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Thread: Spring Break at WDW

  1. #1

    Spring Break at WDW

    Travel dates: March 29 - April 7
    Arrangements: Delta, LAX to MCO direct. Once in Orlando we rented a mini-van for 9 days
    Accommodations: Sheraton Vistana Villages of the Starwood Network
    Park days: 4
    Participants: most days there were six adults ages 36 to 71 and five children ages 2 to 9

    Background & Pre-trip
    Every year my parents are remarkably generous and treat each of my siblings and me and our families to a week at a Starwood Resort. For 2014, Myrtle Beach in June (the place & time of our previous 4 reunions) gave way to Orlando in April. This marked our first trip to the World. Typically our reunion week is marked by lazy days at the pool, various activities for the kids at the resort, and occasional ventures out to the beach, golf course, movie theater, or mall. We take the days as they come one at a time with no grand plan. If there is a theme to these vacations it's that they're taken slow with emphasis on togetherness, relaxation, home-cooked meals, and downtime. 2014 would be no such vacation, particularly for the four days in the parks. This vacation/ reunion would be unlike any other, and this was never more evident than in the hours of preparation and research that went into it. Gone was the luxury to "just show up".

    We arrived at the Sheraton a couple evenings before our first park day. As usual, the Sheraton Villas are spacious and comfortable; my sister's family and mine each had a villa. A door adjoined the two so it became one very large 3 bedroom/ 3 bath with one full kitchen and a kitchenette and one very large living area and one smaller one. There was much discussion about when and where to buy tickets. The Sheraton offered the four day base tix we wanted at an ever-so-slight discount, the main selling point being that their version afforded the option to visit one of the water parks which, due to our tight schedule and the high quality pools we could access at Sheraton, we weren't interested in.
    My chief concern - I should say my only concern - regarding tickets was to get hard tickets (i.e. the credit card type w/ Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, etc.) in advance so I could begin linking them to my MDE. Since the hotel or any other third party would almost certainly issue vouchers to be exchanged later for hard tickets, purchasing them from a place outside WDW was simply not appealing. Accordingly, the evening before our first park visit, BIL and I drove to TTC and visited the ticket booths to purchase our base tickets. My family got 4-dayers; his family and the grandparents both purchased 3-dayers.

    Purchasing them directly from TTC turned out to be the right choice since it enabled me sit down with my iPhone the night before our first park day and link each of the 10 purchased tickets to my app. In the months leading up to our trip there had been much controversy surrounding Fastpass+ and its availability (lack thereof I should say) to offsite and AP guests wishing to make FP+ reservations in advance. I figured although I couldn't reserve the FP+'s in advance, at the very least I could set up the MDE app to run efficiently once we got in. From what I could glean online, buying the hard tix in advance and inputting them into MDE would eliminate a tedious step our first day in the parks. So true. To put or scan all ten of the ticket numbers and link them to a name/person in MDE took the better part of an hour. This done, I'd only need to visit a FP+ kiosk upon park entry to make 3 quick FP+ reservations for each of the 10 ticketed members of our party (our youngest still is age 2 therefore without a ticket).

    As coincidence would have it, on our opening day at the parks WDW opened up advanced (up to 60 days) FP+ capability to ALL guests for the first time ever. I accessed the FP+ kiosks day 1 but wouldn't have to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days as I began making FP+ reservations a day or two prior to parkstorming.

    Our group of 11 had varying degrees of park experience, not to mention the gamut of interests, expectations, physical capabilities, stamina, and other variables that make planning a large-group trip especially challenging. Accounting for these variables and finding common ground among my family (over 100 DLR visits), my parents and sister (a handful of DLR visits), and my sister's family (no Disney park experience to speak of) was a delicate balance. That said, one thing we all shared in common was we'd never seen or been to anything quite like Animal Kingdom, so we'd be very much on equal footing Day 1.

    Your attention, please. The Disneyland Limited now leaving for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom. Aboaaard!

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  3. #2
    Self-proclaimed Diz nut TinaMouse's Avatar
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    Ooh--is this one going the be the best of times, the worst of times? Looking forward to more.

    Working hard for that next WDW trip!

  4. #3

    Ooh again keep going this will be an interesting read!!

     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  5. #4
    Day 1: Animal Kingdom

    Here is a photo album of our day at Animal Kingdom. It tells the story best.

    For the record, our rideology went - beginning to end - like this: Kilimanjaro Safaris -> stop to see the gibbons -> Primeval Whirl -> TriceraTop Spin -> DINOSAUR -> TriceaTop Spin again -> Expedition Everest -> stop to see the gibbons -> lunch at Flame Tree BBQ -> Flights of Wonder -> stop to see the gibbons -> The Boneyard -> Anandapur Ice Cream Truck -> stop to see the gibbons -> Kali River Rapids -> stop to see the gibbons -> Wilderness Express Train -> Rafiki's Planet Watch -> Pangani Forest Exploration Trail -> Kilimanjaro Safaris again -> Expedition Everest again.

