Trip Reports
06-09-2006, 12:13 PM
Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Airplane, Rental Car
Resort: WL
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Virginia and her family visited WDW during the Easter season this year. In addition to an informative daily account of the trip, Virginia includes a useful list of trip planning tips for Spring visits to Walt Disney World.
Background:
I have read most of the trip reports at DVClubber and have truly enjoyed them! I thought about writing one, too, but there was so much helpful information already there, I wasn't sure if I would be adding anything new. However, I haven't seen many reports about trips taken during Easter vacation, so here goes…
My husband, myself, and our 15 year old daughter stayed at WDW during Easter vacation of '93, '94, and '97. People have told us that we are crazy to go at that busy time of the year. However, I am a teacher and that is the first vacation we get after those long New York winters! What a great way to spend those cold days- planning for a trip to WDW!
Day 1- March 31, 1997
This year our trip to WDW was only for three nights, as we spent the rest of the time visiting family and friends who had moved to Florida (lucky people). During our trips in '93 and '94 we had stayed eight nights each year.
We rented a car this trip, Value Rent A Car- the price was ok, but it is located off site and therefore not too convenient. We had difficulty finding the Value shuttle location and also had to wait about twenty minutes for one to come. We were about an hour at their office handling the arrangements and it was really warm inside the building. (No air conditioning?)
On Monday, March 31 (the day after Easter) we drove to WDW. We got there about 12:30 p.m. It was fabulous to be finally there! I expected crowds, especially because of the 25th Anniversary Celebration, but the Magic Kingdom was already closed! Wow!!!!!!!!
Our plan for this trip was to do some of the things we hadn't done before. We parked at the Village Market Place and went over to check out the Rain Forest Café. The wait was about two hours for a table. We decided not to wait. (It's been suggested that you get your reservation, then shop while you wait. Great idea! Wish I had known it then.) We looked around the shops. We used our Magic Kingdom Club card for a 10% discount.
About 3:00 we drove over to the Wilderness Lodge to check in. This hotel is impressive! I love the lobby: 7 or 8 stories high, timber everywhere, teepee chandeliers, totem poles, a stone fireplace, rocking chairs… The attention to detail is amazing. At this point, I'm really feeling "The Magic"! Check-in was a bit slow, about 30 minutes. My husband and daughter stood in line while I went to Guest Services to pick up our Polynesian Luau tickets (using our MKC card for a discount). We got settled into our room, which had a nice (courtyard) view overlooking the creek. We were on the 4th floor, not too far from the lobby area. We really liked our location. (It ended up being very convenient.) However, we thought that the room's décor was a bit dark and made the room feel small.
We had a quick, not very tasty lunch at Roaring Forks and purchased our refillable mug.
On to the Polynesian! We took the boat over to the MK and then the monorail to the Poly. We had stayed there in '93, but had never been to the luau. The lobby there is also impressive, the foliage makes it feel decidedly tropical. We listened to a pre-show before going into the luau area. There was also a pre-show inside before the actual performance. We sat at the second table from the stage- right in the center- so we had great seats. (Could this be because I had made reservations about 6 months ahead?) We enjoyed the food and the drinks were yummy. The performances were excellent. We have never been to a real luau in Hawaii (would like to), so I don't know how they compare. But everyone was obviously enjoying this performance!
After browsing through the Poly's shops, we returned to the WL.
Day 2- April 1, 1997
We slept in and then had the family style breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café. We thought it was delicious. We then spent time exploring the hotel and grounds: the lobby area is quite relaxing; the other floors worth exploring; the creek, waterfall, geyser (erupting on the hour) are lovely; and the grounds very attractive (watch for the paw prints in the cement). We did some laundry and rested.
About 4:30 we went downstairs to eat. My husband and daughter went to the Whispering Canyon Café to get us a table while I went to Guest Services to pick up tickets for the MK and for Pleasure Island. When I returned to the Café, my family was already seated and having a great time with our server. The atmosphere there is unique! There are some crazy antics that go on in that restaurant- it's noisy and fun! Our food was served family style and was good.
