WDW - Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. – My August 2011 Trip Report

WDW - Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. – An August 2011 Trip Report

Welcome to my trip report! First, about the title. Reading the WDW boards lately one would think that Disney World was coming apart at the seams; Overrun by vicious gangs of Brazilian tour groups, Pop Warner boys and cheerleaders. Filled with broken down, outdated rides run by snarly cast members. The resorts infested by bedbugs, nasty housekeepers, and moldy shower curtains. The Restaurants serving up Dogfood burgers and steaks served with the leather hides still attached. The fireworks shows reduced to open fire pits and a few boxes of sparklers.

To be totally honest and sarcasm aside (kinda), I was really getting concerned about this trip. I had gone to great lengths and compromise ( see my Pre-trip report) to make this trip a reality. Now I was worried that once my family would see first hand the crumbling vestige that was once our favorite place on earth; this would seal this trip’s fate as our last one to the World. Well, I’m happy to say, with photos as proof – the rumors of Walt Disney World’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

First Day and intro to our family;

Our countdown was over. The paper chain in Toni’s room that started at day 178 was now down to day zero. It was 4 in the morning on August 6th and I woke up Toni and we tore up that last chain and started to get ready for our trip. By 4:30, Toni and her brother Sterg, were ready and waiting.

I have a good friend that happens to own a limo business, so we hired him to drive us to Philadelphia International. The limo came at 5:00am. This is my wife Val and my oldest child, Alexandra, getting spoiled in the limo.

Sterg and I on the other seat…

While Toni caught a few z’s.

Everything was going fine. We were making great time on the Turnpike until we were detoured off of it an exit too soon. Unfortunately, this was only the first of our several delays that morning.

 

[mouselvrmom]

I'm so loving your trip report!!

It's nice to know that we all have the same problems with moody teenagers! I like the comment about them not being human. And my kids tease me about posting online here too. They make fun of my name too. One of mine wants to know why I'm not mickeylvrmom instead of mouse since some people might now know that mouse means mickey...:lol: Love the stickers on the back!

My hubby would be so jealous to see your beach club pictures. It is his favorite resort and he's really waiting to go back!

Love those pictures of the fam waiting for the bus. That brings me back to my teenager always on that darned phone!

Can't wait for more!

 

[fractal]

My husband and I thought the same thing about the Sanaa portions...we both got the "slow cooked" entrees and thought they were too small when they first came out, yet they ended up being surprisingly filling!



Hmm...high ISO setting?? :shrug:


No, no there's not. Best ride ever!

Good call - ISO setting was too high. A big challenge was trying to adjust all the settings, compose your shot, and wait for camera while the rest of the family is buggin you to leave. I can now totally understand people taking a solo trip to the world just to take pictures.

ToT rules!

Glad you guys enjoyed Saana. I want to try and eat there in the spring but my sister really isn't into trying "new" kinds of food. Maybe I can convince her to give it a try though. She'd prolly be safe ordering the steak!! :slurp:

The steak was really good, and I've read other positive reviews on the steak. Definately worth it.

Really enoying the trip report! You have a beautiful family.

Thank you!

I'm so loving your trip report!!

It's nice to know that we all have the same problems with moody teenagers! I like the comment about them not being human. And my kids tease me about posting online here too. They make fun of my name too. One of mine wants to know why I'm not mickeylvrmom instead of mouse since some people might now know that mouse means mickey...:lol: Love the stickers on the back!

My hubby would be so jealous to see your beach club pictures. It is his favorite resort and he's really waiting to go back!

Love those pictures of the fam waiting for the bus. That brings me back to my teenager always on that darned phone!

Can't wait for more!

They are monsters! My son kept sticking his arm in my pictures and making that stupid sign with his hand. I'm sitting there trying to get all my setting right then as I take the picture he does his thing. The funny thing is, I remember pestering my Dad like that when I was around 15,16.

Thanks for following along!

 

[fractal]

DAY 2 BEGINS - TONI AND I CRUSH MK MOUNTAIN RANGE!

The next morning I was up @ 8am. With the long curtains drawn and the A/C kicking, our Beach Club room was a dark, cool cave. I couldn't tell if it was 3AM or 3PM. The rest of the crew were like hibernating bears. After I showered I tried to wake everyone with an announcement that I was going to Magic Kingdom. Val, Alex and Sterg said "have fun". Toni immediately got up and started to get ready. "Looks like it's me and you, kid!".

