Trip Reports
02-21-2007, 09:00 PM
Kelly McBride - October 2005 - Offsite
Time of Year: Fall
Travel Method: Plane, rental car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Suite
Ages Represented in Group: Preschool, Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie, Infrequent
Comments: Kelly is a frequent trip report writer for her family's trips to Disneyland, but this is just their second trip to Walt Disney World. With a two week visit, they have more than enough time to take everything in.
Kelly McBride -- October/November 2005 - Walt Disney World (Offsite)
The Cast:
Myself 38
My husband Shane 32
My mom Rosemarie 60
My dad Gary 63
stepdaughter Lynn 13
daughter Katy 5 ¾ (will be 6 on Dec 31st)
daughter Shelby 4 1/2
Experience: This will be my families 2nd trip to Disneyworld. My mom, Shane, myself and the 3 girls all went back in May of 2002. Mom and I have taken the girls back to Disneyland in our home state several times since this trip and originally we were going to wait till 2007 to come back to Disneyworld so that the little ones would be big enough to go on most rides however mom decided she couldn’t wait that long and here we are. We feel like after having one trip under our belt we know a LOT more this time and I have more time to prepare and much more info this time around.
This will be my dad’s first trip to Disneyworld although he has been to Disneyland many times.
Pre-Trip Planning
Well this will be my 3rd or 4th trip report on Mouseplanet. My very first was for our first trip to Disneyworld back in ’02 and I have since done a few Disneyland reports.
As I said in the experience section while we were STILL at Disneyworld the last time we knew we wanted to come again to see the new things that were in the process of being built and also we wanted to come back when the kids were older and could enjoy more. The first time we went Katy was only 2 and Shelby was just barely 1.
We had planned to come in 07 when I felt they would be old enough to go on everything and since we live in California it is a massive undertaking to get all the way to Florida with 6 or 7 people so I wanted to plan it when it would be best for all.
However after taking several trips to Disneyland my mom felt that Shelby would be old enough at 4 and Katy at almost 6 to go on most things and she didn’t want to wait till ’07 so here we are.
Again with regard to planning we knew the last time that 1 week just simply was NOT long enough to do it all. We decided to go for 2 weeks this time so that we could not only go to all 4 parks at least 2 days but also to see some of the other sites. We had also stayed on property the last time and as much as we enjoyed that we felt with 7 people going we could save more money if we took advantage of my mom’s time share.
So this past summer of 2004 we started looking and booked a nice 2 bedroom condo very close to the park. We are anxious to see if it is as nice as it looks.
At this point it is January of 2005 and we have just purchased our airline tickets. We have decided to buy annual passes also because it is actually cheaper to buy an annual pass then to buy 8 days worth of tickets. So sometime in the future as the trip gets closer we will purchase vouchers at our local Disney store for our annual passes. The best part is that means we can go BACK in 06 and our park tickets will be free. So we will be saving money yet again.
The next item I need to take care of is purchasing our Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween tickets which should be available in May sometime and then in July I need to make all of our priority dinning reservations. So onto May….
May 2005
Well today I purchased our Halloween party tickets. I have been anxiously scanning Mouseplanet knowing any day now I would see the announcement and sure enough today I did and this morning I hurried and called and we scored!! I got 7 tickets for October 28. This is the Friday before Halloween and I am SURE it will be crowded but I think it will still be fun!!
Just last week some friends of ours expressed interest in possibly going. If they go it will be an additional 11 people. They of course would probably stay separate and fly separate and we would simply meet up one or more days.
Now that I have scored the Halloween tickets I just have to wait till July to call and try to get a princess breakfast and purchase the Pirate adventure tickets for the little ones.
We have yet to purchase our passes but I will most likely do that closer to when we actually leave. We still have not secured a rental car either but most likely we will do that a month or so ahead also. At this point most everything is planned and just a few more details before we can sit back and enjoy waiting for our trip!!
July 22, 2005
Well at this point we are actually getting ready to go on our annual Disneyland trip for the 50th. We leave in 2 days and I have made a few minor changes to our DW trip. First of all we decided a few months back NOT to buy annual passes. Although we really wanted to go in O6 to see Expedition Everest we have other plans that we want to do more and so we passed on the AP’s. Instead about a month ago I purchased 8 day passes under the Magic your way. It is quite a savings to do it this way and the more days you go the cheaper it is.
My stepdaughter also decided that she is only going to stay a week because she does not want to miss 2 weeks of school so she will be returning after the first week with my dad.
After much thought I also decided to forgo the princess breakfast. Upon figuring out my 90 day in advance PS dates I realized that I would need to get up at 4 a.m. 3 out of 5 days on our Disneyland trip. Ironic isn’t it? I found out they have a princess breakfast at Disneyland now and my daughters have seen most of the princesses already around the parks so it was not worth it to me to get up THAT early on my vacation especially knowing that it may be for naught. SO I have decided to forgo the princess breakfast and I am going to take my chances calling at a more reasonable time (6 a.m. CA time) for the pirate cruise and for our PS at CT for the night of our MNSHP. I am hoping that just eating in the castle (dinner) will be sufficient enough.
Still have not secured a rental car but we still have time on that. Other than tweaking a few PS we are pretty much there. Everything is bought and paid for and the week I return from my Disneyland trip it will be time to call and make all the PS’s. Until then...
September 22, 2005
Well today is exactly 30 days till we leave. I must say I can’t wait!!! Everything is now done. Everyone has their tickets, all ps’s are made and we just reserved our rental car last week. Now all there is to do is wait till we leave!!
October 19, 2005
Well here it is 2 days before we leave and we have a bit of a glitch. Or should I say a HUGE glitch named Wilma. Cat 5 Hurricane Wilma is due to hit right smack dab in the middle of when we arrive. I have been stressing all day and am sure I have a giant ulcer by now. I have been monitoring the weather channel all day and calling the airlines, Disney and our hotel. I had made a hotel ressie as well as alternate airline ressies for Friday thinking if we got there BEFORE the storm hit we could just kill a day in our room but at least we would BE there.
Well the family decided to try our luck and wait it out. It is currently Wednesday night and we are going to wait the 2 days to see how it pans out. American is telling us they can’t change things till they cancel the flight. So at this point we will be taking it day by day, minute by minute. We may still go Saturday or possibly Sunday or even later or, god forbid, not at all. I truly hope this is not the case and that if we do go later we don’t miss too many days.
Praying that all goes well……..
DAY ONE – October 22, 2005 (Saturday)
Plan: Get up at 5:00, get dressed and take shuttle to airport. Arrive to airport by 6:00 for 8 a.m. flight. Upon arriving in Orlando at 5:30 local time we will get our rental car, drive to our timeshare, check-in and then look for a nice place to eat. After dinner we will drop off the kids and the guys and mom and I will go shopping for some staples for the next two weeks. After shopping come home and get some sleep!
What actually happened:
Well the day FINALLY arrived after 3 years in the making. After many sleepless nights and arguing with my father about whether or not we should go and hearing from practically EVERYONE we knew as well as people on the internet that we were CRAZY to go we said what the heck we are going to try it and worst case scenario we drive up north and fly home.
We got up and literally up till the night before we didn’t know if Dad was going to go or not and sure enough when we arrived at the parents house to pick them up he was NOT going. In retrospect this was probably a good thing. My dad can be rather grumpy and a kill joy. He never wants us to eat anything bad or buy any souvenirs, etc etc. So probably him deciding to stay home was for the best. We got to the airport and the flight was still on. We got through security, had a bite to eat and waited to board our flight. We had a full but uneventful flight to Dallas. DFW is a crazy huge airport and you always seem to land in one terminal but must RUN three terminals away to get to your next plane. We took the train but still barely had enough time to grab a quick bite. We knew we had to eat something though cuz it is about a 6 hour flight and of course there are no longer in flight meals. We had a decent BBQ meal at one of the shops in the airport and quickly boarded our next flight to Orlando. Again the flight was good and we were even early till we hit Florida but there were thunderstorms and so we had to circle for a bit before we could safely land. We finally did and when we walked into the terminal it was jammed with people EVERYWHERE trying to leave. Again I felt like we were crazy to be COMING when everyone else was trying to LEAVE.
We made our way down to baggage claim and then picked up our rental car. We used Budget and got a fairly good deal of about 570 for the 2 weeks. However when we returned the car it was almost 800 with taxes and the extra insurance we bought for possible hurricane damage. We had a nice van though with a dvd player and it worked well for us. It is also a good thing we bought the extra insurance because, although we had no hurricane damage, someone put a HUGE door ding in the passenger door. I should say DENT not door ding. This annoys me to no end how people can majorly damage what is obviously a brand new vehicle (had only 100 miles on it) and just walk away. But that is another story.
We then drove to the timeshare and the girls and I waited in the car while mom and Shane checked in. I had asked a lot about the rooms and had inquired with others who had used Vistana before. The pictures on the net and the people’s descriptions did NOT come close to this place. I had requested a water view room AWAY from the highway. What did we get? A room that was about 10 feet from I-4. The only water view I had was of the gigantic billboard of a kid in the resort pool right outside my window next to the Interstate! The room was marginal at best and considering my mother’s timeshare in Mexico is right on the beach this did NOT compare as a trade. Needless to say the room was adequate at best but NOT impressive and we were disgusted that they gave us the worst room in the place. I suppose we could have complained and tried to get another room but we were all exhausted and since we didn’t plan to be in the room much I told mom not to worry about it.