About 6:00 we took the bus to Pleasure Island. (We had never been there before. We thought that our daughter was too young on our previous trips. Although we saw young children there, I think I'd wait until a child was at least 12.) We got in line for the first Comedy Warehouse show. We only waited about 15 minutes before being admitted. I'm sure the wait was much longer later in the evening! This club's entertainment is great- don't miss it. The laughter of the audience was loud and frequent. We then went over to the Adventurers Club. First, over to the Mask Room, where our daughter was told that she was sitting under the fertility mask! Oh, no! It was pretty funny. We also saw two performances in the Library. It seemed like everyone in the room joined in the fun. We also stopped at the Armadillo Saloon and enjoyed the live music and watching the dancing. We made a quick stop at the Rock and Roll Beach Club- too loud for us adults, not for our teenage daughter! We then spent a pleasant half an hour at the Jazz Club, having dessert and listening to the music. At about 11:30 we went outside to watch the New Year's celebration at the West End Stage. (We stayed near the back of the crowds so that we could exit easily and catch the first available bus back to the WL. With the crowds, I wasn't sure how quickly the buses would fill up.) We think that the celebration was worth staying for, the confetti was a nice touch. We did catch the first bus and it was packed, literally. We were back at our room by about 1:10.
Day 3- April 2, 1997
We got up at 6:45. We quickly ate some breakfast items from Roaring Forks. The MK had early entry all week- another sign that indicated the size of the crowds. We took the boat over to the MK and were on Main Street by 8:10. I could not believe the crowds pouring onto Main Street! I had not ever seen it like this. We moved quickly over to Alien Encounter, which we had not ridden before. It was about a ten minute wait. We really liked this attraction, although your children should be old enough to realize this is fantasy. We went over to Space Mountain and were in line by 8:55, but what a line already! We waited 45 minutes. Then it was over to the Legend of the Lion King. We hadn't been there either. We liked the variety of effects they used. We had to stop at the Haunted Mansion, one of our favorites. Then over to Timekeeper, another new attraction for us. At this point, it was about 12:30 and the crowds were unbelievable. (When we had passed Alien Encounter at about 10:00, the line stretched over the bridge towards Main Street!) We checked out the birthday cake/castle. It wasn't as bad as I expected, but I am glad it's not permanent. We took an ice cream break, shopped on Main Street, and took the boat back to the WL.
We ate lunch about 2:30 at the Whispering Canyon Café, we really liked that restaurant! The food was quite tasty and it was quieter at this time of day. We then rested for awhile.
About 6:30 our relatives came over to WDW to eat dinner with us. They had not seen the WL before. We made reservations at the Whispering Canyon Café. The CM gave us a beeper so we would know when our table was ready. We strolled around the hotel and grounds. After about 45 minutes our table was ready. Again, we had a lot of fun and enjoyed our dinner. Since the restaurant is open to the lobby, the children in our group could see the live animal show that took place nightly in the lobby.
We all went outside to watch the Electrical Pageant on the water. We waited quite awhile and then found out it had been cancelled due to the wind. We parted company and packed for home.
Day 4- April 3, 1997
We were sad to leave WDW and end our vacation. We all had a very good time.
It was a pretty smooth day. We had room service breakfast, express check-out, and the luggage was picked up at 8:45 as I had requested from the bell service desk the night before. By the time we walked to the exit our luggage was already loaded into our rental car! We drove to Value, which was a fair distance from the airport. We were directed where to park which was very close to Value's airport shuttle. We were taken care of quickly by an outside attendant, loaded our luggage, and left for the airport. Our AirTran flight left pretty close to schedule and we arrived home only a little late.
Plans for Easter '98:
We will be staying three nights at Port Orleans (because of the rates, the size, and it is new for us) and three nights at the Beach Club (because of the easy access to World Showcase and MGM, also Stormalong Bay is there). We plan to rent a car to explore the other hotels. We are taking someone who has not been to WDW before so it should be even more fun than usual.
Suggestions for Traveling at Busy Times:
1. Arrive at the park of your choice before it opens, move quickly in the morning.
2. We follow Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to WDW" touring plans- pretty much step by step in the morning. (We have also used these for Universal and Washington, D.C. with success.)
3. We make reservations (priority seating) for lunch for when we will be at the parks. I like to make them for about 1:30 or 2:00, it seems that we are ready for a break about then. It helps to know that there is a cool, comfortable place waiting for you!
4. As many people will tell you, take a break in the afternoon- swim, rest, whatever. About every 3rd day, we have a "sleep-in" morning and enjoy some relaxing activities. We go over to the parks around 5:00 or 6:00 and tour at a slower pace.
5. We wait for the 11:00 Spectromagic parade and ride attractions just before and during the 9:00 parade.
6. If you really need some quiet, have a room service dinner.
7. Expect to encounter crowds and have patience!
8. We liked staying at the Wilderness Lodge. It has fewer guests (600 rooms) and seems to be quieter than some of the other hotels. Check out http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/ They have some good ideas there!
