Travel dates: 30th March-13th April 2007
Travel method: Virgin Atlantic (plane) and DTS
Resort:POFQ
Accommodations: Building 5
Ages Represented in Group: 36, 43, 8 and 5
WDW Experience Represented in Group:Adults 2nd trip, children's 1st trip
Comments: If you read no further this is my one tip. Get to the parks 30 mins befor opening and have a plan.

Cast of characters: Mum, dad, DD5 and DS8.

If you don't like the detail of other people's trips then skip to the next post now... ;)
Once upon a time, DH and I got married and spent 7 days of our honeymoon in Orlando at WDW. We fell in love with the MOUSE and vowed to come back with potential future children.

One ventouse delivery (Ouch, more gas and air, is there anything stronger?) and one problem free delivery (don't need the gas and air but can I have it anyway?) later my DH starts measuring the children. Can we go see the Mouse again yet he asks? No I say. Both the bubbas have to be at least 40 inches high... We are not rich enough for everyone not to join in... ;)

At last, DS is shy but way tall enough and DD is anything but shy and makes it to 38 inches. Can we book now my DH says? Start saving I say, it's time book... I'll do the planning while DD grows the last 2 inches.

So we read and we plan and we read and we plan. I discover this Board and many random questions are answered.

As those who've seen some of my posts before may know I'm a bit skittish and not great with dates; (have been known to be a whole month out), so this report will be by subject and not by date, lest I show myself up horribly. So here we go; team Scoobydooby reflect...

PLANNING
Do it, do it and do it some more. For those who are not really concentrating... RESEARCH! First time around DH and I really loved the rides but worked out what they were while standing in line for an hour or more for most of them. The random approach was ok but; we were newly loved up and without the cries of 'I'm hot, I'm, hungry, where's Minnie and I need a wee...?' With those kinds of demands in mind, you need to know what's what in advance! Get yourself some Touring Plans and know what you want to see in each park in advance. Work out a plan for the best use of fast passes and get to the gates HALF AN HOUR BEFORE opening. We went during the busy Easter 2 weeks, used this strategy and didn’t queue more than 10 minutes for a thing. We did watch others standing in line for hours mid afternoon though, as we made our way to a water park or the hotel pool.

ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORT
Driving in the US as UK visitors first time around wasn't great for us, so we decided to stay at WDW and use their transport this time. Great decision. The transport was frequent, comfortable and efficient. Stood up twice only in 2 weeks and never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus or a boat. We stayed at POFQ room 5315, pool view (asked for building 5 as recommended by this Board). We had originally booked PO Riverside after much research, but switched to FQ due to the re-furbishment of the RS Food Court during our stay. Didn't want the mayhem of a Value Resort and couldn't afford a Deluxe. In the event the food court at RS was open when we visited and we would probably have preferred this resort due to food court selection and theming. The children liked the pool better too but I preferred FQ pool. However; no complaints about FQ. Building 5 close to everything although no building very far away and room really nice and clean. Got Easter towels three days out of 14. Tipped the Mousekeeper $4 every day. And room was cleaned well every day. We could hear the (faint) noise from the pool every night but I quite liked this personally. If you want silence at bed time don't ask for building 2 or 5. If you believe those who say that other buildings are a walk away from the facilities; they can't ever walk more than 5 minutes anywhere. This is a really compact resort.

THE PARKS

We all really loved the MK. We did the park over 3 days, arriving early each time and this way did everything without a hitch. Both children really loved meeting the characters and collected lots of autographs. Stitch made a real fuss of my DD and I know this memory will stay with her for ages; she can’t stop talking about it, and seeing her with the princesses (actually we did wait in line 30 mins for them…) was priceless. I went on Buzz Lightyear a lot – definitely my favourite ride. A few rounds on Gooffy’s Barnstormer (ok, about 20) and the children were ready fro SPLASH (understatement, we got so drenched) and BTMR. Both parades were fabulous. If you’ve got a buggy, park it outside Peco Bills in front of the benches at 11am, go in for an early lunch then put you kids in it for a prime view of the parade just before 12.

AK was fabulous too and we got really lucky with the all the animals we saw on KJS. DD ducked out of Dinosaur just before we went in so I missed that. They loved the petting zoo (we can get this at home) and quite a lot of time got used up with that. My DH and DS went back to AK on their own a second day and DS reports he loved digging in the bone yard. Lion King show is not to be missed but DD crashed out on my knee and missed most of it! The buggies seem a bit bigger at AK?