We had several other bad experiences with ant invasions, NO maid service and disappearing towels, not to mention there was absolutely NO condiments or anything but dishes. We had to buy EVERYTHING just for the few small meals we made.
Perhaps there are better rooms in the complex but I was NOT impressed and will NOT be staying there again!
After dropping off our luggage we went to the Bennigan’s next door for dinner and again I was NOT impressed. They took forever to serve us and again the food was marginal. There is a Walgreens next door also and we bought a few minor supplies to get us through breakfast the next day so that we did not have to do any major grocery shopping on our first night. I also had found that several of my kids clothes seemed to be missing so I had to buy Shelby a few shirts. They had a few cute Disney themed shirts for way cheaper than the parks.
After this we just went back to the timeshare and hit the sack as by this time we were all beat.
DAY TWO – October 23, 2005 (Sunday)
Plan: Get up early, eat at room and drive to Cape Kennedy. Go to Kennedy from 9 to 5 and have dinner, hopefully somewhere on the beach, and drive back.
What actually happened:
Here is where things change a bit. We did get up and eat in the room but because of the impending hurricane we decided to switch things around a bit. Since we didn’t know how many days we might lose we decided to make sure we got in all our park days that we had already paid for. Therefore we decided NOT to got to Kennedy this first day but rather to Epcot.
I called and asked if by chance there were any cancellations for the Princess lunch at Akershus. SCORE!! I purposely did NOT reserve one 90 days earlier cuz I knew how hard they were to get but I thought what the heck. With the hurricane I thought there might be some cancellations and sure enough there was. So we made that reservation and also changed our Biergarten reservation from Monday to today. We then made our way to the parks. It felt so good to see the old familiar site of the “World”. Last time we stayed on property and took the buses or monorails everywhere so we definitely got to see more of the property by driving and also saw the entrance sign for the first time. It took us a few days to figure out how to get back onto 536 but by the time we left we were pros at getting around.
We got into Epcot and first thing first we did Spaceship Earth. I was the only one who remembered going on it last time but everyone enjoyed it. Shelby was only a baby last time and so was Katy basically so they really didn’t remember anything. Shelby was a bit apprehensive of the dark but after riding it declared she liked it and wanted to go again. We then made our way to Test Track and we all got to the entrance of the movie portion and Shelby determined she had to go to the bathroom. So mom had to take her out while Shane, Lynn, Katy and I rode it. This is a fun ride. After this Shane and Lynn went on Mission Space and the rest of us chose not to ride. I got motion sickness and even though Katy was tall enough I was apprehensive based on everything I have heard or read.
By the time they were done it was time for our lunch at Akershus. We had eaten lunch there the last time and enjoyed it and the girls were ecstatic about meeting the princesses.
We came in and first thing first they got their picture taken with Ariel. After we were seated we were visited by Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Cinderella. The girls were very excited and the food was good. We then decided to ride the Maelstrom while we were there and enjoyed it. We had not seen the film on Norway last time and made an effort to do that this time. Again we enjoyed it and it looks like a place we would like to visit some day.
When then went back to Mexico and rode El Rio Del Tiempo and looked at the wares inside the pyramid.
We worked our way around the various countries viewing the films and watching the American Experience along the way. The girls had their passports and also did the masks.
If you add something to your mask at each country you get a little poster at the end. This really kept them occupied and they enjoyed it while we enjoyed seeing the shops and movies of the various countries. I did not like Epcot as much the first time but this time I enjoyed it more and think this would be a great place to come sometime WITHOUT the kids to really enjoy the music and food and shops!
When we were done with all the countries we were ready for dinner and ventured to Germany via a Friendship water Taxi. We had not used these last time either and it was a nice break and everyone enjoys a boat ride right?
We had dinner at the Biergarten and were seated with a couple from Boca Raton who was up escaping the hurricane. We enjoyed the food and the polka music and the girls even got up and did some folk dancing with our dinner companions. By the time dinner was through we decided to head out and sure enough the rain had started in. By the time we left the park it was coming down pretty good. We had originally planned on watching Illuminations but I believe it was cancelled anyway. Eventhough it was pouring we knew we HAD to get some groceries since we didn’t know how long we would be cooped up in our room and we had already heard that the restaurants and parks would be closed.
We went to the Goodings at Crossroads and YES it is quite expensive there and with the impending storm I am sure that the prices were even MORE elevated than normal.
We got what we could and got utterly drenched trying to get it all in the car. Got home and got dried off and played a few hands of Canasta before hitting the sack.
DAY THREE – October 24, 2005 (Monday)
Plan: Eat a light breakfast in room and head to Epcot. Snack on F&W appetizers for lunch and have dinner at German place.
What actually happened:
Well once again plans were changed. We slept in and awoke around 7ish by the storm. It did rain quite a bit and there was some wind but we have had more wind than that here in Sacramento so Orlando definitely just got the fringes of Wilma. It stormed till around 3:00 p.m. so we just hung out, played cards and ate breakfast and lunch in our room. When the weather cleared I called and got a priority seating at Ohana.
In the meantime we drove to downtown Disney to look around but apparently EVERYONE had the same idea. Everything was VERY crowded and so we left pretty early. The parks did close but only till mid afternoon. We went and toured the Polynesian a bit and then had a nice dinner. There were a few changes since we were there last but it was still good and we had a great sunset. The girls were able to do the coconut races and the limbo.
After dinner we went back to the room and played some more canasta till it was time for bed.
DAY FOUR – October 25, 2005 (Tuesday)
Plan: Eat breakfast in room and head to Animal Kingdom. Dinner at Boma at AKL.
What actually happened:
Woke up this day and once again ate breakfast in our room. Got ready and headed out to Animal Kingdom. After arriving at the park we of course did the Kilamanjaro Safari first. Saw lots of animals including some very close to our bus. We then walked over to the Lion King show which we missed last time. We very much enjoyed the show. By now it was time for lunch and although I had planned on going to Tusker House to do the meal deal once again the kids wanted pizza so we settled on Pizzafari.
After lunch we headed to Dinosaur. We had done this last time but my mom had sat out with Shelby and of course Katy was too small. Everyone was able to ride this time and although I think the little ones were a tad scared they said they enjoyed it. We then took the kids on Triceratops spin while Shane and Lynn did Dinorama. After that we headed to Tarzan Rocks and got some great pics of the Expedition Everest ride while we waited. I am sure disappointed that we missed out on this as it looks fabulous and by the time we come again it will be old news. We enjoyed Tarzan rocks and then decided to go on the Maharajah Jungle trek. We enjoyed seeing the bats and the tigers in the very realistic ruins. At this point we had done mostly everything we had wanted to do except Kali Rapids. Being that it was chilly we decided against getting soaked.
We also did not make it to Conservation Station but there is only so much you can do in one day and we had seen that on our last trip anyway. We also never made it to It’s Tough to be a Bug but we have that in California and the girls have seen in many times.
We left and headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were very impressed with this hotel’s décor and while we were looking around met a very nice girl from Botswana named Nu Nu. She told us about her country and we took photos with her. Finally it was time for our dinner and we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Boma.
After dinner we left and had to make another pit stop at Walgreens for a few more supplies, played some more Canasta and hit the sack.
DAY FIVE – October 26, 2005 (Wednesday)
Plan: Eat in room and the guys and Lynn will most likely go fishing or do some other activity of their choosing. Mom and I will be taking the two little ones on the pirate adventure at the Grand Floridian. While they are on their trip she and I will have lunch and do a little shopping. After the girls are done with their adventure we will most likely tour some of the other resorts and do some shopping. Dinner adults only at California Grill, hope to watch fireworks. Kids stay at timeshare and eat pizza.
What actually happened:
Since my dad did not come our plans changed once again. After having our usual breakfast at the room we headed out to the Grand Floridian. We got the girls checked in for their pirate cruise and after we saw them off with a big smile we headed out to the monorail resorts to look around. We went to Contemporary first and did a little shopping. We then went back to the Grand Floridian to pick them up and do a little more shopping while we waited.
The girls really enjoyed themselves and although the treasure is pretty cheap it is the experience they had that made it worth it. They really got into the whole pirate act and couldn’t stop talking about it.
We then journeyed to the Yacht and Beach Club to partake in lunch and of course desert at Beaches and Cream. This was wonderful of course and then we walked around the Yacht and Beach Club a bit and checked it out and then took a friendship taxi across to the Boardwalk. We were going to check out a few more resorts but with the hurricane messing with our plans we decided to let Shane do the Richard Petty driving experience today while we had open time.
We called and they said they were available so we headed over. Shane is a HUGE Nascar fan so this was a big thrill for him. He got to do three laps in a Nascar and got his picture taken and mounted on a cool plaque.
After that we were a little tired so we went back to the room and took a little nap. When we woke up we got dressed and mom and Shane got the kids some Pizza and then the three adults drove to Contemporary for dinner at California Grill.