Virginia Flynn
Travel Method: Airplane, Rental Car
Resort: WL
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Virginia and her family visited WDW during the Easter season this year. In addition to an informative daily account of the trip, Virginia includes a useful list of trip planning tips for Spring visits to Walt Disney World.
Background:
I have read most of the trip reports at DVClubber and have truly enjoyed them! I thought about writing one, too, but there was so much helpful information already there, I wasn't sure if I would be adding anything new. However, I haven't seen many reports about trips taken during Easter vacation, so here goes…
My husband, myself, and our 15 year old daughter stayed at WDW during Easter vacation of '93, '94, and '97. People have told us that we are crazy to go at that busy time of the year. However, I am a teacher and that is the first vacation we get after those long New York winters! What a great way to spend those cold days- planning for a trip to WDW!
Day 1- March 31, 1997
This year our trip to WDW was only for three nights, as we spent the rest of the time visiting family and friends who had moved to Florida (lucky people). During our trips in '93 and '94 we had stayed eight nights each year.
We rented a car this trip, Value Rent A Car- the price was ok, but it is located off site and therefore not too convenient. We had difficulty finding the Value shuttle location and also had to wait about twenty minutes for one to come. We were about an hour at their office handling the arrangements and it was really warm inside the building. (No air conditioning?)
On Monday, March 31 (the day after Easter) we drove to WDW. We got there about 12:30 p.m. It was fabulous to be finally there! I expected crowds, especially because of the 25th Anniversary Celebration, but the Magic Kingdom was already closed! Wow!!!!!!!!
Our plan for this trip was to do some of the things we hadn't done before. We parked at the Village Market Place and went over to check out the Rain Forest Café. The wait was about two hours for a table. We decided not to wait. (It's been suggested that you get your reservation, then shop while you wait. Great idea! Wish I had known it then.) We looked around the shops. We used our Magic Kingdom Club card for a 10% discount.
About 3:00 we drove over to the Wilderness Lodge to check in. This hotel is impressive! I love the lobby: 7 or 8 stories high, timber everywhere, teepee chandeliers, totem poles, a stone fireplace, rocking chairs… The attention to detail is amazing. At this point, I'm really feeling "The Magic"! Check-in was a bit slow, about 30 minutes. My husband and daughter stood in line while I went to Guest Services to pick up our Polynesian Luau tickets (using our MKC card for a discount). We got settled into our room, which had a nice (courtyard) view overlooking the creek. We were on the 4th floor, not too far from the lobby area. We really liked our location. (It ended up being very convenient.) However, we thought that the room's décor was a bit dark and made the room feel small.
We had a quick, not very tasty lunch at Roaring Forks and purchased our refillable mug.
On to the Polynesian! We took the boat over to the MK and then the monorail to the Poly. We had stayed there in '93, but had never been to the luau. The lobby there is also impressive, the foliage makes it feel decidedly tropical. We listened to a pre-show before going into the luau area. There was also a pre-show inside before the actual performance. We sat at the second table from the stage- right in the center- so we had great seats. (Could this be because I had made reservations about 6 months ahead?) We enjoyed the food and the drinks were yummy. The performances were excellent. We have never been to a real luau in Hawaii (would like to), so I don't know how they compare. But everyone was obviously enjoying this performance!
After browsing through the Poly's shops, we returned to the WL.
Day 2- April 1, 1997
We slept in and then had the family style breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café. We thought it was delicious. We then spent time exploring the hotel and grounds: the lobby area is quite relaxing; the other floors worth exploring; the creek, waterfall, geyser (erupting on the hour) are lovely; and the grounds very attractive (watch for the paw prints in the cement). We did some laundry and rested.
About 4:30 we went downstairs to eat. My husband and daughter went to the Whispering Canyon Café to get us a table while I went to Guest Services to pick up tickets for the MK and for Pleasure Island. When I returned to the Café, my family was already seated and having a great time with our server. The atmosphere there is unique! There are some crazy antics that go on in that restaurant- it's noisy and fun! Our food was served family style and was good.