    Animal Kingdom met and exceeded all our expectations. What a park. We did about as much as we could in a single day and even managed to squeeze in a few things twice. Here's a list of my top 10 Animal Kingdom discoveries:

    10. Wilderness Express Train: This is a ride after Walt Disney's own heart. He loved trains. The ride is peaceful and restful. Can't say the destination (Rafiki's Planet Watch w/ the petting zoo, etc.) had much to offer, but getting there and back was nice. It's the journey, not the destination - A truer mantra was never spoken.
    On the train, DW and me / my oldest and my dad / my sister and BiL:


    9. Pangani Forest Exploration Trail: This self-guided walking tour had some nice finds - particularly the gorillas - that would've been even more enjoyable had we not waited until 5pm to walk it; by then we'd been in the park nearly 9 hours.

    8. Flame Tree BBQ: choosing this for lunch was a no brainer. There isn't a more highly reviewed counter service restaurant in AK - and probably at the entire resort - than Flame Tree BBQ. And rightly so. The ribs were every bit as good as described. Our party found it delightful all around. The condiment stations were conveniently located - because there's never such a thing as too much barbecue sauce! Am I right? We picked a couple tables on the blue patio looking out across Discovery River at Everest.

    7. The Cast members: helpful, accommodating, cheerful. They were a treat. Made the visit that much better. We're used to good service from Disney cast members but the ones at Animal Kingdom seemed a cut above. At the FP+ kiosks ... the talent at Flights of Wonder ... loading and in the queue's ... at the ECV rental. On that note, I'd never been a member of a party with a ECV before but as such we were very well taken care of today. I was surprised at how well the park is set up to accommodate ECV riders.

    Here's where ordering the list gets tricky because each of these six things were unforgettable.

    6. Anandapur Ice Cream Truck: The ice cream is your garden variety Disney soft serve which - don't get me wrong - is enough in and of itself to land it on this list. But for me there's no place in the Disney parks where the theming is all at once more vibrant, inviting, and immersive than right next to this truck.
    I felt like I was standing in a busy township in India. The copious amounts of soft serve we consumed attest it was the perfect choice for a mid afternoon refreshment.

    5. Expedition Everest: love the ride, even the backwards part which nearly made me nauseous. My two oldest got front row seats both times. This is a really outstanding thrill and it's fast, smooth, and superbly themed with the Yeti animation and so forth.

    4. The Boneyard: On the list of Disney parks' interactive attractions for kids, this has to be at or near the top. Our kids could've dug for hours. It's shaded. Not sure who loves it more - the parents who get to take a break and unwind while the kids play? ... or the the kids who get to play and excavate? Either way, The Boneyard was a huge hit.


    3. The gibbons: between Kali River Rapids and Discovery River there's a small island with a temple-like or some such structure and ropes (or vines?). Looks like something straight out of Apocalypse Now. It's designed for gibbons there to play and swing, and boy do they much to the delight of passers by or, as in our case, stoppers by. No less than five times through our day our youngest implored us to stop and watch. He could've parked there all ten hours without moving, I'm convinced. He'd gaze up and watch in wonder, get lost in his thoughts. Truly mesmerized.

    Our little boy in his happy place.
    My most memorable part of the four days is when youngest - not thinking anyone was around or listening - was watching the gibbons do acrobatics from tree to tree and he sighed under his breath "I wish I could do that." The way the gibbons interact, and alternately play, and fight, and to watch a mother extend out to pull a tree branch closer so its baby could reach ... you can't help but get caught in it. Youngest used one of his Disney gift cards to purchase a stuffed ape. In turn older sis and bro were prompted to get stuffed apes of their own. DW and I are avowed we need more stuffed animals like we need cancer, but happily made allowances 'cuz the gibbons had been such a special treat.

    2. Kilamanjaro Safaris: the park's signature ride. It's fantastic. The guide on the morning trek was reportedly better than the one in the evening. I was off handling FP+ business in the morning so I have to take the group's word. The scenery is unmatched and even the most verbose, redundant, and high strung tour guide (oops did I just say that?) couldn't detract from it. Just saying', our evening tour guide must've said "actually" a couple dozen times on our short trek. Nails meet chalkboard.
    So we come to the lion segment of the safari and not only are two females and a male clearly visible atop the rocks, but within a few seconds they begin mating. No joke. Don't believe me, check the film. Classic. To this day our 9 and 7 years olds have an ongoing debate; she (7yo) posits "He was protecting her" while he (9yo) is adamant "they were fighting". lol. Everyone saw it. The adults cackled and the kids, well, they all invented their own realites. Only thing funnier was dear tour guide's reaction. Completely tongue-tied, she floored the gas to hightail it out of there. Pretty sure her commentary was "Actually, let's move on!" Please, pray tell, is this what your training imparts? You mean to tell me you're supposed to give the clients whiplash at the first sign of animals pro-creating? c'mon! It's a safari, for crying out loud; we're supposed to see wild things in their element. They're never more in their element than when having a NatGeo moment.
    I could ride this safari a hundred more times but how could I ever top this first?

