Are you going the 95 or 81 route? There may be some weather issues farther west.Didn't sleep well last night, so I thought I'd stop in here one last time. We're not leaving til around 10 anyway, but we still have to pack the car, which shouldn't take too long.
We're driving to Silver Spring today and we'll hunker down there til Sunday - I hear tomorrow is supposed to be rather ugly.Are you going the 95 or 81 route? There may be some weather issues farther west.
have a safe tripWell , we're all packed , house is clean, and the fridge is cleaned out except for breakfast stuff for tomorrow. I probably won't be online til tomorrow night, so you all behave yourselves. Hitting my pillow shortly - it's been a long day. Adios amigos!
Thanks!have a safe trip
You sure you don't mean the 20th?Not just any Friday...
You sure you don't mean the 20th?
For that I'd post a certain REM song.You sure you don't mean the 20th?
Thanks again for posting the pictures and "taking" us on vacation with you!!!!Ok, so here are some additional thoughts from my trip. First of all, I want to say that I had a great time. I knew I'd be ok on my own but it was a very different experience. You can really get a lot done when you're just on your own. I was free to just do what I wanted when I wanted.
The most awkward part of the trip was definitely eating at table service restaurants by myself. I always find it awkward to eat in a restaurant by myself, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from having a good time, and eating at all the restaurants I wanted to eat at. The only restaurant I couldn't get a reservation for last minute was Ohana. I chose to use that table service credit on the Skipper Canteen instead. Even though it was a little awkward dinging by myself I still enjoyed just having a nice meal and some time to myself.
One thing I was really interested in about this trip was how going to Disneyland for the first time would affect my experience at Walt Disney World, and I have to say it did have an affect. I absolutely love the Magic Kingdom and I always will. It's my favorite park at WDW. However, I really fell in love with Disneyland. Disneyland is now without question my favorite park, and I found myself missing certain aspects of Disneyland at Magic Kingdom. For the first time at Magic Kingdom I found myself feeling like the park was really lacking in its number of rides. I also came to realize that I actually prefer Disneyland's smaller castle. Cinderella Caste is beautiful and spectacular like the rest of the Magic Kingdom, but there's just something about the quaintness of Disneyland. Anyway, as I said that was just an observation. I still love the Magic Kingdom.
This was the first trip I got to see the new hub fully completed, and I actually thought it was ok. I'm perfectly fine with all the new walkways to improve traffic flow. My biggest complaint remains the lack of huge trees at the very center of the hub. If giant trees were returned and the centre of the hub was given a curb again I don't think I would have any complaints. And of course, I would like to see the castle stage removed. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned how much I despise castle stage shows, but lets just say I really dislike them. Oh, and one comment on the new castle railings. If the railings had always looked like they do now I'm sure I'd have no problems with them, but I do much prefer the old ones.
I thought the new paint on the Tomorrowland rocks looked fine. I'm not crazy about the rocks or the current look of Tommorowland anyway. Being me, I obviously wish they would just embrace Tomorrowland's past and give us a retro 70s vision of the future. The new signage on Carousel of Progress looked great and was a huge improvement. The show could still really use some maintenance though. And of course that last scene. Bleck! The rest of the show is so great and then comes that ending. It's really cringeworthy. They should just bring back the old 60s ending and let the ride cover progress during the span of Walt's life. We don't need to see the future for the ride to be about the spirt of tomorrow.
Soarin' Around the World I actually liked better than I thought I would. It's much better than it appears in videos. I didn't find the transitions as hokey as I thought I would. That said the new Soarin' can't hold a candle to the old one for me. There was just something about the old one. I think it was the score and the way it builds. If they ever redo Soarin' again my suggestion would be that they use the old score, and shoot footage specifically to fit the old score.
Now we can talk about Frozenstrom. I think I've made it clear how much I hate the idea of the ride even being in Epcot, but I'll just ignore that for now and talk about the ride itself. There is a lot to like about the ride. First of all, the animatronics are amazing. I was very impressed with them. Visually I thought it was a beautiful ride. My biggest complaint about the ride itself would be that I found it very disjointed. It was just a very awkward flow for such a short ride, and that ending just seems to come out of nowhere. Regardless, I liked it better than Ariel's Undersea Adventure even thought I think the Little Mermaid is a much better movie. It would make a nice little Fantasyland ride.