About 6:00 we took the bus to Pleasure Island. (We had never been there before. We thought that our daughter was too young on our previous trips. Although we saw young children there, I think I'd wait until a child was at least 12.) We got in line for the first Comedy Warehouse show. We only waited about 15 minutes before being admitted. I'm sure the wait was much longer later in the evening! This club's entertainment is great- don't miss it. The laughter of the audience was loud and frequent. We then went over to the Adventurers Club. First, over to the Mask Room, where our daughter was told that she was sitting under the fertility mask! Oh, no! It was pretty funny. We also saw two performances in the Library. It seemed like everyone in the room joined in the fun. We also stopped at the Armadillo Saloon and enjoyed the live music and watching the dancing. We made a quick stop at the Rock and Roll Beach Club- too loud for us adults, not for our teenage daughter! We then spent a pleasant half an hour at the Jazz Club, having dessert and listening to the music. At about 11:30 we went outside to watch the New Year's celebration at the West End Stage. (We stayed near the back of the crowds so that we could exit easily and catch the first available bus back to the WL. With the crowds, I wasn't sure how quickly the buses would fill up.) We think that the celebration was worth staying for, the confetti was a nice touch. We did catch the first bus and it was packed, literally. We were back at our room by about 1:10.
Day 3- April 2, 1997
We got up at 6:45. We quickly ate some breakfast items from Roaring Forks. The MK had early entry all week- another sign that indicated the size of the crowds. We took the boat over to the MK and were on Main Street by 8:10. I could not believe the crowds pouring onto Main Street! I had not ever seen it like this. We moved quickly over to Alien Encounter, which we had not ridden before. It was about a ten minute wait. We really liked this attraction, although your children should be old enough to realize this is fantasy. We went over to Space Mountain and were in line by 8:55, but what a line already! We waited 45 minutes. Then it was over to the Legend of the Lion King. We hadn't been there either. We liked the variety of effects they used. We had to stop at the Haunted Mansion, one of our favorites. Then over to Timekeeper, another new attraction for us. At this point, it was about 12:30 and the crowds were unbelievable. (When we had passed Alien Encounter at about 10:00, the line stretched over the bridge towards Main Street!) We checked out the birthday cake/castle. It wasn't as bad as I expected, but I am glad it's not permanent. We took an ice cream break, shopped on Main Street, and took the boat back to the WL.
We ate lunch about 2:30 at the Whispering Canyon Café, we really liked that restaurant! The food was quite tasty and it was quieter at this time of day. We then rested for awhile.
About 6:30 our relatives came over to WDW to eat dinner with us. They had not seen the WL before. We made reservations at the Whispering Canyon Café. The CM gave us a beeper so we would know when our table was ready. We strolled around the hotel and grounds. After about 45 minutes our table was ready. Again, we had a lot of fun and enjoyed our dinner. Since the restaurant is open to the lobby, the children in our group could see the live animal show that took place nightly in the lobby.
We all went outside to watch the Electrical Pageant on the water. We waited quite awhile and then found out it had been cancelled due to the wind. We parted company and packed for home.
Day 4- April 3, 1997
We were sad to leave WDW and end our vacation. We all had a very good time.
It was a pretty smooth day. We had room service breakfast, express check-out, and the luggage was picked up at 8:45 as I had requested from the bell service desk the night before. By the time we walked to the exit our luggage was already loaded into our rental car! We drove to Value, which was a fair distance from the airport. We were directed where to park which was very close to Value's airport shuttle. We were taken care of quickly by an outside attendant, loaded our luggage, and left for the airport. Our AirTran flight left pretty close to schedule and we arrived home only a little late.
Plans for Easter '98:
We will be staying three nights at Port Orleans (because of the rates, the size, and it is new for us) and three nights at the Beach Club (because of the easy access to World Showcase and MGM, also Stormalong Bay is there). We plan to rent a car to explore the other hotels. We are taking someone who has not been to WDW before so it should be even more fun than usual.
Suggestions for Traveling at Busy Times:
1. Arrive at the park of your choice before it opens, move quickly in the morning.
2. We follow Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to WDW" touring plans- pretty much step by step in the morning. (We have also used these for Universal and Washington, D.C. with success.)
3. We make reservations (priority seating) for lunch for when we will be at the parks. I like to make them for about 1:30 or 2:00, it seems that we are ready for a break about then. It helps to know that there is a cool, comfortable place waiting for you!
4. As many people will tell you, take a break in the afternoon- swim, rest, whatever. About every 3rd day, we have a "sleep-in" morning and enjoy some relaxing activities. We go over to the parks around 5:00 or 6:00 and tour at a slower pace.
5. We wait for the 11:00 Spectromagic parade and ride attractions just before and during the 9:00 parade.
6. If you really need some quiet, have a room service dinner.
7. Expect to encounter crowds and have patience!
8. We liked staying at the Wilderness Lodge. It has fewer guests (600 rooms) and seems to be quieter than some of the other hotels. Check out http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/ They have some good ideas there!
Virginia Flynn