Val and I agreed before the trip that there would be no pressure to follow any set schedule except for dinner. I could spend every minute in a park while she likes to take it slower, sleep in, enjoy the pool and catch up whenever. This worked out pretty well during the trip.

Toni and I left the room and made the Marketplace @ the BC our first stop. Toni grabbed her favorite from our last trip - the glazed danish and I filled my refillable mug with coffee which went well with my chocolate peanut butter Atkins bar.

The bus dropped us off in front of MK around 9:30ish. We had formulated a plan to first head over to Space Mountain, grab fast passes then make our way over to Splash and BTMRR. Space was down during our last trip so Toni was really excited to ride it this time (as was I ). We were at somewhat of a disadvantage without Sterg - he had loaded the "Lines" app off of Touring Plans on his Iphone. My simpler (and cheaper) Palm phone couldn't. I should have taken his phone - but oh well - things actually worked out pretty well.

We reached Space to discover there was only a 20 minutes wait. Tomorrowland in general was pretty empty. We took advantage of that and hopped on the stand by line. We quickly walked past all of the new queue games and didn't hit a line until the loading area. I thought they did a nice job with the reburb from what I could remember from the last time I rode it (2007). Toni was excited but also a little nervous, which is a perfect way to feel.

We hopped in our spaceship and started our voyage into the stars...

The ride was a bunch of fun. The sound effects really add to the experience and Toni loved it! I can see why some people think it's too rough. In the dark you can't see what's coming which makes it hard to brace yourself. Great for a 9 year old, a bit bumpy for a 43 year old.

Toni really got a kick out of the futuristic world "motifs" on the way out.

This was her favorite ( sorry for the blurry picture ). She wanted to know if they really "had" robots that served drinks.

UP NEXT, a battle with the evil Zorg.

 

[silver1113]

That sounds like some great bonding time with just you and your daughter.

 

[fractal]

After we rode Space we had a decision. Grab fast passes here for later or head over to the other mountains for a fast pass. We decided to head over to Frontier land and grab a fastpass for the "longest wait mountain". Meanwhile, Tomorrowland was still pretty dead and we glanced over to Buzz and saw no line. "Let's go do Buzz quick" I said. "OK!" she answered with a hop in her step.

9-10 years old is almost a perfect age for Magic Kingdom. Running around MK with my nine year old daughter made for a perfect morning. The excitement is still genuine and contagious. It was so much fun darting from big ride to big ride as she played the curious yet hesitant explorer while I was her protector and guide - answering her rapid fire questions as we embarked on our many adventures. Enjoy your sleep pesky teenagers, Toni and I had lands to explore and conquer!

Buzz was basically a walk on. After giving Toni her proper instructions we boarding our "ship" on a mission to defeat the evil Zorg.

It took her a while to get with the flow of it -

And Zorg wasn't messing around.

In fact he was getting pretty nasty. C'mon Toni, we need your help!

Finally she got the hang of it and started pickin' off Zorg's "Z's".

Good job Space Ranger!

 

[disneygirl1]

Great update! Can't wait for more... Of course just as we are getting ready to leave for Disney a hurricane comes up the coast! Geese... Earthquake and hurricane all in less then a week!!! What's next! :lol:

 

[flipadeeflop]

Your trip report has inspired me to do a pre-trip report! I'm so excited!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Your dinner at Sanaa looked super YUM!!!! :slurp: We've only been to Boma over at AKL, but Jiko and Sanaa are on my must do list. Also LOVE your night pics from DHS! We weren't there after dark this trip and last trip we were dealing with two kids w/o naps- so no good pics there. Sounds like an awesome morning in MK so far! Can't wait to read more!:wave:

 

[mamamouse]

she's gorgeous!!so jealous of her curls.i'm excited yay more report:sohappy:

 

[jhoff3405]

Loving the trip report!
You have a beautiful family.

Regarding the pictures....yes, it is so hard to try to get a good pic when people are waiting on you!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh man! How will I fit Sanaa into our ADRs?!?! I don't think it's possible. But I wanna! What if we just did 2 dinners?!?! I think I need to buy some bigger clothes. LOL!