EPCOT we spread over 2 early starts and one late night. Our longest queue of 20 minutes was at the fast pass machine for Soarin just after park opening on Easter Saturday. That park was mad that day. Soarin was a real favourite for all of us, especially my DD. I hate simulator rides but this was a just fine. We got fast passes twice more other days to enjoy this ride some more. The children spent ages looking at the sea life stuff after the Nemo Ride which I thought was lovely and liked the interactive computers and stuff too. We went to the Rose and Crown for a late tea and watched Illuminations from an outside table. Good plan if you book your ADR’s in advance, but you’ll have to move to see the stuff high in the sky if under a covered outside bit. Maelstron is a fine ride which should not be missed. Also; Disney should know that red telephone boxes are now very rare in the uk;)

MGM – my DD, who was afraid to flush the toilet in the hotel room because it was loud and ‘slurpy’, hated anything involving 3D glasses and cried when the Snow White Witch glared at her in a parade was adamant she was riding TOT. I expected her to dip out last minute like on Dinosaur but no! How kids surprise you. She came off this ride giggling like mad about her tickly tummy and begging to go on again. We didn’t as we had gone there first after rope drop to a 5 minute wait and by the time we got off the queue was already up to 45 minutes… DD and I went off to Playhouse Disney and Little Mermaid and really enjoyed both. Perfect for a little girl. DS is a Star Wars fanatic and went on that ride over and over again with DH. He bought a SW gun and made his own light sabre at DTD toy shop and he is now a Jedi Warrior! MGM was a hot, hot day at the end of our first week and we were all getting a bit cranky and cross so we missed a lot out here, went back to the hotel pool and cheered up and cooled off. Went back to MGM one very wet evening for Fantasmic. True Disney Magic and the rain stopped 10 mins before show time. This show is spectacular and a real trip favourite for all of us.

We all really loved BB and TL but thought BB was better for children. The family tube ride was a favourite of the whole trip at BB and as we were there late in the day we didn’t wait more than 10 mins each time to ride. DS loved the pre-teen bit. He could have stayed there forever. If he was honest, I’m sure that the hotel pool and water parks were the best parts of his trip.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL – What a fabulous experience this show is. This was the highlight of my trip. How do those Diablo girls do what they do? I could have watched that forever.

EATING – Food Court at POFQ was just ok – glad we didn’t have to eat there much. Tried the Beignetts (sp?) once and was on a sugar high for days after. Staff here intent on throwing icing sugar over everything it would seem. I prefer my pancakes savoury. Food Court at RS was better due to the pasta and salad bar options. Character dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern very hectic but fun and food just fine. Character Dinner at Chef Mickeys better though. Less chaotic with better controlled character interaction and food better too. Great salad bar here. The children loved eating in the Rainforest Café at AK and the food was good here too. Mozzarella sticks for starters were scrummy. Rose and Crown at Epcot really disappointing (we get better pub food locally) but great spot to view illuminations. My son asked for ketchup at Whispering Canyon Café (we hadn’t warned him!) and got 16 bottles and the whole room looking at him. The children really enjoyed the fun element of this meal and the skillet was a good choice. Our server here was very funny. Hollywood and Vine buffet for Fantasmic worked out well but the children weren’t that keen on the buffet options here. We had a table for 6pm but had to wait until 6.20pm to get in. Managed to squeeze in earlier fast passes for Star Wars ride though after dinner and before the show which was cool for DS. Earl of Sandwich at DDT delicious choices but what a queue! Raglan Road food good but the sausage and mash portion for an adult was small for the price and the children had to wait 20 mins for their puddings at a very quiet time. Apart from this we have found portions ENORMOUS everywhere. I really wish that the children could get smaller portions off the adult menus as the choices are so limiting for them. Boatwrights was good food, better than the reviews we thought, but was our most expensive meal. If you have to eat a burger and fries, Peco Bills is the best we found. A tip – the far right queue is always the shortest! Finally, Epcot has some really good snacks. The cheesecake in Norway was the best I’ve ever tasted. The food court in The Land is also the best counter service anywhere at Disney. They should repeat this option at all the other parks. Food at TL was truly dreadful and I had to wait in line half an hour for it. Service was slow and sullen. Take your own food to the water parks.

TIPS
We tipped 20% for all our restaurant meals and got good service at all except Raglan Road where we tipped 10% only. Thought the counter service till staff at Peco Bills were quite snarly however and the staff at TL burger stand make my local MacDonald’s look efficient… Left $4 per day for Mousekeeping and tipped taxis 15%. I refuse to tip bar staff for handing me a small plastic bottle of wine and cup I’m afraid… Tipped the wonderfully efficient Tiffany Town car Service 30%.

