Scott and Robyn's first trip to WDW - July 2009 - All Star Movies

[footers]

Travel dates: 6-16th July 2009
Travel method: Air
Resort: All Star Movies
Accommodations: Standard Room, Mighty Ducks Building
Ages Represented in Group: 37, 27
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: 2 visits to Disneyland
Comments:
Cast of characters: Scott and Robyn



PART 1



After two trips to the US which involved visits to Disneyland on both occasions obviously the next voyage on our theme park odyssey would be to Walt Disney World, the motherlode of all theme parks. Or as they like to refer to it as "Where Dreams Come True". Anyhow after a few Ales one March evening we said to hell with ever owning our own home and booked it with our travel agent. Some $4500AUD each later we were off.

On the 6th of July we woke at the unfriendly hour of 3.30am to catch a flight from Adelaide to Brisbane, then from Brisbane to Los Angeles and finally from LA to Orlando. From the time we left our home to arriving at the resort we had been up for over 30 hours but we had reached nirvana and all was well. On our previous to DL we had stayed at Grand Californian and at DL hotel so we knew this would be step or two down but our building had an ice machine so spirits were riding high.

The first night we just grabbed something from the food court to eat and had a couple of beers as we weren't going to hit the parks 'till the next day. The food court isn't exactly fine dining but it serves it's purpose and is good for a quick snack. The Silver Screen Spirits bar also did the job.

We awoke first thing and after breakfast hit the Magic Kingdom. Obviously the thing that strikes you first is the enormity of the castle compared to the one at DL, very impressive. Splash Mountain was next which we did back to back without having to get out of the ride due to no queues, the view at the crest before the big drop is fantastic. That was followed by Big Thunder, Peter Pan and Haunted Mansion. It was good to see HM in it's orginal format because at DL we had only seen it with it's Christmas overlay, I prefer this one. We also did It's A Small World which excites me as much as going through airport security but we did it because it was there. We decided after about five hours to go back to the resort for a break before heading back in, this was a pattern that we followed for the duration of the trip. I had visions of nightmarish proportions of the heat and crowds due to what I had read but it was nowhere near as bad as what I thought. The parks were certainly busy and it was hot but not overbearing and taking a break in the middle of the day really helps.

We had reservations at Tony's Town Square that night but cancelled them due to jet lag which like a Florida thunderstorm can come out of nowhere. So we relaxed and headed back into MK later than planned, grabbed a hot dog and watched the fireworks. Then off to the bar.

To be continued.

[gordon24]

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.

[red chicken]

It was a pleasure reading your trip report as usually I get that toothache feeling of having eaten too many sweets when I read most of these stories. It was shocking - very nicely - shocking to read a real persons perspective on WDW as I have never been. Keep up the good work. Cheers

[relaaxedwheniamthere]

gaday mate !! all stars is good for a clean bed .as long as there is ICE & A COLD ONE EH !!

[dahunter1129]

Great start, can't wait for more!

[footers]

PART 2

We woke up first thing and headed off to Blizzard Beach. We have some pretty good water parks back home up in Queensland but obviously are not themed in the same manner, the park looked fantastic. After taking baby steps with Downhill Double Dipper and Snow Stormers we took the chair lift up to Mt Gushmore for Summit Plummet. Robyn was a bit apprehensive at first but naturally loved it, it's a smooth and fast ride down but boy do you get caned when you hit all that water at the bottom! My favourite ride was actually the enclosed slide at Runoff Rapids, it's like the Space Mountain of water slides. After a few more hours we headed back to the resort, showered and changed and headed up to Downtown Disney.

GET ME OUT OF HERE!! My jet lag was far worse than the day before and the last place I wanted to be was Planet Hollywood, I could barely keep my eyes open at the table. After checking out some shops we headed back and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

[footers]

The next day I woke up feeling great and we headed off to Animal Kingdom with little or no wait for the bus. We were especially looking forward to AK as it's not your average theme park and we couldn't wait to get on Expedition Everest. It did not disappoint. Along with Twilight Zone Tower of Terror this would have to be as good a ride as I have been on, the theming and layout of the ride was brilliant. This is where they really do it well and and why you can't really compare Disney rides to what you would find at a Knott's or Six Flags. The queue was only 10 mins so we didn't hesitate to line up again. Loved the Yeti at the end.