I totally love that you & Toni headed out just the 2 of ya. I have these mornings sometimes when I'm awake and ready to run but nobody else is. I always say I will just leave 'em behind but never do. I really do need to just go. I think we'd all be happier in the end.

Love your adventures! The thing your son does throwing off the pics at the last second, yeah, I have 2 of those boys! If it's not 1 of them it's the other. I've gotten semi-good at delaying just long enough to not snap as they're throwing the arm up, making a last second face, or whatever they must do to mess up my shot. They think they're so clever. I won't take the pic then I just walk away. LOL!

Ready for more! Such a great report. Getting so excited for our trip soon!!!

 

[fractal]

That sounds like some great bonding time with just you and your daughter.

It was. We both had a blast!

Great update! Can't wait for more... Of course just as we are getting ready to leave for Disney a hurricane comes up the coast! Geese... Earthquake and hurricane all in less then a week!!! What's next! :lol:

Thanks! Let's hope not volcanoes!

Your trip report has inspired me to do a pre-trip report! I'm so excited!

wonderful! I'll look for it.

Your dinner at Sanaa looked super YUM!!!! :slurp: We've only been to Boma over at AKL, but Jiko and Sanaa are on my must do list. Also LOVE your night pics from DHS! We weren't there after dark this trip and last trip we were dealing with two kids w/o naps- so no good pics there. Sounds like an awesome morning in MK so far! Can't wait to read more!:wave:

I heard good things about all the AKL restaurants. I'll so glad we took the effort to get over there. It was an awesome morning. More coming!

she's gorgeous!!so jealous of her curls.i'm excited yay more report:sohappy:

Thanks!

Loving the trip report!
You have a beautiful family.

Regarding the pictures....yes, it is so hard to try to get a good pic when people are waiting on you!

Thank you! What you may deem important often doesn't seem important to the rest of the crew. Until they get home and say "Let me see the pictures"!

Oh man! How will I fit Sanaa into our ADRs?!?! I don't think it's possible. But I wanna! What if we just did 2 dinners?!?! I think I need to buy some bigger clothes. LOL!

I totally love that you & Toni headed out just the 2 of ya. I have these mornings sometimes when I'm awake and ready to run but nobody else is. I always say I will just leave 'em behind but never do. I really do need to just go. I think we'd all be happier in the end.

Love your adventures! The thing your son does throwing off the pics at the last second, yeah, I have 2 of those boys! If it's not 1 of them it's the other. I've gotten semi-good at delaying just long enough to not snap as they're throwing the arm up, making a last second face, or whatever they must do to mess up my shot. They think they're so clever. I won't take the pic then I just walk away. LOL!

Ready for more! Such a great report. Getting so excited for our trip soon!!!

Thanks!

If you can, Sanaa is worth it - and don't worry, you'll walk it off.

I decided after last trip, there was no need to force people to follow the same schedule all the time - especially with older kids. And what IS IT with these boys????

 

[fractal]

OK, before I get too far along, I put up my quick video ( 1 minute ) from Sanaa on You-tube.

As you watch it, look and/or listen for 4 important items:

1) The majestic giraffe walking past the window.

2) The look of disgust on Alex's face as she asks me "What are you doing"? How dare I stand up in the restaurant and embarrass her like that?

3) the beautiful decor and atmosphere of Sanaa

4) The random animal/bird sounds emanating not from the nearby Savanna but from my son Sterg.

Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGFpdoB4510

 

[dreamscometrue]

3 things:

1. Great trip report...thanks for taking the time to do it.

2. Very nice photos.

3. If you like Sanaa and Kidani, you'll probably enjoy Jiko and BOMA, and Jambo House (a.k.a....Animal Kingdom Lodge).

 

[fractal]

After Buzz, we decide to push our luck and head over to the other side of the park via Fantasyland. I had taken Toni to see the Winnie the Pooh movie ( which was better than I expected ) so I wanted to at least check out the new queue line and show her the ride. We had never gone on Pooh. Each time the wait was either too long or it was down. On our 2007 trip it was down because Pooh Bear accidentally knocked over a big pot of honey which made a huge sticky mess - at least that is what the CM told us. Alex, 13 at the time, believed him.