We had stayed at the Contemporary our first trip but the kids were so small that it never worked out for us to eat there. We got there early and requested a window table and got it. We all had wonderful meals and just about desert time the fireworks started. They no longer dim the lights and they did pipe in the music but it was hard to hear over everyone talking. It was however neat to see from up there and the view of the parks alone and the property was fabulous. Before our dinner we had also walked out on the observation deck and got some great sunset pics. After the fireworks were done we saw the water pageant which was also neat.
Once dinner was through we came home and hit the sack right away.
DAY SIX – October 27, 2005 (Thursday)
Plan: Eat in room head to MGM all day. Lunch at 50’s Prime Time and dinner at Hollywood and Vine (Fantasmic seating).
What actually happened:
Another day another breakfast in the room as usual. Set out for MGM and we had wanted to go to some shows but they didn’t start right away so we did the obligatory Tower of Terror and RockNRollercoaster. Katy had been on Tower in Disneyland but Shelby chickened out. I asked her if she was going to do it in Florida and she said yes. Sure enough she went with us and she liked it. I have to agree with Shane that I prefer the Tower in Florida with the way it goes inside the building and doesn’t just drop where it stands. It is one of my most favorite rides and we did it a few times both days.
After Tower we did RockNRollercoaster twice having to utilize baby swap for the little ones. After our thrill rides we went and saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid which mom had also missed last time because Shelby was sleeping. Everyone enjoyed this as Ariel is a big hit in our home. We then walked over to the animation building to see Chicken Little and clan. We enjoyed playing with the animation exhibits while we waited for the main bird. After photos it was time for lunch.
We went to the 50’s prime time and enjoyed our time although our waitress wasn’t quite in character as I had hoped. The meal was decent and we were then off to see New York street. We noticed that it was almost totally decorated for the Osborne lights and we were a bit disappointed that we would miss it by only a week. We took the girls to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and the adults relaxed with a coke while they played a bit.
After that we did Star Tours. We have this at Disneyland and I must saw for those of us that are older this is a tired ride. It has been around since the 70’s and we have all been on it WAY too many times. The little ones are still new to it however and LOVE it so of course we had to go on it again. We also did the Great Movie Ride for the first time. It was down on rehab last time we were here and we enjoyed it as well.
By now it was time for our dinner reservation at Hollywood and Vine. We had done this last time as well and the food is just average but it is worth it to get the priority seating for Fantasmic.
After dinner we just walked around a bit and shopped till it was time to be seated for Fantasmic. We got front row seats and I have NEVER sat that close before. It was the first time I could REALLY see everything and it was awesome. The girls had fun playing with some other kids that were there until the show started and then thoroughly enjoyed the show.
By now it was late and everyone was tired so we ventured with the herd of people out to our car and headed home to a very welcome bed!
DAY SEVEN – October 28, 2005 (Friday)
Plan: Eat in room and go to Magic Kingdom all day. Mickey’s Halloween party this night. Dinner at CRT.
What actually happened:
Now I know some may think we are crazy to spend a whole week in the “world” before we go to the highlight, the Magic Kingdom, but this was just how it worked out for us.
Today was finally the day and we were ready. Did our usual breakfast in the room and headed out. I had read on some hint boards to do the valet parking so we did this at the Contemporary. The valet’s kind of gave us some guff about this but it worked out and we did this a few times. It worked great especially on rainy days or days when you are tired and the last thing you want to do is fight crowds on the monorail or walk for miles to your car.
We decided to hit tomorrowland first to go in the opposite direction that most people do. We immediately saw Stitch and Buzz Lightyear. We got pics with Stitch but Buzz had to go. We then did Stitch’s Great Escape and I agree with everyone who thinks this is a dumb ride. VERY boring I thought. I don’t even think the kids liked it that much.
After Stitch we hit space moutain which is truly different then the CA version. We always enjoy this ride but while Shelby is tall enough to go on the CA version she is NOT tall enough to go on the Florida one. I am assuming because of the configuration of the cars. Needless to say we had to do baby swap which took some time but we all got a ride and enjoyed it. We then tried the Carousel of Progress. This was also not open last time we were here and it is one of those quaint experiences that is fun to see at least once.
And of course just like It’s a Small World that song sticks in your head for days. Many days later Shelby was singing It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.
After CP we went on the Tomorrow Land Transit Authority. This is very similar to the old People Movers at Disneyland and she just loves this silly ride. I admit when you have been going and going it is a nice break but kind of boring first thing in the day.
After doing most of Tomorrowland we worked our way around to Liberty Square and had lunch at Columbia Harbor House. We had eaten here last time and again it was just ok.
We did the haunted mansion which is always fun and although I enjoy the exterior of the house I still feel the Disneyland version is better.
We worked our way over to Adventureland and did Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise. Two rides that are similar to Disneyland but I prefer the California versions.
By now it was getting to be time for our dinner ressie at Cinderella’s table. We checked in and while waiting in the foyer of the castle we had a special guest. Cinderella made an appearance and was a big hit. Finally it was time for dinner and we had a very good meal and enjoyed seeing the inside of the castle and the view from the windows.
After dinner we exchanged our Mickey’s Halloween party tickets for wristbands and headed out to partake of the party. We watched the villains show and the girls got pics with Maleficent. We then went to toontown and got some candy, rode on Goofy’s barnstormer and got a few pics with various characters there.
We got our free picture taken in tomorrowland and the girls got pictures with the Incredibles. I don’t know how many tickets they sell but the park seemed even more crowded to me then during the day. I think we only rode one or two rides and didn’t even get that much candy. The lines were too long. We did see the second parade as well as the fireworks which were both good. We enjoyed ourselves but there was so much to do and not that much time to do it.
After the fireworks we were getting tired so we rode the monorail back to the contemporary and picked up the car and headed home.
DAY EIGHT – October 29, 2005 (Saturday)
Plan: Go to my Aunt and Uncle’s for a visit.
We got up today and mom thought it would be fun to actually go out to breakfast but we soon found out that a Saturday in Disneyworld is Crazy. Every place had a long wait and we had a big drive ahead of us to Tampa to visit family so we ended up just getting McDonalds.
We hit the rode and had a nice drive and saw some of the rest of the country. We had a nice visit and lunch with my family and headed back in the late afternoon. We got back and just ordered pizza and hung out in the room.
DAY NINE – October 30, 2005 (Sunday)
Plan: Mom and Shane take my dad and Lynn to the airport. After they return we will go to Epcot all day. Dinner at Marakesh.
What actually happened:
The day started with Shane and mom getting up VERY early to take Lynn back to the airport. Because my dad didn’t come she had to fly home alone and we were a bit nervous about this but they made her an unaccompanied minor and so she was watched after the entire way.
There were some mechanical problems with the plane and a breach in security while they were there so what should have taken a few minutes took a few hours. They finally got back though and we headed out to Epcot for our second day.
Once we arrived at Epcot the order of the day was to see what we had missed the previous day and also to sample some of the food and wine selections. Since we had done the Test Track side the first time we decided to go to the land side this time. We got a fast pass for Soaring and then did Living with the Land. We enjoyed this as always and then did Soaring. We have this ride in CA but it is always a favorite.
After Soaring we did Journey into your Imagination. This was also closed last time we were there and the girls enjoyed it. It was ok but not something I would feel the need to repeat if not for the girls.
We started tasting our way around the countries and had many wonderful things. We saw the Canada movie which we had missed the day before and also saw the French and Chinese movies, both of which were good.
We also decided to sample some of the French pastries since I had heard so much about them and we then continued on around till we got to Mexico. Mom was unable to do Test Track the first day so everyone but me went on Test Track. I was tired and had a headache and did not want to make it worse by getting jostled about. We took a friendship boat back over to Morocco and had dinner at Marakesh. We very much enjoyed the food and especially the belly dancer. We had a very nice waitress who was very helpful.
By now we were all pretty tired and decided not to wait for Illuminations. We saw it the first time and will just have to wait till next time to see it again.
DAY TEN – October 31, 2005 (Monday)
Plan: This day is open at this point. Possibly Universal or Water Park.
What actually happened:
Well about a month or so before we decided to go I had been checking out Universal Studios as a possibility and after much checking it was basically a go.
We did not want to be anywhere near the Disney parks on Halloween fearing it would be really crowded and I had done some research and was told that Universal would be dead.
So we ventured out and decided to go to Island’s of Adventure. We have Universal here in California of course so we wanted to do something we could not do here. We went in and did the Hulk first. That is an incredible coaster!! We then did the Spider man ride and we enjoyed that also. After that mom, Katy and myself went on Dudley Do-Right’s ripsaw falls. There was NO ONE there and we literally walked up and got in a log that was just sitting there waiting for us. That ride gets you absolutely soaked to the bone. It was fun but we were DRENCHED. After that we decided to do the Popeye raft ride and again got even more soaked if that is even possible.
Shane and I then went and did the Fire and Ice dueling coasters while the little ones did the unicorn coaster. After that we went to Suess Landing and the girls did a few rides and saw a few characters.
