but looking into their faces as they saw Cinderella or rode on Small World, or experienced the Muppet movie, I realized something. I may remember the magic, and love it, and try to hold onto it, but only the little ones who don’t yet know fantasy from reality can feel it in every fiber of their being. To experience the magic I have to forcibly forget that these are people earning wages and striving for successful commerce, but to a three-year-old, it’s real. And when the magic is real to them… it’s real to all of us, too.
Thanks for reading. I hope that all of your vacations turn out as well as this one did for us.
did she get measured a bunch?