Next up was Kali River Rapids and the drenching we got was hardly worth it, the ride isn't as good as Grizzly River Run at CA and I wouldn't recommend it as a must do. After that we did Kiliminjaro Safaris which was great and then picked up our Picnic in the Park lunch. A nice change from cheeseburgers. We then caught the train up to the conservation station (yawn), did It's Tough to be a Bug! (hilarious) and Dinosaur (fantastic, that last one got to us). Overall I thought the park was really impressive and we decided to come back here another day.

Believe it or not we were still damp from the rapids so we showered and changed and headed onto Hollywood Studios. We had a reservation at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre for dinner and had time to get a few rides in. The wait time for Aerosmith R'N'R Coaster was about 45 mins but by the time we did it it was more like 75. It was a cool ride though, especially the beginning but it could have been better if it was themed around Guns N' Roses

Hollywood Hotel was next and we always loved the version at CA. The different beginning was a nice little surprise too, I could ride this one all day long. The layout of Sci-Fi was great and I had a nice steak with a couple of beers, one of the quietest restaurants I've been in. At that stage we had a pretty long day so we decided to head back to the resort for a few more drinks. It pays to tip the bartenders well, the screwdrivers were nice and strong.

TBC...

[TinaMouse]

YAY! Terrific start. I agree that Grizzly River Run is much better. Everytime I go on Kali, I get to the end and think, "Is that it?" Looking forward to MORE!

[petesimac]

Fun report! It's always nice to get a perspective from our friends from down under.

[footers]

PART 3

Friday Robyn had organised a shopping tour around Orlando, something I obviously wasn't going to be joining her on so I headed off to Typhoon Lagoon. I got there before rope drop and for the next two hours did not have a single queue to deal with, it was almost like having the park to yourself. Like BB it had plenty to offer and I wore myself out after a few hours, the Storm Slides and Crush N' Gusher probably being the best along with the surf pool. Half the entertainment in the pool is observing how everybody else carries on when the waves are unleashed but it is quite impressive. The theming of this park too is great.

After a short break back at the resort I headed back up to MK to do a few rides and get some souvenirs for my nieces. The wait time for BTMR was only 30 mins but it was probably a bit longer than that by the time I got to the station. I was about two from the front when the obligatory afternoon downpour hit and because there was lightning in the area they pulled the ride. There was little point in me leaving considering I was just going to get drenched so I decided to sit it out and wait in line. FOR THE NEXT 75 MINS!! Oh well I finally rode the thing and I guess it's all part of the experience. Then I rode Pirates (which from memory is a lot more impressive at DL) and went back to the resort and met up with Robyn for dinner and drinks.

TBC...

[footers]

After grabbing some breakfast in the zoo known as the food court we headed off to Epcot. We did Test Track which was great followed by Mission Space. Although it is brilliantly done I can understand how some people find it a bit unsettling, I was a little bit uneasy afterwards and the ride is rather intense. We then did Soarin' which was always one of our favourites at CA, again it's an attraction that Disney do well because it's so original. One thing I don't understand is why they don't change the film in Florida so it focuses on more than just California, "flying" over the New York City skyline would be amazing. Another ride that was really cool was Spaceship Earth, I hadn't heard much about this one and we both thought it was a lot of fun.

After lunch we headed over to World Showcase and just took in the sights and a Beck's in the Germany pavillion. I thought the China and especially France films were really good. The park is a nice break from the usual rides although we did the Mexico and Norway boat rides. Mexico was like IASW revisited

When we got to England we thought we'd grab another ale but the pub was packed so we headed back to the resort and took a break before coming back in because we had reservations at Coral Reef.