After we had done pretty much everything we left and stopped for a little Margarita at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. We sat in some Adirondack chairs and enjoyed some VERY tasty Mixed Berry Margaritas. Probably the best I’ve ever tasted. We then headed back to the timeshare and the girls were going to put on their costumes but we were all quite tired so I told them just to stick to their Halloween t-shirts they had on. We headed to Downtown Disney to trick or treat but it was a MADHOUSE. It was SO crowded that we just left. We had dinner reservations at Fultons but we weren’t very hungry and I didn’t want any part of those crowds so we just left and went to Perkins at Crossroads. After dinner we gratefully hit the sack.
DAY ELEVEN – November 1, 2005 (Tuesday)
Plan: Animal Kingdom all day. Dinner at Fulton’s Crab House DTD.
What actually happened:
Now again we had a change of plans. Originally I felt going to each park for two days was necessary. However upon discussing it with the others they felt that we had pretty much done everything we wanted to do there and since we LOVED Magic Kingdom and it never seems there is enough time there we decided to go there 3 days total.
So I changed my dinner reservations at Wilderness lodge to this night and we set off.
We got to the lodge and once again used the Valet. We loved the look of the lodge and did a little shopping. We finally caught the friendship boat over to Magic Kingdom. We had wanted to get the girls haircuts on main street but the price was a little too steep so we decided against it. We were a little hungry so we stopped at the bakery on main street and had some Danish and coffee and enjoyed just sitting and relaxing and people watching.
While we were there the main street singers came by and we enjoyed listening to them sing and watching them dance.
We then hit fantasyland and did all the big rides, Pooh, Small World, Snow White and got a Fast Pass for Peter Pan. At this time we also saw Philharmagic for the first time. This was not completed yet the last time we were there and we very much enjoyed this. After Philharmagic it was time for our fast pass so we did Peter Pan which is an all time favorite. After Pan it was time for lunch and we headed to Frontierland and did lunch at Pecos Bills. They have a GREAT condiment bar with sautéed onions and mushrooms for your burgers. After lunch we walked over to Splash Mountain and there was surprisingly no wait. We did Splash AND Big Thunder Mountain with little to no wait. We then went to Adventureland and did Pirates, Tikki Room and Aladdin’s carpets.
We next went to Tomorrowland and did space mountain again as well as TTA and Buzz Lightyear. Went back to Fantasyland and did the tea cups, the carousel and dumbo. We then did Haunted mansion again. I wanted to get the girls some Christmas stockings with their favorite characters on them so I did this at the Christmas Shop in Liberty Square.
By this time we were ready to leave and waited for a friendship water taxi back to Wilderness Lodge. They OVER crowded the boat and by now it was raining quite hard so it was a pretty uncomfortable trip back to the Lodge. The park was crowded but we never had very long waits and when the rain got stronger we just walked on everything.
Once at the Lodge we had dinner at Whispering Canyon. I had heard a lot about how fun this place was but once again it was rather dead this night. The food was just ok but it was still an ok evening.
After dinner we got our car from the valet and headed back to the room for some much needed sleep.
DAY TWELVE – November 2, 2005 (Wednesday)
Plan: Magic Kingdom all day. Dinner at Whispering Canyon (WL, take water taxi)
What actually happened:
Once again we were up and did breakfast at our room. Headed out to Magic Kingdom. Got there early this time and were able to watch the opening ceremony. We had booked the family magic tour and so we went and checked in and then did a little shopping at the emporium and the candy store. I had tasted some maple nut fudge in Canada at Epcot and was on a hunt to get some more. I found some at the candy store as well as some other wonderful fudge and purchased some to take home.
After our shopping it was time for our tour. Mom and I had done a tour at Disneyland and really enjoyed it. We decided we wanted to take a few more tours but with the kids being small it limits what you can do. I really wanted to do the keys to the kingdom but you can’t do it with small kids. So we found the Family Magic tour and thought it would be fun.
Our guide met us and explained that instead of the tour we needed to find Hook’s Hook that Peter Pan had stolen. Peter had left us a map with a bunch of clues. We then walked all over the park looking for the clues. It finally lead us back to Liberty Square where Peter and Wendy surprised us. We got photos with them and then Peter went with us to Philharmagic and watched it with us. At the end of the tour we got some neat certificates to take home. I think Shane would have enjoyed a more in depth tour but the girls enjoyed it immensely.
After the tour we were hungry and got some lunch at Pinochio’s Village Haus. It again was just “ok”. We then went on small world and haunted mansion again. We had been trying in vain to get a photo in front of the mansion and finally on this last day we were able to get one. It turned out great by the way. We once again did Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain with NO wait. That is something you NEVER see, especially on Splash. I should have taken a picture of the wait sign that said 0 minute wait.
After Splash we did pirates one last time and then headed to Liberty Tavern for dinner.
When we switched our days around and added the extra day at Magic Kingdom we decided to do a character meal. We ate at Liberty tree and it was ok and the girls enjoyed the characters.
After dinner we journeyed back to tomorrowland and did Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear and TTA. While on TTA we noticed that the lights were on inside Space Mountain. There were people still in the cars on top of the coaster. We were curious what was going on so rode it again and were able to see the coaster with all the lights on. I tried to take pics but they did not turn out. That in itself was worth the ride just to see the ride with the lights on. Never did find out what happened and would be curious to know if anyone happens to know.
By now it was time to go watch Spectro and then we realized that it wasn’t going that night. I was disappointed as it was our last night at Magic Kingdom and we had missed it. So we decided instead to scope out a good spot for Wishes, which we did, and we just sat and had some coffee and waited.
We very much enjoyed wishes however after seeing the Disneyland anniversary fireworks it is hard to top. Wishes was good though and once it was over we massed with the rest of the herd and made our way out.
Luckily we had valet parked the car at Contemporary so we did not have to fight the crowds on the monorail or boats.
Everyone was exhausted and we were grateful to get home and get some sleep.
DAY THIRTENN – November 3, 2005 (Thursday)
Plan: MGM all day. Dinner at Sci Fi Drive In.
What actually happened:
Well today was our last theme park day. Also within the last few days my mom had decided to go home a day early. So as much fun as we had it was also apprehensive as our trip was coming to a close.
After entering the park we did Tower of Terror and found that RockNRollercoaster was done for rehab. Very disappointed about that but oh well. We did the Great Movie ride once again. After that we went and waited for the Indiana Jones Show. We had not seen this before and enjoyed it. After Indy we went to lunch at the Sci Fi Drive In. We had eaten there the last time and although the food is not that great it is fun for the kids.
After lunch we ran to see the power rangers which is a must if you have little ones. We were able to get photos with all of them and the girls were very excited. We had some time to kill so we saw the muppet show. We have that here in CA and hadn’t planned on doing it but since we had the time we did. We also did Star Tours again as Shelby really wanted to do it. We still had time to kill before Lights Motors Action so we took a break near the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and got some ice cream.
It was finally time for the stunt show and I had heard it was not that great but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the hubby!
After the show we were headed out but believe it or not Shelby, the one who was so scared before, wanted to go on Tower of Terror one last time. There was only a 10 minute wait so we gladly hit it one last time. Great ending to the day!
We wanted to just get a quick cheap dinner and ended up going to a steak house called Lone Star near the time share. The food was ok and not badly priced. After dinner we hit the sack as Shane and mom had to get up early to go to the airport.
DAY FOURTEEN – November 4, 2005 (Friday)
Plan: Open
What actually happened:
Shane and mom got up very early and he drove her to the airport. She was able to change her flight and so he dropped her off and headed back. By the time he got back I had the girls up and we cooked some breakfast. We then headed out to Kennedy.
It was an interesting drive and when we arrived we saw everything on the tour including having lunch with an astronaut.
We very much enjoyed Kennedy, especially Shane.
When we got back to Orlando we had dinner at Pebbles which is a seafood joint at Crossroads. I was not very hungry but Shane enjoyed his meal.
After dinner we just went back to the room and did laundry and packed.
DAY FIFTEEN – November 5, 2005 (Saturday)
Plan Have breakfast at room, pack, do any last minute shopping or what have you. Leave timeshare around 2 or 2:30. Get to airport and turn in car and then take 5:35 flight back home.
What actually happened:
Got up this morning and had our last breakfast in the room. We did all the last minute packing and since we had to be out of our room by 11 we left and drove to Downtown Disney. We walked around and saw some of the shops we had not seen before. We did a little last minute purchases and then had lunch at the Earl of Sandwhich.
After lunch we just HAD to try desert at Ghiradelli. Of course it was wonderful and we just relaxed for a bit till we felt it was time to go.
We drove back to the MCO and turned in the car and waited for our plane. We had quite a wait but the girls played with their toys and Shane and I read some magazines.
We have a VERY full flight from Orlando to Dallas and then a very short layover but luckily the flight from Dallas to Sacramento was very empty so we all got our own rows to stretch out and get some sleep.
All in all it was a wonderful trip.
I had done a LOT of planning and most things turned out wonderful. We scored a few unexpected things and were unable to do some things we wanted. We were not thrilled with the timeshare but it was passable.
Overall though it was a great time and although I am glad to be home I am sad that it will probably be MANY years before we make it back.
Ah well I can look forward to my next Disney fix when we go back to Disneyland in November of 2006!