The themeing of the queue is very well done. As you approach the ride from the left, the first thing you see is the tree surrounded by tall grass. It almost looks out of place and at first you don't know what it's in front of. As you "round" the corner, the rest of the ride comes into view, the entire front of WtP has been transformed into a tiny slice of the 'hundred acre wood.

The wait time was 20 minutes. Decisions, decisions. I was a bit nervous because we were almost half way between the "mountains" with no fast passes in hand. Toni claimed she wanted to ride it. I considered fast passing WtP but in the end we decided to stand in line and explore the queue. Toni in the tree...

The next part of the interactive queue featured spinning sunflowers and drums shaped like pumpkins and watermellons. There are also gophers peeking out of Rabbit's garden that made for a game you could play.

As we moved along we discovered plastic bees attached to twisting metal rods. The rods formed a "track" that you could push the bees around and through several hives. We must be getting close to some honey!

As we passed the bees, we came across these large screens that showed honey dripping down. If you touched the screen the honey would move around your finger. If you wiped the screen with your hand, the honey would "clear" to expose a different character ( Piglet, Pooh, etc. ) until more honey would drip down. The trick was to move enough honey to fully show the character before it was hidden again. I thought it was pretty cool. Toni enjoyed it and almost everyone that passed the screens; young and old; gave it a try.

While in line I also managed to take a shot of Beast's castle.

 

[fractal]

The ride was like the movie - better than I expected. I'm sure the 1 to 7 year old group loves this ride and its perfect for young families.

Toni and I enjoyed it. Its not our favorite or even close but we were glad we did it. Her "best-is" part was the Tigger bouncy-bouncy part while I enjoyed entering Pooh's nightmares.

We departed Pooh and made our way through Fantasyland. Toni had no interest in Dumbo or the Carousel. A quick glance @ Peter Pan revealed a 30 min wait. Tempting but we moved on. What's this? Haunted Mansion a 10 minute wait? Before long we were in the new HM queue area.

I like the new interactive queues. I don't know how much they spent on them in money and resources so I certainly don't know it they are worth it, but I appreciate the fact that WDW is trying to enhance each moment that you are in the park.

The musical stuff was entertaining for the 3 seconds you were in front of them. Despite this being a voluntary queue line intended for guests to enjoy these Imagineering treats, I always felt that I was being "pushed" through by the people behind me, and likely the people in front of me felt the same.

Toni didn't know what to make of the Captain and it seemed she wasn't alone.

Finally we were in the stretching room. I told Toni to look for the hanging lady - I thought she was old enough for that. Ok - that doesn't sound right does it?

At this point she was starting to freak out a bit. When Toni gets nervous she starts to ask a ton of questions. Where are we going now? What are those things? Are we going together? Do you think they are really mean (the CMs)? Are there real ghosts in here? She ended up loving the ride (again) and it reinforced it's position in my Mt. Rushmore of WDW rides. It is beautifully done. The footsteps on the stairwells are a great effect - and the ballroom continues to amaze me even 35 years after I first saw it. The new hitchhiking ghost effect is cool - but is prone to not looking good if you move or are not sitting in the right spot. Our ghost used a rifle to make our heads go "poof" for a second. Sorry - no good pics of the ride.

 

[fractal]

We quickly walked out of HM, but not before I bellowed a few "Muh,huh,huh,ha,ha's" in the corridor. As we emptied into Liberty Square I overheard a woman getting in line for HM telling her family that the Mansion didn't used to be here, that they must have recently moved it. Of course Toni asked me if that was true. This was one of those moments as a parent when you have to be careful what you say. I scratched out " No, that stupid lady doesn't know what she's talking about" pretty quickly. After some thought I replied, " No honey, I think the poor woman is a little confused. Maybe the heat is getting to her".


"OK, daddy. That's what I thought."

And it was getting hot! As we approached Frontierland there was a nice crowd heading towards Splash and BTMRR. We took the route along the river. Another "hidden" pathway in WDW that most people seem to miss - plus it's shaded. When we arrived between the 2 mountains we took a FP for the 40 minute wait Splash and went in the stand-by for BTMRR which read 10min. Did I mention that it was getting hot?

That $3 bottle of water seemed like a bargain! Maybe the heat was getting to me.

We were heading on the Wildest Ride in the West well within 10 minutes. I was almost hoping to get wet on the way up.