LOW POINTS
We lost our waterproof necklace holder thing at TL with my room card (acted as cc also…), cash and locker key in it. We never got on Test Track. It got really cold for 3 days in the middle of our trip also. And. I really should have taken a tea pot....

HIGH POINTS
A lovely, honest and good person handed in our lost stuff at TL and we got it back, no harm done. This has restored my faith in human kind.

Meeting Kitty (from this Board) at AK and handing over the tea. A lovely family.

I know this isn't Disney but watching my son feed and stroke the Dolphins at Sea World. Personally I think these beautiful creatures should be left in the ocean but it was a sight to behold.

Now visualise… My DD (5) and I went alone to MK one EMH morning. We were there 30 mins early and got let into the buggy part by mistake before countdown as we were mistaken for ADR breakfast reservation people. So as the countdown goes on behind us we hit Main Street alone and at a run on 0. We are outside Cinderella’s castle before the rest of the early starters get to Main Street. My DD is laughing with glee at having the castle to herself – it was a very special moment. She was first on Dumbo, (please don’t all applaud at once!) and we rode Peter Pan and Small World on our own. We cleared all of Fantasy Land without any waits and then did Tomorrowland without more than a 5 minute line either. We really had the morning of our lives – a very treasured memory.

So thanks to everyone who helped me plan for this trip. This Board has been a great help. Wishing you all a Disney tastic trip!

Brilliant report! Thanks so much. I loved all of the details. I'm not even British (well, not by birth in the UK, but by ancestry) and I've often thought of taking my electric teapot!

What a wonderful time at the castle by yourselves! Sounds like you had the trip of a lifetime. Time to start saving for the next trip....what 3-5years??

Welcome home, Scooby! I'm glad your trip went so well, especially the happy ending to that scary lost card moment at TL! And I loved hearing about your extra special early morning at MK...how magical! :) Glad you're all home safe and sound. Tell the family we said hello!

;) Kitty

Scooby-I loved it! What's "scrummy"(as the food at Rose and Crown). Does that mean horrid or yummy? Your morning in the MK does sound really "magical". How special for both of you:)

Great report! So glad the trip was enjoyable.

Its so funny, my 5 year old daughter refused Dinosaur at the last second too! Ack! I also didn't get to go on the ride. Next time...

Tell me more about how you enjoyed BB. I've never been to the water parks and thought about not going again this summer just because it seems so geared to older kids and adults. What were you able to do? Is there enough to do for 5 year olds (42/43 inches tall) or will I spend the whole time saying "you arent tall enough for that/you aren't old enough for that".

Thanks for sharing your fun with the rest of us!

tjrj - "scrummy" means delicious, as in the mozarella sticks at RFC at AK! Rose and Crown food was nothing to shout home about actually, my local pub is better and my own cottage pie is more authentic!

Poolside - the water parks I enjoyed but could take or leave personally and I'd certainly had enough after 4 hours at TL, although we stayed 6 hours in total. However, my 8 year old DS is a very good swimmer for his age and really enjoys the water so this is why we did 3 trips to the water parks, 2 for only 3 hours each time though. He loved the open spaces of water at both but nearly got himself in trouble in the waves at TL - had to wade in and pull him out when a large chap crashed on top of him. Those waves are a challenge even for a good (small) swimmer. He did the snorkelling with DH at TL which he reports as a high point but my 40" DD was not tall enough. As for a 5 year old at these places. My DD cannot swim, (despite a year of lessons...) but likes short children's slides and bobbing around in the water in a life jacket water aid. She enjoyed the pre-school parts but they would bore a more competent swimmer of the same age. She got bored on the tube lazy river rides at both parks and moaned and groaned her way around and I spent ages plodding around after her in the shallow waters and waiting at the bottom of short slides. She had a ball, for me it was more a case of dutiful parenting! I suppose it depends how much your DD likes the water. There is limited sand at both places and at TL I got 40 mins off reading wjile DD played with a bucket and spade and some water. We would go gain to the water parks because DS loves them, but if it was just me I'd probably be content with the hotel pool. having said that, the family tube ride at BB, if you can stand the walk to the top, is fabulous.