Wow! That's quite a wall of text. I'm sure there's much more I could say but I better stop now.
Safe travels - hope you have a great time!We're driving to Silver Spring today and we'll hunker down there til Sunday - I hear tomorrow is supposed to be rather ugly.
Since WDW is your first and only experience, you will still love WDW better. That said, you will notice that some of the things are better, there is less walking and things are very tight. I started going to WDW in 1983 and went many, many times before I ever got to Disneyland in 2005. I thought the place was great, but, all the pristine wonderfulness that I had read about just didn't jump out at me. Just like WDW it had it share of warts and maintenance needs. And remember that was right in the middle of the 50th Anniversary of DL. Anyway, both have their positives and both have their negatives, but, primarily we will always settle on the one we are most familiar with as our favorite.@Eric1955 , I enjoyed reading your comments. What caught my attention the most was your preference for Disneyland over WDW. (I've also heard that sentiment from others on the forum.) Disneyland will always be that "special" place for you, after your visit a few years ago. I've never been there, and I'm kinda glad about that, as I won't feel like I'm missing anything by visiting the MK in WDW.
Haven't tried the new Soarin yet. I've read some mixed reviews. Happy to hear that you liked it, though. Also, I haven't seen Frozenstrom either; it's misplaced where it is, and I won't wait in long lines for it. Eventually, I'll go on it, but just like 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, I'll wait a few years for the hype to die down, and then I'll go on it when the lines lessen in length.
As for dining, although I like table service meals, it's not really in my budget. I've found other quick service options in the parks, and in my hotel, that are fine for my usual 4-5 vacation days. Also, like yourself, I've also thought that it's slightly awkward to sit at a table by yourself in a nice restaurant, but it's becoming more common for solo travelers these days. It's really no big deal when you think about it, and most guests there are so immersed in their own group, that they never even notice those around them.
Ugh, sorry to hear that. I hope you can get it replaced today and not have to pay for weekend work (and have another day of cold showers).Happy Friday the 13th.....my hot water heater died last night.
OK - closing this puppy down now - talk to you all tonight maybe.
It's my friend's 22nd birthday. And 22 years ago it was also Friday the 13th, which explains a lot if you knew him.Not just any Friday...
@Eric1955 , I enjoyed reading your comments. What caught my attention the most was your preference for Disneyland over WDW. (I've also heard that sentiment from others on the forum.) Disneyland will always be that "special" place for you, after your visit a few years ago. I've never been there, and I'm kinda glad about that, as I won't feel like I'm missing anything by visiting the MK in WDW.
Haven't tried the new Soarin yet. I've read some mixed reviews. Happy to hear that you liked it, though. Also, I haven't seen Frozenstrom either; it's misplaced where it is, and I won't wait in long lines for it. Eventually, I'll go on it, but just like 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, I'll wait a few years for the hype to die down, and then I'll go on it when the lines lessen in length.
As for dining, although I like table service meals, it's not really in my budget. I've found other quick service options in the parks, and in my hotel, that are fine for my usual 4-5 vacation days. Also, like yourself, I've also thought that it's slightly awkward to sit at a table by yourself in a nice restaurant, but it's becoming more common for solo travelers these days. It's really no big deal when you think about it, and most guests there are so immersed in their own group, that they never even notice those around them.
I still liked the place but the only thing about it that I didn't like was the cult like atmosphere clearly visible. Groups of people, for example, linking arms in the Tiki Room, swaying back and forth singing along.
My brother-in-law is doing all the work thank goodness. That part of it is only costing me a batch of homemade cookies. The actual heater though...Ugh, sorry to hear that. I hope you can get it replaced today and not have to pay for weekend work (and have another day of cold showers).
Orange Crush?For that I'd post a certain REM song.
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