This was a great vacation. Our first Disney vacation as a family! It was 2 days longer then expected but I will get to that in a minute. We are a family of four, myself, DW, DD (turned 5 on 2/14) DS, almost 3.
I was at work on Tuesday the 8th, when a friend of mine (who was taking us to the airport) on the 11th, stuck his head in my office to tell me that we were getting a nor'easter on Thursday the 10th! Immediately, I logged onto weather.com to verify my worst fears. All they were saying at the time was snow on Thursday and into Friday. I started getting worried! I went home at 4:00 an turned on the Boston news. They were forecasting 8-16 inches. I reached a full blown panic! I looked at my wife, and we both said in unison "call Delta!"
After being on hold for about 10 minutes I was able to talk to someone who said they could get me out on a flight on the 9th (the next morning!, and that there was a weather bulletin and that there would be no charge for the change!
Well excitement slowly turned to panic, as we had to find a place to stay for the two nights before our scheduled stay. I got on the PC! I was surprised to see that the hotels were more costly than expected. We had family joining us on the 11th, and did not want to go to WDW without them. I found the Days Hotel in Lake Buena Vista to be a decent deal. I stayed there as a teenager 17 years ago! I then had to cancel our van reservations with Quicksilver, and try to get a rental car. I was able to get a compact from Alamo through Priceline for $23/day. I was pleased with that
Flight
This was our first flight with Song (Delta's low cost carrier) and we were very impressed. Every seat had Dish network satellite tv, along with music, an interactive game, and flight telemetry from the cockpit. The flight was smooth and arrived on time. It was great to see speed, altititude, total miles travelled and your position on map.
Rental Car
Alamo was great. The line was long but smooth. It is an airport location and that was very convenient. We had a Chevy Cavalier that was small, but decent.
Two Days before family arrives, what to do
We were not expecting this! We were happy it happened, but were not exepecting it. Fortunately, by the time we arrived at the hotel, and ate dinner, the kids were ready for bed, so one day is down, one more to go! My wife decided that she wanted to do the Time Share presentation to get discount tickets for Universal studios. I was hesitant, but i had to remember, this is not just my vacation. We woke up nice and early then next morning (the 10th) and set out for West Gate Lakes Resort. We sat through the 90 minute deal said, "thanks but no thanks," collected our tickets, and headed to universal.
Universal
I won't go into detail. This isn't a universal forum! It was ok, but not Disney. The crowds were extremely light. We were hoping for the same at Disney! We shall see.
Finally, WDW beckons!
We woke up early the next morning to drive to the Pop Century for check before heading for the airport to get my sister. As we drove up Century Dr. we were immediately impressed! The pictures do not do the Pop Century justice. We parked in the check in lot and proceeded into Classic Hall. The interior was immaculate. Super clean, super friendly cast members. We were at Disney! Our room was in the 80s building, facing the Osceola Parkway.
After a quick trip to the airport we were in line for the Magic Kingdom bus. A rather long line that we were in for about 30-40 minutes. Much longer than my earlier trip to the All Star Sports 9 years ago. The ride from Pop Century also seemed long. WE were finally at the MK, the kids were excited, then we saw the crowds. It was more crowded than I ever saw! We rode Magic Carpets, had lunch at Pecos Bill's and then headed for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, both packed with people. After a few hours, our kids were grouchy, so we headed back to the Pop. Sister and I returned later in the evening to ride the rides that we weren't able to get kids on. We hit Pirates, HM, Carousel of Progress, then stacked out a spot for Wishes. Wishes was absolutely amazing! Despite the fact that we were freezing it was great! One thing we did do was drive to save time as the bus lines were still long.
Day 2
We woke up early to head to Epcot for our Princess Breakfast at Akershus. Upon arrival we were informed that Norway had experienced a power failure and that more info would follow at the check in desk. We were then told that we would have breakfast at the Electric Umbrella complimentary, then walk to Askershus where we could meet the Princesses. This worked for me! I saved $60, and we had one on one with the Princesses. Princess Aurora, Belle, Mulan, Jasmine and Mary Poppins were present. We then headed over to Living Seas to meet Crush and the rest of the Nemo gang. After that Sister and I rode Mission Space really quick. To say it was awesome would be an understatement! I loved it!