We didn't try any of the fast slides so the lines were not really an issue for us at either park. Fast slides are not our thing. I would have tried Summit Plummit to say I did it but my hairdresser told me some stuff about where the water ends up which changed my mind;)

You need to get there early to grab sun beds. Both late aftrnoons we went we only manages a couple of chairs in not great places.

If I was only going to 1 with a 5 year old, I'd probably do BB.

Great report Scoobydooby! You should know that I read your report with a distinct British accent:). Have you ever been to Disneyland Paris? If so, what'd you think. I'll probably only get over there once or twice in my lifetime and I'm thinking that in a few years when I visit England and France, that I might stop over at Disneyland Paris. Thanks again for your fun report.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write your Trip Report. I virtually traveled everywhere with you! Yeah!
My children are all grown now. How fast those wonderful years go by. I gleefully giggled with you and your daughter, as I read how you got the Castle and areas all to yourself! What a thrill !! Those moments will be forever cherished.
One night my daughter and I had had our fill of Fireworks at Epcot. She loved the Mexico boat ride and begged to leave and sneak off to ride River El Tiempo. Excitedly we ran into an empty ride and got the boat all to ourselves while others were busy watching Illuminations. We rode it once and jumped back on it again. That is a memory we will always treasure. She was 8 then, and will be a Dr. in just a few weeks. We still laugh about our secret adventure and how we love that ride.
Take care and hope you get to visit the U.S. and Disney many more times!
Pomcoach:D

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing. How many days total did you spend at the WDW (not counting SeaWorld or any other non-WDW places you may have visited)? I had difficulty figuring it out... 3 days at MK, two early starts and a late night at Epcot (are those full days?), unknown at AK, unknown at MGM... ?

Rose and Crown food was nothing to shout home about actually, my local pub is better and my own cottage pie is more authentic!

I wanted to ask you about this, too. Is Harry Ramsden's well known in the UK? Or is it more laughed at as not being the best? I've often wondered if I was tasting the best fish and chips at Epcot vs. what I would find in England.

I agree scooby what you say about the Rose and Crown and the food etc, but you have to remember that this is the Americans impression of England rather than a true reflection of England. I would imagine that other people feel this way about their home lands too in Epcot. Before everyone starts shouting at me - I am not saying anything bad, I love Epcot and I love Americans!!! I do feel though its not the best reflection of the UK.

Specromen - Harry Ramsdens is an overrated chip shop in the UK thats twice as expensive as any other chip shop.

I love the report! Thanks for your wit and for writing it.

I did have a question though. What was the deal with Whispering Canyon Cafe and the ketchup? I am planning a trip for next year so I am taking notes from everyone that has been writing trip reports, so I LOVE reading them! Again thanks!

Remillard - we stayed 15 days if you include arrival day so 14 really. 3 early starts at MK, 2 early starts at Epcot, and 1 early start at MGM. Out of all these parks by 2pm except first day at MK where we had 4pm LTT reservations. 1 early start at AK and we stayed all day until about 6pm. As well we split up for a day and DD and I did an early MK start and DS and DH did an early AK start. One early start at Sea World and one early start at TL. Went to BB twice, both later in the day after parks. The other 4 mornings we slept in and went to DTD one day, spent a day at PORS pool and went to Epcot late one day and MGM late one day.

Yellowrose - The Whispering Canyon is a really fun restaurant if you don't mind the noise. When my son asked for ketchup our server shouted, very loud and long, "We want ketchup", following which every child in the room brought every bottle to the table. The staff organised races for the children around the room on wooden horses and got them to repeat pledges about jumping on beds and never doing as they are told....!

Thanks for your trip report. I was great

Sorry - I forgot to answer this before. I have never been to Disneyland Paris so can offer no opinion. My friend went last summer and enjoyed it but she wasn't raving like we were after both our Disney trips and she does not plan to go again. Paris is worth a look. No disrespect to anyone but I've been to France a lot and am reaching the opinion it's not my favourite place, but Paris is a city well worth a wander through. Oh, and after Disney, do not even consider an English theme park. You will be disappointed....

I've been to Disneyland Paris twice and although its great to visit and worth a look, its no where near as good as Florida. No disrespect but the french are not as friendly and warm as the americans....dont need to say anymore.

Great trip report. Thank you for sharing. My DBF & I will down at WDW in 7 days, I'm soaking up all the trip reports that I can until then. Thank you again for sharing.:fez:

Loved your report -- thanks so much for posting!

EATING – .....The cheesecake in Norway was the best I’ve ever tasted.

THAT CHEESCAKE IN NORWAY IS GREAT ISN'T IT!!!!!!!!!:D