Kelly McBride
Time of Year: Fall
Travel Method: Plane, rental car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Suite
Ages Represented in Group: Preschool, Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie, Infrequent
Comments: Kelly is a frequent trip report writer for her family's trips to Disneyland, but this is just their second trip to Walt Disney World. With a two week visit, they have more than enough time to take everything in.
Kelly McBride -- October/November 2005 - Walt Disney World (Offsite)
The Cast:
Myself 38
My husband Shane 32
My mom Rosemarie 60
My dad Gary 63
stepdaughter Lynn 13
daughter Katy 5 ¾ (will be 6 on Dec 31st)
daughter Shelby 4 1/2
Experience: This will be my families 2nd trip to Disneyworld. My mom, Shane, myself and the 3 girls all went back in May of 2002. Mom and I have taken the girls back to Disneyland in our home state several times since this trip and originally we were going to wait till 2007 to come back to Disneyworld so that the little ones would be big enough to go on most rides however mom decided she couldn’t wait that long and here we are. We feel like after having one trip under our belt we know a LOT more this time and I have more time to prepare and much more info this time around.
This will be my dad’s first trip to Disneyworld although he has been to Disneyland many times.
Pre-Trip Planning
Well this will be my 3rd or 4th trip report on Mouseplanet. My very first was for our first trip to Disneyworld back in ’02 and I have since done a few Disneyland reports.
As I said in the experience section while we were STILL at Disneyworld the last time we knew we wanted to come again to see the new things that were in the process of being built and also we wanted to come back when the kids were older and could enjoy more. The first time we went Katy was only 2 and Shelby was just barely 1.
We had planned to come in 07 when I felt they would be old enough to go on everything and since we live in California it is a massive undertaking to get all the way to Florida with 6 or 7 people so I wanted to plan it when it would be best for all.
However after taking several trips to Disneyland my mom felt that Shelby would be old enough at 4 and Katy at almost 6 to go on most things and she didn’t want to wait till ’07 so here we are.
Again with regard to planning we knew the last time that 1 week just simply was NOT long enough to do it all. We decided to go for 2 weeks this time so that we could not only go to all 4 parks at least 2 days but also to see some of the other sites. We had also stayed on property the last time and as much as we enjoyed that we felt with 7 people going we could save more money if we took advantage of my mom’s time share.
So this past summer of 2004 we started looking and booked a nice 2 bedroom condo very close to the park. We are anxious to see if it is as nice as it looks.
At this point it is January of 2005 and we have just purchased our airline tickets. We have decided to buy annual passes also because it is actually cheaper to buy an annual pass then to buy 8 days worth of tickets. So sometime in the future as the trip gets closer we will purchase vouchers at our local Disney store for our annual passes. The best part is that means we can go BACK in 06 and our park tickets will be free. So we will be saving money yet again.
The next item I need to take care of is purchasing our Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween tickets which should be available in May sometime and then in July I need to make all of our priority dinning reservations. So onto May….
May 2005
Well today I purchased our Halloween party tickets. I have been anxiously scanning Mouseplanet knowing any day now I would see the announcement and sure enough today I did and this morning I hurried and called and we scored!! I got 7 tickets for October 28. This is the Friday before Halloween and I am SURE it will be crowded but I think it will still be fun!!
Just last week some friends of ours expressed interest in possibly going. If they go it will be an additional 11 people. They of course would probably stay separate and fly separate and we would simply meet up one or more days.
Now that I have scored the Halloween tickets I just have to wait till July to call and try to get a princess breakfast and purchase the Pirate adventure tickets for the little ones.
We have yet to purchase our passes but I will most likely do that closer to when we actually leave. We still have not secured a rental car either but most likely we will do that a month or so ahead also. At this point most everything is planned and just a few more details before we can sit back and enjoy waiting for our trip!!
July 22, 2005
Well at this point we are actually getting ready to go on our annual Disneyland trip for the 50th. We leave in 2 days and I have made a few minor changes to our DW trip. First of all we decided a few months back NOT to buy annual passes. Although we really wanted to go in O6 to see Expedition Everest we have other plans that we want to do more and so we passed on the AP’s. Instead about a month ago I purchased 8 day passes under the Magic your way. It is quite a savings to do it this way and the more days you go the cheaper it is.
My stepdaughter also decided that she is only going to stay a week because she does not want to miss 2 weeks of school so she will be returning after the first week with my dad.
After much thought I also decided to forgo the princess breakfast. Upon figuring out my 90 day in advance PS dates I realized that I would need to get up at 4 a.m. 3 out of 5 days on our Disneyland trip. Ironic isn’t it? I found out they have a princess breakfast at Disneyland now and my daughters have seen most of the princesses already around the parks so it was not worth it to me to get up THAT early on my vacation especially knowing that it may be for naught. SO I have decided to forgo the princess breakfast and I am going to take my chances calling at a more reasonable time (6 a.m. CA time) for the pirate cruise and for our PS at CT for the night of our MNSHP. I am hoping that just eating in the castle (dinner) will be sufficient enough.
Still have not secured a rental car but we still have time on that. Other than tweaking a few PS we are pretty much there. Everything is bought and paid for and the week I return from my Disneyland trip it will be time to call and make all the PS’s. Until then...
September 22, 2005
Well today is exactly 30 days till we leave. I must say I can’t wait!!! Everything is now done. Everyone has their tickets, all ps’s are made and we just reserved our rental car last week. Now all there is to do is wait till we leave!!
October 19, 2005
Well here it is 2 days before we leave and we have a bit of a glitch. Or should I say a HUGE glitch named Wilma. Cat 5 Hurricane Wilma is due to hit right smack dab in the middle of when we arrive. I have been stressing all day and am sure I have a giant ulcer by now. I have been monitoring the weather channel all day and calling the airlines, Disney and our hotel. I had made a hotel ressie as well as alternate airline ressies for Friday thinking if we got there BEFORE the storm hit we could just kill a day in our room but at least we would BE there.
Well the family decided to try our luck and wait it out. It is currently Wednesday night and we are going to wait the 2 days to see how it pans out. American is telling us they can’t change things till they cancel the flight. So at this point we will be taking it day by day, minute by minute. We may still go Saturday or possibly Sunday or even later or, god forbid, not at all. I truly hope this is not the case and that if we do go later we don’t miss too many days.
Praying that all goes well……..
DAY ONE – October 22, 2005 (Saturday)
Plan: Get up at 5:00, get dressed and take shuttle to airport. Arrive to airport by 6:00 for 8 a.m. flight. Upon arriving in Orlando at 5:30 local time we will get our rental car, drive to our timeshare, check-in and then look for a nice place to eat. After dinner we will drop off the kids and the guys and mom and I will go shopping for some staples for the next two weeks. After shopping come home and get some sleep!
What actually happened:
Well the day FINALLY arrived after 3 years in the making. After many sleepless nights and arguing with my father about whether or not we should go and hearing from practically EVERYONE we knew as well as people on the internet that we were CRAZY to go we said what the heck we are going to try it and worst case scenario we drive up north and fly home.
We got up and literally up till the night before we didn’t know if Dad was going to go or not and sure enough when we arrived at the parents house to pick them up he was NOT going. In retrospect this was probably a good thing. My dad can be rather grumpy and a kill joy. He never wants us to eat anything bad or buy any souvenirs, etc etc. So probably him deciding to stay home was for the best. We got to the airport and the flight was still on. We got through security, had a bite to eat and waited to board our flight. We had a full but uneventful flight to Dallas. DFW is a crazy huge airport and you always seem to land in one terminal but must RUN three terminals away to get to your next plane. We took the train but still barely had enough time to grab a quick bite. We knew we had to eat something though cuz it is about a 6 hour flight and of course there are no longer in flight meals. We had a decent BBQ meal at one of the shops in the airport and quickly boarded our next flight to Orlando. Again the flight was good and we were even early till we hit Florida but there were thunderstorms and so we had to circle for a bit before we could safely land. We finally did and when we walked into the terminal it was jammed with people EVERYWHERE trying to leave. Again I felt like we were crazy to be COMING when everyone else was trying to LEAVE.
We made our way down to baggage claim and then picked up our rental car. We used Budget and got a fairly good deal of about 570 for the 2 weeks. However when we returned the car it was almost 800 with taxes and the extra insurance we bought for possible hurricane damage. We had a nice van though with a dvd player and it worked well for us. It is also a good thing we bought the extra insurance because, although we had no hurricane damage, someone put a HUGE door ding in the passenger door. I should say DENT not door ding. This annoys me to no end how people can majorly damage what is obviously a brand new vehicle (had only 100 miles on it) and just walk away. But that is another story.
We then drove to the timeshare and the girls and I waited in the car while mom and Shane checked in. I had asked a lot about the rooms and had inquired with others who had used Vistana before. The pictures on the net and the people’s descriptions did NOT come close to this place. I had requested a water view room AWAY from the highway. What did we get? A room that was about 10 feet from I-4. The only water view I had was of the gigantic billboard of a kid in the resort pool right outside my window next to the Interstate! The room was marginal at best and considering my mother’s timeshare in Mexico is right on the beach this did NOT compare as a trade. Needless to say the room was adequate at best but NOT impressive and we were disgusted that they gave us the worst room in the place. I suppose we could have complained and tried to get another room but we were all exhausted and since we didn’t plan to be in the room much I told mom not to worry about it.