Toni was having a blast! We skipped Big Thunder last trip mostly due to it being down - I was happy to be riding it on that day. I had forgotten how much fun it was!

 

[fractal]

After we survived a trip on a runaway mine train, we decided it was a good time for some lunch. It was now around 11:30 and our Splash FP return time was for 12:45. MK was pretty empty that morning but it was starting to fill up. We retraced our path back over to Liberty Square. My plan was to cross off another "never done before" things on my list. We approached the quick-service spot with more glowing reviews than Ben-Hur.

We walked in to find the place practically empty. I was debating between the salad and the fried shrimp platter when the CM told me they had a special that day - Grilled Salmon. Sounded good so I went with it. Toni had chicken nuggets.

The Salmon came with couscous and steamed broccoli. It was pretty good. It was hard for me to believe I was eating a "quick-serve" meal. The good news is that they have now made it a permanent part of the menu.

Toni enjoyed her grapes...

At this point we checked in with the rest of the crew at the BC. They were up and moving and had gone to Epcot to do Soarin'. At least that's what they said. The truth was they were just waking up and getting ready for the pool. Toni and I couldn't imagine anybody being able to sleep to 11:30 while at Disney World. :shrug:

As we exited Columbia Harbor House I took a picture of the second sign for the restaurant. Another example of what sets Disney apart. Not one, but two beautiful, themed signs for a quick-service spot. I know its not something that a thrill seeking 15 year old may appreciate but I certainly did.

 

[fractal]

After our lunch we took a "potty" break then started to make our way back to Splash Mountain. As a father with a 9 year old daughter, going to the restrooms in a public place tends to be an anxious experience. It's the only time of the day that I couldn't keep an eye on Toni. One minute seems like 10. As you sit there waiting for you child to emerge, a million things go through you mind. Did she come out before me and is now walking around lost? Is somebody bothering her in the bathroom? Is she bothering somebody in the bathroom? Knowing I was in Disney helped relieve the stress, but the bottom line was that I was responsible for her and I was now in a 5-10 minute window of time that I felt almost helpless.

So ladies, if you ever see a panic stricken man enter your public restroom :dazzle: - there may actually be a rational reason for it.

Before long Toni emerged and my anxiety levels dropped. I now had her in my sights and was back in control. Alright, time for the best log-flume ride on the planet.

Walking back ( again ) through Frontierland I noticed that the shooting gallery was shut down. I have very fond memories of the shooting gallery. My first trip to WDW was in 1976. I was 9 years old and I was crushed to learn that 20,000 leagues was shut down for refurb but I remember the shooting gallery vividly. My late father and I spent a good half hour there shooting up the targets. We had a blast, and it was really the first and one of the few times I remember my Dad letting his guard down enough to enjoy an "amusement". My parents owned a restaurant and we survived by working our buts off as a family. I spent many years behind a grill, fryer and broiler with my Dad and we had good times working together - but that slice of time in 1976 @ WDW shooting targets and setting off the different effects with him laughing along will never leave me. It was our first and only family vacation. I hope they bring it back.

Before we knew it, the clock reached our FP time window. The stand-by wait for Splash was now 60 minutes. I almost felt bad for all those people I passed. This is where we first stopped in the FP line.

Soon after we were on our way towards the Briar Patch. Toni said to me how she loves this ride so much because it's fun and has a great story behind it. That's my girl!

A few effects were down, but it was still a great time. Toni kept asking when the big drop was coming. I told her not until you see the mean 'ol vultures. Even though she rode it 2 years ago, for the most part it was like new to her. From her perspective, that's almost 1/4 of her life ago.

The great, and unique thing about Splash is that after the "big drop" there is still a lot more left. As we approached the "zip-a-dee-doo-da" scene, Toni grabbed me and said "This is my favorite part".

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Beautiful picture!!! So pretty

We LOVED the new interactive Pooh queue back in December. The girls would later tell me that the ride scared them a bit (still scratching my head on that one), but it's pretty fun. The honey walls were our fave part.

That's too funny about that lady and the Haunted Mansion. You handled it very well though!

Your bathroom anxiety with Toni totally played into my paranoid parent fears. I actually thought about a similar scenario while we were there- thinking about what things would be like in a few years- just the mere thought of it gave me a small panic attack. Glad everything turned out OK.

Can't wait to read more! :wave: