Trip Report - To Infinity And Beyond!!

wsmith1978

Well-Known Member
**EDIT** CRAP!! First, I post this under an account I never use, then I post it in the wrong section!! Could someone please move it? I'm sorry, my brain is obviously still in Mickey Mode.

I have so much to cover, so this may jump around a bit, as I don't want to forget anything!

Just got back from 8 glorious days in sunny Florida. The weather was absolutely beautiful. 70's and low 80's everyday, and sunny most days.

The trip started with a 2-1/2 hour flight delay from Philadelphia (US Airways) due to a faulty starter valve. Ok, I'll wait for that! LOL

I'm sure some of you read my post about the VIP viewing of Fantasmic! that was arranged for us because of the letter we sent to Meg Crofton, gushing over Disney World and telling her we would be celebrating our 10th Anniversary and my 100+lb weight loss on this trip. Well, I'll get to that VIP viewing later, but little did we know it was just the beginning of our surprises!

Upon check-in at The Wilderness Lodge, we were told that we were on Club Level! My spirits soared. LOL Someone took us up to the 7th floor, and the Club Level Concierge gave us a tour of the floor, the complimentary snack area that is stocked throughout the day with various delicious treats, and then took us to our room. It was very nice, 2 queen size beds (same as other rooms we've stayed in), but everything was higher quality. One bed had a Mickey head made of towels, with a note from the hotel, welcoming us to Club Level, and some chocolates. On the table, by the balcony door, 2 gift baskets full of cheeses, truffles, champagne, and champagne glasses, with a note on each saying Happy Anniversary!! We also had a voicemail message from Mickey and Minnie wishes us a Happy Anniversary. It was so very thoughtful...

We spent a few minutes in the hotel, but the anticipation of getting to MK and seeing the New Fantasyland was killing us, so we headed out...

The next day, upon arriving back at our room mid-day after spending the morning at AK, we had a message from Concierge telling us that a better room had opened up, with a king size bed and a better view, and they wanted to know if we wanted it. Ummm... YEAH! So we headed to Concierge and they greeted us with big, excited smiles. We had a feeling we were in for something amazing... we had no idea. They told us to pack up our stuff and give them a couple hours to get the room ready. We did as they said, went to MK for a bit, and when we returned the hotel manager came up and took us to our room. It was the YELLOWSTONE SUITE!!!! I never knew about this room before, but it's the equivalent of a Presidential Suite, and as far as I can tell, the best room in the whole hotel! He first showed us the bedroom, with the king size bed, balcony, large flat screen TV and Blu Ray player. Then, he asked us to open the door to our large "closet". Well, that "closet" was the rest of the suite. We had a dining room, living room, kitchen, office, and a beautiful foyer which led to the main entrance to the room. All in all, we had 4 balconies which had the most spectacular view you could imagine. The room took up an entire section of the top floor! The living room had a sofa and 3 chairs, another TV with Bose surround sound, and another Blu Ray player. Finally, he showed us the bathroom, which was like 4 rooms in itself (there was also a powder room by the main entrance)... 2 sinks on opposite sides, then a doorway, then a vanity on the left, and another room on the right for the toilet and bidet, and finally the another doorway leading to the huge shower on the left with glass doors and Jacuzzi on the right. Absolutely amazing!!! We were floored. Actually, we both teared up a little and wondered what we did to deserve this! Needless to say, we had a hard time deciding where we wanted to be more, the parks or the room!

The VIP viewing of Fantasmic! on Thursday was very cool. They just had a small section of seats blocked off directly in the center of the stadium, so it was nice to not have to fight the crowd, stand in line, etc. There weren't many people sitting in that section, so enjoying the space between us was also a bonus.

Now, about MK:

I thought the crane would bother me more than it did. Sure, it's an eyesore in my castle photos, but I have plenty of photos from prior trips, so it's okay! It was actually kinda neat to see them working on it.

New Fantasyland - beautifully done! The attention to detail right in line with Disney's standards. Spent a lot of time just walking around, taking it all in. Not a whole lot to do, as far as attractions (especially for adults), but will be drastically improved once that Mine Train coaster is complete. They need to get that thing done and open up that bottleneck around Winnie The Pooh. That area is a major PIA to get through.

Be Our Guest Restaurant - quick service - food was excellent, ballroom stunning, West Wing gorgeous. Excellent service. We got in line at 10:00 (only a few people ahead of us). We were let in at 10:30 and at our table within about 10 mins or so.

Little Mermaid - Lovely ride, but a little too short. Why is Aerial dancing during Under The Sea? In the movie, she was not convinced by Sebastian's song, and actually left before it was over. We rode it 3 times during our stay, and one of those times, a lot of the Animatronics in Under The Sea were not working. We noticed the ride had been closed when we exited, so I assume this was the reason. It also opened late and closed early the following day.

Tangled bathroom area - as we all know, it must be near completion. Can't wait to see it on the next trip! The tower is very nice looking.