We had several other bad experiences with ant invasions, NO maid service and disappearing towels, not to mention there was absolutely NO condiments or anything but dishes. We had to buy EVERYTHING just for the few small meals we made.
Perhaps there are better rooms in the complex but I was NOT impressed and will NOT be staying there again!
After dropping off our luggage we went to the Bennigan’s next door for dinner and again I was NOT impressed. They took forever to serve us and again the food was marginal. There is a Walgreens next door also and we bought a few minor supplies to get us through breakfast the next day so that we did not have to do any major grocery shopping on our first night. I also had found that several of my kids clothes seemed to be missing so I had to buy Shelby a few shirts. They had a few cute Disney themed shirts for way cheaper than the parks.
After this we just went back to the timeshare and hit the sack as by this time we were all beat.
DAY TWO – October 23, 2005 (Sunday)
Plan: Get up early, eat at room and drive to Cape Kennedy. Go to Kennedy from 9 to 5 and have dinner, hopefully somewhere on the beach, and drive back.
What actually happened:
Here is where things change a bit. We did get up and eat in the room but because of the impending hurricane we decided to switch things around a bit. Since we didn’t know how many days we might lose we decided to make sure we got in all our park days that we had already paid for. Therefore we decided NOT to got to Kennedy this first day but rather to Epcot.
I called and asked if by chance there were any cancellations for the Princess lunch at Akershus. SCORE!! I purposely did NOT reserve one 90 days earlier cuz I knew how hard they were to get but I thought what the heck. With the hurricane I thought there might be some cancellations and sure enough there was. So we made that reservation and also changed our Biergarten reservation from Monday to today. We then made our way to the parks. It felt so good to see the old familiar site of the “World”. Last time we stayed on property and took the buses or monorails everywhere so we definitely got to see more of the property by driving and also saw the entrance sign for the first time. It took us a few days to figure out how to get back onto 536 but by the time we left we were pros at getting around.
We got into Epcot and first thing first we did Spaceship Earth. I was the only one who remembered going on it last time but everyone enjoyed it. Shelby was only a baby last time and so was Katy basically so they really didn’t remember anything. Shelby was a bit apprehensive of the dark but after riding it declared she liked it and wanted to go again. We then made our way to Test Track and we all got to the entrance of the movie portion and Shelby determined she had to go to the bathroom. So mom had to take her out while Shane, Lynn, Katy and I rode it. This is a fun ride. After this Shane and Lynn went on Mission Space and the rest of us chose not to ride. I got motion sickness and even though Katy was tall enough I was apprehensive based on everything I have heard or read.
By the time they were done it was time for our lunch at Akershus. We had eaten lunch there the last time and enjoyed it and the girls were ecstatic about meeting the princesses.
We came in and first thing first they got their picture taken with Ariel. After we were seated we were visited by Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Cinderella. The girls were very excited and the food was good. We then decided to ride the Maelstrom while we were there and enjoyed it. We had not seen the film on Norway last time and made an effort to do that this time. Again we enjoyed it and it looks like a place we would like to visit some day.
When then went back to Mexico and rode El Rio Del Tiempo and looked at the wares inside the pyramid.
We worked our way around the various countries viewing the films and watching the American Experience along the way. The girls had their passports and also did the masks.
If you add something to your mask at each country you get a little poster at the end. This really kept them occupied and they enjoyed it while we enjoyed seeing the shops and movies of the various countries. I did not like Epcot as much the first time but this time I enjoyed it more and think this would be a great place to come sometime WITHOUT the kids to really enjoy the music and food and shops!
When we were done with all the countries we were ready for dinner and ventured to Germany via a Friendship water Taxi. We had not used these last time either and it was a nice break and everyone enjoys a boat ride right?
We had dinner at the Biergarten and were seated with a couple from Boca Raton who was up escaping the hurricane. We enjoyed the food and the polka music and the girls even got up and did some folk dancing with our dinner companions. By the time dinner was through we decided to head out and sure enough the rain had started in. By the time we left the park it was coming down pretty good. We had originally planned on watching Illuminations but I believe it was cancelled anyway. Eventhough it was pouring we knew we HAD to get some groceries since we didn’t know how long we would be cooped up in our room and we had already heard that the restaurants and parks would be closed.
We went to the Goodings at Crossroads and YES it is quite expensive there and with the impending storm I am sure that the prices were even MORE elevated than normal.
We got what we could and got utterly drenched trying to get it all in the car. Got home and got dried off and played a few hands of Canasta before hitting the sack.
DAY THREE – October 24, 2005 (Monday)
Plan: Eat a light breakfast in room and head to Epcot. Snack on F&W appetizers for lunch and have dinner at German place.
What actually happened:
Well once again plans were changed. We slept in and awoke around 7ish by the storm. It did rain quite a bit and there was some wind but we have had more wind than that here in Sacramento so Orlando definitely just got the fringes of Wilma. It stormed till around 3:00 p.m. so we just hung out, played cards and ate breakfast and lunch in our room. When the weather cleared I called and got a priority seating at Ohana.
In the meantime we drove to downtown Disney to look around but apparently EVERYONE had the same idea. Everything was VERY crowded and so we left pretty early. The parks did close but only till mid afternoon. We went and toured the Polynesian a bit and then had a nice dinner. There were a few changes since we were there last but it was still good and we had a great sunset. The girls were able to do the coconut races and the limbo.
After dinner we went back to the room and played some more canasta till it was time for bed.
DAY FOUR – October 25, 2005 (Tuesday)
Plan: Eat breakfast in room and head to Animal Kingdom. Dinner at Boma at AKL.
What actually happened:
Woke up this day and once again ate breakfast in our room. Got ready and headed out to Animal Kingdom. After arriving at the park we of course did the Kilamanjaro Safari first. Saw lots of animals including some very close to our bus. We then walked over to the Lion King show which we missed last time. We very much enjoyed the show. By now it was time for lunch and although I had planned on going to Tusker House to do the meal deal once again the kids wanted pizza so we settled on Pizzafari.
After lunch we headed to Dinosaur. We had done this last time but my mom had sat out with Shelby and of course Katy was too small. Everyone was able to ride this time and although I think the little ones were a tad scared they said they enjoyed it. We then took the kids on Triceratops spin while Shane and Lynn did Dinorama. After that we headed to Tarzan Rocks and got some great pics of the Expedition Everest ride while we waited. I am sure disappointed that we missed out on this as it looks fabulous and by the time we come again it will be old news. We enjoyed Tarzan rocks and then decided to go on the Maharajah Jungle trek. We enjoyed seeing the bats and the tigers in the very realistic ruins. At this point we had done mostly everything we had wanted to do except Kali Rapids. Being that it was chilly we decided against getting soaked.
We also did not make it to Conservation Station but there is only so much you can do in one day and we had seen that on our last trip anyway. We also never made it to It’s Tough to be a Bug but we have that in California and the girls have seen in many times.
We left and headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were very impressed with this hotel’s décor and while we were looking around met a very nice girl from Botswana named Nu Nu. She told us about her country and we took photos with her. Finally it was time for our dinner and we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Boma.
After dinner we left and had to make another pit stop at Walgreens for a few more supplies, played some more Canasta and hit the sack.
DAY FIVE – October 26, 2005 (Wednesday)
Plan: Eat in room and the guys and Lynn will most likely go fishing or do some other activity of their choosing. Mom and I will be taking the two little ones on the pirate adventure at the Grand Floridian. While they are on their trip she and I will have lunch and do a little shopping. After the girls are done with their adventure we will most likely tour some of the other resorts and do some shopping. Dinner adults only at California Grill, hope to watch fireworks. Kids stay at timeshare and eat pizza.
What actually happened:
Since my dad did not come our plans changed once again. After having our usual breakfast at the room we headed out to the Grand Floridian. We got the girls checked in for their pirate cruise and after we saw them off with a big smile we headed out to the monorail resorts to look around. We went to Contemporary first and did a little shopping. We then went back to the Grand Floridian to pick them up and do a little more shopping while we waited.
The girls really enjoyed themselves and although the treasure is pretty cheap it is the experience they had that made it worth it. They really got into the whole pirate act and couldn’t stop talking about it.
We then journeyed to the Yacht and Beach Club to partake in lunch and of course desert at Beaches and Cream. This was wonderful of course and then we walked around the Yacht and Beach Club a bit and checked it out and then took a friendship taxi across to the Boardwalk. We were going to check out a few more resorts but with the hurricane messing with our plans we decided to let Shane do the Richard Petty driving experience today while we had open time.
We called and they said they were available so we headed over. Shane is a HUGE Nascar fan so this was a big thrill for him. He got to do three laps in a Nascar and got his picture taken and mounted on a cool plaque.
After that we were a little tired so we went back to the room and took a little nap. When we woke up we got dressed and mom and Shane got the kids some Pizza and then the three adults drove to Contemporary for dinner at California Grill.