After that we headed over to MGM and enjoyed the kid friendly attractions there, as well as the Motor Stars parade. The crowds were high at MGM as well. After dinner we went to MK to hit some of the attractions we missed the day before and watch Spectromagic and Wishes.
One thing we picked up on were that our kids, especially DS, seemed nervous with the crowds. He got better as the weekend went on.
Day 3
Woke up and hopped on a bus to the Animal Kingdom. We made a beeline for Killmanjaro Safari's. The wait was about 30 minutes. The ride was good, have seen more animals other times, but kids loved it. After that we headed to Camp Minnie & Mickey to see Festival of the Lion King. Wow!!!!! I was so impressed!!!! That show is simply amazing. Definitely the highlight of this trip! I missed it last time, and am sorry I did! In fact I am listening to the CD now as I type this up! I recommend this to everyone! Young and old it doesn't matter, you will be blown away!
We headed back to the POp for lunch and a few minutes of swimming before going back to MK to hit the atttractions we missed. We were able to get our kids on Pirates and HM. We were also able to see Country BEars, Peter Pan, Poooh, Dumbo, as well as Mickey's Toontown Fair to meet the Princesses we missed! It was a very productive day!
Day 4
Today we were up early to pack up the car and head to MK for our last day. Boo hoo! We were able to hit the Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain and see Cinderella's surprise celebration. This was a very good show. I almost got misty eyed as today was my DD 5th birthday, and this vacation was like a dream come true for her! We hung around did a few more things, watched the parade, then headed to the exit.
As we were going up the ramp to the monorail, I got a great idea. I decided to ask the CM if we could sit in front since it was my DD birthday. He said yes, and we got our co-pilot cards from our driver Mike. Let's just say that was daddy's dream come true as I have been a monorail fan since my first visit in 1976! I videotapped the whole ride!
After a quick ride to the airport, a two hour wait for our flight to board, we were wheels up on a great vacation. It was short, but with two small children, it worked out great. We are now looking forward to, and saving $$$$$$ for our Disney Magic Western Caribbean Cruise in 9/2006.
If anyone has any questions, let me know, and I will do my best to answer.
I was at work on Tuesday the 8th, when a friend of mine (who was taking us to the airport) on the 11th, stuck his head in my office to tell me that we were getting a nor'easter on Thursday the 10th! Immediately, I logged onto weather.com to verify my worst fears. All they were saying at the time was snow on Thursday and into Friday. I started getting worried! I went home at 4:00 an turned on the Boston news. They were forecasting 8-16 inches. I reached a full blown panic! I looked at my wife, and we both said in unison "call Delta!"
After being on hold for about 10 minutes I was able to talk to someone who said they could get me out on a flight on the 9th (the next morning!, and that there was a weather bulletin and that there would be no charge for the change!
Well excitement slowly turned to panic, as we had to find a place to stay for the two nights before our scheduled stay. I got on the PC! I was surprised to see that the hotels were more costly than expected. We had family joining us on the 11th, and did not want to go to WDW without them. I found the Days Hotel in Lake Buena Vista to be a decent deal. I stayed there as a teenager 17 years ago! I then had to cancel our van reservations with Quicksilver, and try to get a rental car. I was able to get a compact from Alamo through Priceline for $23/day. I was pleased with that
Flight
This was our first flight with Song (Delta's low cost carrier) and we were very impressed. Every seat had Dish network satellite tv, along with music, an interactive game, and flight telemetry from the cockpit. The flight was smooth and arrived on time. It was great to see speed, altititude, total miles travelled and your position on map.
Rental Car
Alamo was great. The line was long but smooth. It is an airport location and that was very convenient. We had a Chevy Cavalier that was small, but decent.
Two Days before family arrives, what to do
We were not expecting this! We were happy it happened, but were not exepecting it. Fortunately, by the time we arrived at the hotel, and ate dinner, the kids were ready for bed, so one day is down, one more to go! My wife decided that she wanted to do the Time Share presentation to get discount tickets for Universal studios. I was hesitant, but i had to remember, this is not just my vacation. We woke up nice and early then next morning (the 10th) and set out for West Gate Lakes Resort. We sat through the 90 minute deal said, "thanks but no thanks," collected our tickets, and headed to universal.
Universal
I won't go into detail. This isn't a universal forum! It was ok, but not Disney. The crowds were extremely light. We were hoping for the same at Disney! We shall see.
Finally, WDW beckons!
We woke up early the next morning to drive to the Pop Century for check before heading for the airport to get my sister. As we drove up Century Dr. we were immediately impressed! The pictures do not do the Pop Century justice. We parked in the check in lot and proceeded into Classic Hall. The interior was immaculate. Super clean, super friendly cast members. We were at Disney! Our room was in the 80s building, facing the Osceola Parkway.
After a quick trip to the airport we were in line for the Magic Kingdom bus. A rather long line that we were in for about 30-40 minutes. Much longer than my earlier trip to the All Star Sports 9 years ago. The ride from Pop Century also seemed long. WE were finally at the MK, the kids were excited, then we saw the crowds. It was more crowded than I ever saw! We rode Magic Carpets, had lunch at Pecos Bill's and then headed for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, both packed with people. After a few hours, our kids were grouchy, so we headed back to the Pop. Sister and I returned later in the evening to ride the rides that we weren't able to get kids on. We hit Pirates, HM, Carousel of Progress, then stacked out a spot for Wishes. Wishes was absolutely amazing! Despite the fact that we were freezing it was great! One thing we did do was drive to save time as the bus lines were still long.
Day 2
We woke up early to head to Epcot for our Princess Breakfast at Akershus. Upon arrival we were informed that Norway had experienced a power failure and that more info would follow at the check in desk. We were then told that we would have breakfast at the Electric Umbrella complimentary, then walk to Askershus where we could meet the Princesses. This worked for me! I saved $60, and we had one on one with the Princesses. Princess Aurora, Belle, Mulan, Jasmine and Mary Poppins were present. We then headed over to Living Seas to meet Crush and the rest of the Nemo gang. After that Sister and I rode Mission Space really quick. To say it was awesome would be an understatement! I loved it!
After that we headed over to MGM and enjoyed the kid friendly attractions there, as well as the Motor Stars parade. The crowds were high at MGM as well. After dinner we went to MK to hit some of the attractions we missed the day before and watch Spectromagic and Wishes.
One thing we picked up on were that our kids, especially DS, seemed nervous with the crowds. He got better as the weekend went on.
Day 3
Woke up and hopped on a bus to the Animal Kingdom. We made a beeline for Killmanjaro Safari's. The wait was about 30 minutes. The ride was good, have seen more animals other times, but kids loved it. After that we headed to Camp Minnie & Mickey to see Festival of the Lion King. Wow!!!!! I was so impressed!!!! That show is simply amazing. Definitely the highlight of this trip! I missed it last time, and am sorry I did! In fact I am listening to the CD now as I type this up! I recommend this to everyone! Young and old it doesn't matter, you will be blown away!
We headed back to the POp for lunch and a few minutes of swimming before going back to MK to hit the atttractions we missed. We were able to get our kids on Pirates and HM. We were also able to see Country BEars, Peter Pan, Poooh, Dumbo, as well as Mickey's Toontown Fair to meet the Princesses we missed! It was a very productive day!
Day 4
Today we were up early to pack up the car and head to MK for our last day. Boo hoo! We were able to hit the Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain and see Cinderella's surprise celebration. This was a very good show. I almost got misty eyed as today was my DD 5th birthday, and this vacation was like a dream come true for her! We hung around did a few more things, watched the parade, then headed to the exit.
As we were going up the ramp to the monorail, I got a great idea. I decided to ask the CM if we could sit in front since it was my DD birthday. He said yes, and we got our co-pilot cards from our driver Mike. Let's just say that was daddy's dream come true as I have been a monorail fan since my first visit in 1976! I videotapped the whole ride!
After a quick ride to the airport, a two hour wait for our flight to board, we were wheels up on a great vacation. It was short, but with two small children, it worked out great. We are now looking forward to, and saving $$$$$$ for our Disney Magic Western Caribbean Cruise in 9/2006.
If anyone has any questions, let me know, and I will do my best to answer.