Out of all the restaurants we were booked into we were probably looking forward to this the most but the service was a bit of a let down. First after taking our orders the main's arrived at the table before our starters. Then when the starter's arrived there was something missing. Then our main's arrived whilst we were still finishing our starter's (I'm sure it had been sitting under a warmer too). Then our next drinks order took forever to get to us. Well you can get the picture. Our server was apologetic but we basically just got out of there as quickly as we could (tipped the minimum) and rode Spaceship Earth again.

We then waited for Illuminations which was really impressive and then headed back to the resort. Even though there was a throng of people leaving the park at this stage we waited no time at all for a bus. Silver Screen Spirits bar here we come.

TBC...

[petesimac]

Great couple of posts. Sorry you had to wait in line for 75 minutes for Thunder Mountain -- not worth the wait, in my opinion. Did you use the fastpass option a lot while you were there? Just curious.

As to the Coral Reef, many have written that the experience has diminished over the years. When I went there back in 2003, it was great. Not so much anymore.

And just as a point of order, in most cases it's not the server's fault if your main courses come out before your starters; it's usually the kitchen's fault. Now, it is not outside the realm of possibility that it was your server's fault, so perhaps you were right to tip the minimum (which I hope was at least 18%), but it's hard to know for sure, and that's why I always give the benefit of the doubt to the server -- it's not an easy job.

It's interesting to note how you tour the parks, hitting this park for a while and then jumping over to that park. So very much different than the way we do it; it makes for an interesting read. Thanks for posting.

[relaaxedwheniamthere]

agree about corral reef . have never had a good meal their & service has always been hit & miss more like a strike out . but the themeing is great. bomas, vic & alberts $$ ,flying fish cafe all much better .

[TinaMouse]

I've had bad luck at Coral Reef too....Hmmm sorry to hear it is still hit or miss.

[footers]

PART 4

Sunday we headed off to Typhoon Lagoon which Robyn hadn't seen yet and it seemed a lot busier that when I was there previously but we still got everything done. We both thought the Shark Reef was a cool inclusion to the park. Previously we'd both made a trip up to Cairns and snorkelled off the Great Barrier Reef, now you couldn't compare it to that but to do it in a water park was a fun addition. Overall we had a great time at both water parks and with both being very different I don't think you could favour one over the other.

After showering back at the resort we headed off to MK where the skies were darkening and before you knew it it was pouring. We lined up for Snow White and then did Mickey's PhilharMagic which was great but when we came out it was still bucketing down so we did the unthinkable. WE BOUGHT PONCHOS!! We always used to laugh at those that would wear them on Splash when it was a fine day or put them on at the first drop of rain but these conditions called for desperate measures. From the moment we put them on we became delirious, running around in the rain and waving to everybody whilst riding Dumbo. It was hysterical. Trust me you had to be there.

I won't go into much more detail because we'd be just covering old ground but for the next four days we basically just retraced our steps at all the parks and rode all our favourite attractions again, we could not have done without the hopper pass. Robyn and I also had dinner at Tony's Town Square in MK which was really nice, the service and food were both very good.

Some final observations:

1. The resort was fine for what it was, certainly not luxurious but like anything in life you get what you pay for.
2. The bus system is superb. The average wait would have been less than five minutes and I think our longest was probably no more than ten.
3. The best ride in the entire complex would have to be Expedition Everest. Awesome.
4. I prefer DL to MK. Probably because of Matterhorn and Indiana Jones. Also due to the fact it is the original one and has that history.
5. The crowds and the heat despite initial reservations weren't that bad. I certainly wouldn't talk anyone out of visiting in July but if I were to come back I would at a different time of the year.

Overall a phenomenal holiday

Scott.

[TinaMouse]

Thanks for the trip report, Scott!!!! I enjoyed reading it!

[relaaxedwheniamthere]

well !! has disney FINALLY got their act together bus wise

[EJ4Disney]

Scott, It was a great read. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

Ellen

[footers]

Currently suffering from severe post WDW depression. Any remedies would be greatly appreciated

[relaaxedwheniamthere]

yes plan another trip

[LarryfmScotland]

Great TR many thanks for posting, nice to see a TR from our friends from OZ sorry about the Ashes.

Cheers Larry.