We had stayed at the Contemporary our first trip but the kids were so small that it never worked out for us to eat there. We got there early and requested a window table and got it. We all had wonderful meals and just about desert time the fireworks started. They no longer dim the lights and they did pipe in the music but it was hard to hear over everyone talking. It was however neat to see from up there and the view of the parks alone and the property was fabulous. Before our dinner we had also walked out on the observation deck and got some great sunset pics. After the fireworks were done we saw the water pageant which was also neat.
Once dinner was through we came home and hit the sack right away.
DAY SIX – October 27, 2005 (Thursday)
Plan: Eat in room head to MGM all day. Lunch at 50’s Prime Time and dinner at Hollywood and Vine (Fantasmic seating).
What actually happened:
Another day another breakfast in the room as usual. Set out for MGM and we had wanted to go to some shows but they didn’t start right away so we did the obligatory Tower of Terror and RockNRollercoaster. Katy had been on Tower in Disneyland but Shelby chickened out. I asked her if she was going to do it in Florida and she said yes. Sure enough she went with us and she liked it. I have to agree with Shane that I prefer the Tower in Florida with the way it goes inside the building and doesn’t just drop where it stands. It is one of my most favorite rides and we did it a few times both days.
After Tower we did RockNRollercoaster twice having to utilize baby swap for the little ones. After our thrill rides we went and saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid which mom had also missed last time because Shelby was sleeping. Everyone enjoyed this as Ariel is a big hit in our home. We then walked over to the animation building to see Chicken Little and clan. We enjoyed playing with the animation exhibits while we waited for the main bird. After photos it was time for lunch.
We went to the 50’s prime time and enjoyed our time although our waitress wasn’t quite in character as I had hoped. The meal was decent and we were then off to see New York street. We noticed that it was almost totally decorated for the Osborne lights and we were a bit disappointed that we would miss it by only a week. We took the girls to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and the adults relaxed with a coke while they played a bit.
After that we did Star Tours. We have this at Disneyland and I must saw for those of us that are older this is a tired ride. It has been around since the 70’s and we have all been on it WAY too many times. The little ones are still new to it however and LOVE it so of course we had to go on it again. We also did the Great Movie Ride for the first time. It was down on rehab last time we were here and we enjoyed it as well.
By now it was time for our dinner reservation at Hollywood and Vine. We had done this last time as well and the food is just average but it is worth it to get the priority seating for Fantasmic.
After dinner we just walked around a bit and shopped till it was time to be seated for Fantasmic. We got front row seats and I have NEVER sat that close before. It was the first time I could REALLY see everything and it was awesome. The girls had fun playing with some other kids that were there until the show started and then thoroughly enjoyed the show.
By now it was late and everyone was tired so we ventured with the herd of people out to our car and headed home to a very welcome bed!
DAY SEVEN – October 28, 2005 (Friday)
Plan: Eat in room and go to Magic Kingdom all day. Mickey’s Halloween party this night. Dinner at CRT.
What actually happened:
Now I know some may think we are crazy to spend a whole week in the “world” before we go to the highlight, the Magic Kingdom, but this was just how it worked out for us.
Today was finally the day and we were ready. Did our usual breakfast in the room and headed out. I had read on some hint boards to do the valet parking so we did this at the Contemporary. The valet’s kind of gave us some guff about this but it worked out and we did this a few times. It worked great especially on rainy days or days when you are tired and the last thing you want to do is fight crowds on the monorail or walk for miles to your car.
We decided to hit tomorrowland first to go in the opposite direction that most people do. We immediately saw Stitch and Buzz Lightyear. We got pics with Stitch but Buzz had to go. We then did Stitch’s Great Escape and I agree with everyone who thinks this is a dumb ride. VERY boring I thought. I don’t even think the kids liked it that much.
After Stitch we hit space moutain which is truly different then the CA version. We always enjoy this ride but while Shelby is tall enough to go on the CA version she is NOT tall enough to go on the Florida one. I am assuming because of the configuration of the cars. Needless to say we had to do baby swap which took some time but we all got a ride and enjoyed it. We then tried the Carousel of Progress. This was also not open last time we were here and it is one of those quaint experiences that is fun to see at least once.
And of course just like It’s a Small World that song sticks in your head for days. Many days later Shelby was singing It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.
After CP we went on the Tomorrow Land Transit Authority. This is very similar to the old People Movers at Disneyland and she just loves this silly ride. I admit when you have been going and going it is a nice break but kind of boring first thing in the day.
After doing most of Tomorrowland we worked our way around to Liberty Square and had lunch at Columbia Harbor House. We had eaten here last time and again it was just ok.
We did the haunted mansion which is always fun and although I enjoy the exterior of the house I still feel the Disneyland version is better.
We worked our way over to Adventureland and did Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise. Two rides that are similar to Disneyland but I prefer the California versions.
By now it was getting to be time for our dinner ressie at Cinderella’s table. We checked in and while waiting in the foyer of the castle we had a special guest. Cinderella made an appearance and was a big hit. Finally it was time for dinner and we had a very good meal and enjoyed seeing the inside of the castle and the view from the windows.
After dinner we exchanged our Mickey’s Halloween party tickets for wristbands and headed out to partake of the party. We watched the villains show and the girls got pics with Maleficent. We then went to toontown and got some candy, rode on Goofy’s barnstormer and got a few pics with various characters there.
We got our free picture taken in tomorrowland and the girls got pictures with the Incredibles. I don’t know how many tickets they sell but the park seemed even more crowded to me then during the day. I think we only rode one or two rides and didn’t even get that much candy. The lines were too long. We did see the second parade as well as the fireworks which were both good. We enjoyed ourselves but there was so much to do and not that much time to do it.
After the fireworks we were getting tired so we rode the monorail back to the contemporary and picked up the car and headed home.
DAY EIGHT – October 29, 2005 (Saturday)
Plan: Go to my Aunt and Uncle’s for a visit.
We got up today and mom thought it would be fun to actually go out to breakfast but we soon found out that a Saturday in Disneyworld is Crazy. Every place had a long wait and we had a big drive ahead of us to Tampa to visit family so we ended up just getting McDonalds.
We hit the rode and had a nice drive and saw some of the rest of the country. We had a nice visit and lunch with my family and headed back in the late afternoon. We got back and just ordered pizza and hung out in the room.
DAY NINE – October 30, 2005 (Sunday)
Plan: Mom and Shane take my dad and Lynn to the airport. After they return we will go to Epcot all day. Dinner at Marakesh.
What actually happened:
The day started with Shane and mom getting up VERY early to take Lynn back to the airport. Because my dad didn’t come she had to fly home alone and we were a bit nervous about this but they made her an unaccompanied minor and so she was watched after the entire way.
There were some mechanical problems with the plane and a breach in security while they were there so what should have taken a few minutes took a few hours. They finally got back though and we headed out to Epcot for our second day.
Once we arrived at Epcot the order of the day was to see what we had missed the previous day and also to sample some of the food and wine selections. Since we had done the Test Track side the first time we decided to go to the land side this time. We got a fast pass for Soaring and then did Living with the Land. We enjoyed this as always and then did Soaring. We have this ride in CA but it is always a favorite.
After Soaring we did Journey into your Imagination. This was also closed last time we were there and the girls enjoyed it. It was ok but not something I would feel the need to repeat if not for the girls.
We started tasting our way around the countries and had many wonderful things. We saw the Canada movie which we had missed the day before and also saw the French and Chinese movies, both of which were good.
We also decided to sample some of the French pastries since I had heard so much about them and we then continued on around till we got to Mexico. Mom was unable to do Test Track the first day so everyone but me went on Test Track. I was tired and had a headache and did not want to make it worse by getting jostled about. We took a friendship boat back over to Morocco and had dinner at Marakesh. We very much enjoyed the food and especially the belly dancer. We had a very nice waitress who was very helpful.
By now we were all pretty tired and decided not to wait for Illuminations. We saw it the first time and will just have to wait till next time to see it again.
DAY TEN – October 31, 2005 (Monday)
Plan: This day is open at this point. Possibly Universal or Water Park.
What actually happened:
Well about a month or so before we decided to go I had been checking out Universal Studios as a possibility and after much checking it was basically a go.
We did not want to be anywhere near the Disney parks on Halloween fearing it would be really crowded and I had done some research and was told that Universal would be dead.
So we ventured out and decided to go to Island’s of Adventure. We have Universal here in California of course so we wanted to do something we could not do here. We went in and did the Hulk first. That is an incredible coaster!! We then did the Spider man ride and we enjoyed that also. After that mom, Katy and myself went on Dudley Do-Right’s ripsaw falls. There was NO ONE there and we literally walked up and got in a log that was just sitting there waiting for us. That ride gets you absolutely soaked to the bone. It was fun but we were DRENCHED. After that we decided to do the Popeye raft ride and again got even more soaked if that is even possible.
Shane and I then went and did the Fire and Ice dueling coasters while the little ones did the unicorn coaster. After that we went to Suess Landing and the girls did a few rides and saw a few characters.