Wishes - probably my very favorite thing about Disney World. I almost don't want to share this, because for now it seems like an undiscovered secret, but I think there is a new "best place to view Wishes" spot. We found it by accident. We decided, one night, to skip Wishes and enjoy the slightly shorter lines during the show. It started as we were walking past Small World, toward the castle. As we rounded the corner, heading toward New Fantasyland, we noticed we were surrounded by fireworks. The smaller ones were firing around the castle, and the larger, higher ones were going off above Beast's Castle. It was simply spectacular. Everybody was ooohing and ahhhing. So magical!! We watched it from that spot two more times. I highly recommend giving it a try!

What are they doing near the Haunted Mansion entrance? An area was walled off about 20' or so square. We ate at Columbia Harbor House and sat at a table overlooking that spot but still couldn't tell what was being done. Anyone know?

We visited all 4 parks and made really good use of the Park Hopper option - we were all over the place.

EPCOT - I loved the new Test Track!! Same ride, of course, but I preferred the visuals to the older version.

HS - Don't bother seeing The Legend of Jack Sparrow! Ugh!! What a waste. I literally hated it. LOL

Crowds: Busier than previous trips. This past Saturday was almost unbearable at MK. I don't know if this is because of New Fantasyland, a better economy, or just a general increase in attendance - or all of the above. We're thinking of trying early October next time, maybe that will be better. That's not to say the crowd level was horrendous, just heavier than what we're used to.

The parks were very clean, I noticed very little trash around, and what I did see was picked up quickly. Most cast members were extremely polite and happy, even at the end of the day, after dealing with crowds all day. Everything seemed freshly-painted, touched up, and generally well cared for.

I noticed, while I was down there, a lot of the things that some of the people on this forum complain about, and I just don't get it. So what if you can see the Tangled tower from Liberty Square? You can see the castle from almost anywhere in the park. You can see Space Mountain from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. There are examples of this everywhere, in every park. It's only because it's new that it's being scrutinized, and certain people are just looking for something to complain about. I think they do an amazing job, with theming, sightlines, etc... but it would be almost impossible to completely hide everything from sight when you're not in that specific land.

Things that irritated me:
  • Rides being closed - Pirates and Space Mountain were both closed at the same time Saturday morning.
  • Snack stands closing before the park is closed. For instance, we wanted some popcorn to watch Wishes at 8:00. The only popcorn stand that was still open at 7:30 was the one by the castle and the line was about 30 people deep.
  • Rude and inconsiderate people. Most of them were from South America, as far as I could tell. They butt in line, chant loudly while walking through the park, cut people off... I wanted to smack them... hard.
  • People who walk really slowly and hold up entire groups of people in ride queues (entering and exiting) or any other cramped areas.
  • People who don't listen to instructions and think that rules don't apply to them... example: flash pictures on dark rides, standing up during Carousel of Progress, walking over ropes, etc.
  • People who couldn't figure out how to use the new Mickey Touch system when entering the parks. It's not that hard, people!!
All in all, it was our best trip yet. Losing all that weight made all the difference in the world for me. I fit on the rides better, especially Space Mountain and Expedition Everest. I was comfortable riding Astro Orbiter and Dumbo, without feeling like I was going to break the arm in half that was lifting me into the air. LOL I rode Barnstormer and Primeval Whirl for the first time, which of course are nothing to write home about, but I was always afraid to before because of my size. I wasn't tired, my legs didn't feel like they were on the verge of snapping in half by the end of the day, my feet weren't covered with blisters from being swollen in my shoes from all the weight. Actually, I was able to wear the same pair of sandals the entire time, which I've never been able to do. Instead of being so exhausted that I had no choice but to succumb to a mid-day nap every day, I opted instead for a run from the Wilderness Lodge to the campground and back. About 4-1/2 miles each day and it was spectacular! Perfect running weather (I live in PA so running outside right now is not really an option) and, of course, you can't beat the view! I even had a little family of deer cross the path right in front of me and stop to eat as I ran by one day. It was actually one of my favorite parts of the whole trip, and I looked forward to it each day. I felt more outgoing, more confident. I wasn't embarrassed by weight and ashamed of myself. I was happy to have everyone wish us a Happy Anniversary (they gave us buttons to wear). I couldn't have asked for a better vacation!!!

And, now, Post-Disney depression settles in until the next trip is booked.

Pictures to follow.
 

wsmith1978

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
First, here's me, waiting for the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade on the last day:

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On Everest:

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And, us with Mickey in Epcot :) This was a nice surprise. And a quiet day at World Showcase in general.

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wsmith1978

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Beyond shocked!! We were floored. It was so hard to leave that room each day to go to the parks, and even harder to leave it on the last day, knowing we'd probably never see it again, because we'd never be able to afford it LOL
 
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DisneyDebNJ

Well-Known Member
Firstly, congratulations on your 10 year anniversary and kudos on your 100 lb weight loss!!! WTG!!!!! What a lovely surprise!!!!! Nothing like marking a special occasion with a special occasion! Wonderful report!!!! Again, many congrats to you both!!!!!
 
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