After we had done pretty much everything we left and stopped for a little Margarita at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. We sat in some Adirondack chairs and enjoyed some VERY tasty Mixed Berry Margaritas. Probably the best I’ve ever tasted. We then headed back to the timeshare and the girls were going to put on their costumes but we were all quite tired so I told them just to stick to their Halloween t-shirts they had on. We headed to Downtown Disney to trick or treat but it was a MADHOUSE. It was SO crowded that we just left. We had dinner reservations at Fultons but we weren’t very hungry and I didn’t want any part of those crowds so we just left and went to Perkins at Crossroads. After dinner we gratefully hit the sack.
DAY ELEVEN – November 1, 2005 (Tuesday)
Plan: Animal Kingdom all day. Dinner at Fulton’s Crab House DTD.
What actually happened:
Now again we had a change of plans. Originally I felt going to each park for two days was necessary. However upon discussing it with the others they felt that we had pretty much done everything we wanted to do there and since we LOVED Magic Kingdom and it never seems there is enough time there we decided to go there 3 days total.
So I changed my dinner reservations at Wilderness lodge to this night and we set off.
We got to the lodge and once again used the Valet. We loved the look of the lodge and did a little shopping. We finally caught the friendship boat over to Magic Kingdom. We had wanted to get the girls haircuts on main street but the price was a little too steep so we decided against it. We were a little hungry so we stopped at the bakery on main street and had some Danish and coffee and enjoyed just sitting and relaxing and people watching.
While we were there the main street singers came by and we enjoyed listening to them sing and watching them dance.
We then hit fantasyland and did all the big rides, Pooh, Small World, Snow White and got a Fast Pass for Peter Pan. At this time we also saw Philharmagic for the first time. This was not completed yet the last time we were there and we very much enjoyed this. After Philharmagic it was time for our fast pass so we did Peter Pan which is an all time favorite. After Pan it was time for lunch and we headed to Frontierland and did lunch at Pecos Bills. They have a GREAT condiment bar with sautéed onions and mushrooms for your burgers. After lunch we walked over to Splash Mountain and there was surprisingly no wait. We did Splash AND Big Thunder Mountain with little to no wait. We then went to Adventureland and did Pirates, Tikki Room and Aladdin’s carpets.
We next went to Tomorrowland and did space mountain again as well as TTA and Buzz Lightyear. Went back to Fantasyland and did the tea cups, the carousel and dumbo. We then did Haunted mansion again. I wanted to get the girls some Christmas stockings with their favorite characters on them so I did this at the Christmas Shop in Liberty Square.
By this time we were ready to leave and waited for a friendship water taxi back to Wilderness Lodge. They OVER crowded the boat and by now it was raining quite hard so it was a pretty uncomfortable trip back to the Lodge. The park was crowded but we never had very long waits and when the rain got stronger we just walked on everything.
Once at the Lodge we had dinner at Whispering Canyon. I had heard a lot about how fun this place was but once again it was rather dead this night. The food was just ok but it was still an ok evening.
After dinner we got our car from the valet and headed back to the room for some much needed sleep.
DAY TWELVE – November 2, 2005 (Wednesday)
Plan: Magic Kingdom all day. Dinner at Whispering Canyon (WL, take water taxi)
What actually happened:
Once again we were up and did breakfast at our room. Headed out to Magic Kingdom. Got there early this time and were able to watch the opening ceremony. We had booked the family magic tour and so we went and checked in and then did a little shopping at the emporium and the candy store. I had tasted some maple nut fudge in Canada at Epcot and was on a hunt to get some more. I found some at the candy store as well as some other wonderful fudge and purchased some to take home.
After our shopping it was time for our tour. Mom and I had done a tour at Disneyland and really enjoyed it. We decided we wanted to take a few more tours but with the kids being small it limits what you can do. I really wanted to do the keys to the kingdom but you can’t do it with small kids. So we found the Family Magic tour and thought it would be fun.
Our guide met us and explained that instead of the tour we needed to find Hook’s Hook that Peter Pan had stolen. Peter had left us a map with a bunch of clues. We then walked all over the park looking for the clues. It finally lead us back to Liberty Square where Peter and Wendy surprised us. We got photos with them and then Peter went with us to Philharmagic and watched it with us. At the end of the tour we got some neat certificates to take home. I think Shane would have enjoyed a more in depth tour but the girls enjoyed it immensely.
After the tour we were hungry and got some lunch at Pinochio’s Village Haus. It again was just “ok”. We then went on small world and haunted mansion again. We had been trying in vain to get a photo in front of the mansion and finally on this last day we were able to get one. It turned out great by the way. We once again did Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain with NO wait. That is something you NEVER see, especially on Splash. I should have taken a picture of the wait sign that said 0 minute wait.
After Splash we did pirates one last time and then headed to Liberty Tavern for dinner.
When we switched our days around and added the extra day at Magic Kingdom we decided to do a character meal. We ate at Liberty tree and it was ok and the girls enjoyed the characters.
After dinner we journeyed back to tomorrowland and did Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear and TTA. While on TTA we noticed that the lights were on inside Space Mountain. There were people still in the cars on top of the coaster. We were curious what was going on so rode it again and were able to see the coaster with all the lights on. I tried to take pics but they did not turn out. That in itself was worth the ride just to see the ride with the lights on. Never did find out what happened and would be curious to know if anyone happens to know.
By now it was time to go watch Spectro and then we realized that it wasn’t going that night. I was disappointed as it was our last night at Magic Kingdom and we had missed it. So we decided instead to scope out a good spot for Wishes, which we did, and we just sat and had some coffee and waited.
We very much enjoyed wishes however after seeing the Disneyland anniversary fireworks it is hard to top. Wishes was good though and once it was over we massed with the rest of the herd and made our way out.
Luckily we had valet parked the car at Contemporary so we did not have to fight the crowds on the monorail or boats.
Everyone was exhausted and we were grateful to get home and get some sleep.
DAY THIRTENN – November 3, 2005 (Thursday)
Plan: MGM all day. Dinner at Sci Fi Drive In.
What actually happened:
Well today was our last theme park day. Also within the last few days my mom had decided to go home a day early. So as much fun as we had it was also apprehensive as our trip was coming to a close.
After entering the park we did Tower of Terror and found that RockNRollercoaster was done for rehab. Very disappointed about that but oh well. We did the Great Movie ride once again. After that we went and waited for the Indiana Jones Show. We had not seen this before and enjoyed it. After Indy we went to lunch at the Sci Fi Drive In. We had eaten there the last time and although the food is not that great it is fun for the kids.
After lunch we ran to see the power rangers which is a must if you have little ones. We were able to get photos with all of them and the girls were very excited. We had some time to kill so we saw the muppet show. We have that here in CA and hadn’t planned on doing it but since we had the time we did. We also did Star Tours again as Shelby really wanted to do it. We still had time to kill before Lights Motors Action so we took a break near the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and got some ice cream.
It was finally time for the stunt show and I had heard it was not that great but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the hubby!
After the show we were headed out but believe it or not Shelby, the one who was so scared before, wanted to go on Tower of Terror one last time. There was only a 10 minute wait so we gladly hit it one last time. Great ending to the day!
We wanted to just get a quick cheap dinner and ended up going to a steak house called Lone Star near the time share. The food was ok and not badly priced. After dinner we hit the sack as Shane and mom had to get up early to go to the airport.
DAY FOURTEEN – November 4, 2005 (Friday)
Plan: Open
What actually happened:
Shane and mom got up very early and he drove her to the airport. She was able to change her flight and so he dropped her off and headed back. By the time he got back I had the girls up and we cooked some breakfast. We then headed out to Kennedy.
It was an interesting drive and when we arrived we saw everything on the tour including having lunch with an astronaut.
We very much enjoyed Kennedy, especially Shane.
When we got back to Orlando we had dinner at Pebbles which is a seafood joint at Crossroads. I was not very hungry but Shane enjoyed his meal.
After dinner we just went back to the room and did laundry and packed.
DAY FIFTEEN – November 5, 2005 (Saturday)
Plan Have breakfast at room, pack, do any last minute shopping or what have you. Leave timeshare around 2 or 2:30. Get to airport and turn in car and then take 5:35 flight back home.
What actually happened:
Got up this morning and had our last breakfast in the room. We did all the last minute packing and since we had to be out of our room by 11 we left and drove to Downtown Disney. We walked around and saw some of the shops we had not seen before. We did a little last minute purchases and then had lunch at the Earl of Sandwhich.
After lunch we just HAD to try desert at Ghiradelli. Of course it was wonderful and we just relaxed for a bit till we felt it was time to go.
We drove back to the MCO and turned in the car and waited for our plane. We had quite a wait but the girls played with their toys and Shane and I read some magazines.
We have a VERY full flight from Orlando to Dallas and then a very short layover but luckily the flight from Dallas to Sacramento was very empty so we all got our own rows to stretch out and get some sleep.
All in all it was a wonderful trip.
I had done a LOT of planning and most things turned out wonderful. We scored a few unexpected things and were unable to do some things we wanted. We were not thrilled with the timeshare but it was passable.
Overall though it was a great time and although I am glad to be home I am sad that it will probably be MANY years before we make it back.
Ah well I can look forward to my next Disney fix when we go back to Disneyland in November of 2006!
Kelly McBride