    1. Flights of Wonder: almost to a man, this was the day's "favorite thing". In short, this is a bird show. But it's more. It's entertainment. It's comedy. It's education, and improv, and crowd interaction, and probably the closest we'll ever get to a bald eagle. Wow. It's Disney production at its best. The emcee and her sidekick (can't believe I didn't get a clear pic of this guy) played off one another as well as any tandem ever has. The birds fly in and out and around and within inches of the crowd's heads.


    That's a wrap on Animal Kingdom, with no complaints or regrets to speak of. Unfortunately the Lion King show is on hiatus otherwise it would've been near the top of our to-do list. DINOSAUR and Rafiki's Planet watch were the only two let-downs. Given a do-over, I'd put Tree of Life and Mickey's Jungle Parade - and possibly the Nemo show - in their place.
    Last edited by MidwayManiac; 04-23-2014 at 09:38 PM.
    Your attention, please. The Disneyland Limited now leaving for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom. Aboaaard!

  6. #5

    Sounds like a great day can't wait to hear the rest.

     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  7. #6

    What fun! I'm going to add Flame Tree BBQ as our last meal in the parks. I love a good plate of ribs and hadn't really thought about what we would do for dinner.
    Dinosaur is a disappointment but we are spoiled because we have Indy and it's basically the same exact ride path and gimmicks but in a darker room. It's fun to sing the Indy soundtrack while riding it though!
    Can't wait to read the rest of your report!


  8. #7
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TinaMouse View Post
    Ooh--is this one going the be the best of times, the worst of times? Looking forward to more.
    Quote Originally Posted by scoobydooby View Post
    Ooh again keep going this will be an interesting read!!
    If you have never read his trip reports, they are awesome. Being as close to DL as they are, he will bounce over of an evening, with one or more kiddos, for any reason at all. Then we get an entry into his year long thread. AP renewal signals new thread. I was quite bummed that they didn't renew their AP's right away. Then I learned there would be a trip to the other coast. So, read back in the DL trip report forum.
    MM- I still can't believe Walt is 2 already. I've read the pre trip post. I will be back to read more.

  9. #8
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    So happy for this report. So weird though I just went to the dl trip reports looking to see if there was a up date and scrolled down thinking were did it go. I'm such a goober.


  10. #9
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by letshavefun View Post
    I'm such a goober.
    Nah. We are just creatures of habit..

  11. #10
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    Ok. Finally read the first day. First, aw Walt has lost that baby look.
    Regarding number 2. Yep, that is why our first graders don't go to the zoo in the Spring anymore.
    Sounds like a lovely day. I thought The Tree of Life just holds It's Tough to be a Bug.


  12. #11
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    Thanks candles71 your always so kind


  13. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by candles71 View Post
    MM- I still can't believe Walt is 2 already.
    You and me both. And it gets worse. He's now 3.

    That adage on parenting The days are long, but the years are short is sadly true.
    Your attention, please. The Disneyland Limited now leaving for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom. Aboaaard!

  14. #13
    Day 2: Magic Kingdom

    As a lifelong Disneyland vet and enthusiast, the natural inclination is to make comparisons between Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom. I am going to not do that for this trip report. The parallels and differences between the two parks are interesting and a discussion of those has a place, it's just not here in this report. If I started down that road, this trip report would end up being as much about Disneyland as Magic Kingdom and - in the words of that wise sage Sweet Brown [youtube it] - "Ain't nobody got time for that!" So I'll resist all temptation and write this report as if having never seen, heard of, or stepped foot in the original Magic Kingdom.

    This is the day's photo album

    Part 1: morning/early afternoon
    Of our four trips across from TTC to Magic Kingdom, this was the only time we used the ferry. It's a nice ride. We arrived in plenty of time for the opening ceremony. Love how they incorporate the Casey jr. song. Only thing the kids wanna know is how you get picked to be the special family that rides in on the train and gets featured in the ceremony. I have no idea, sorry kids, but I imagine it starts by staying onsite.

    Today is dear daughter's 7th birthday. In fact, it's my birthday too - we were born the same day 31 years apart. One of her favorite things of all time is getting her face painted, so after a quick whirl on Buzz's the kids got painted. The boys' Sully paint looked incredible.

    The morning's rides went like this: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, face paint, Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, The Barnstormer, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, it's a small world, lunch, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tom Sawyer's Island, and Splash Mountain.

    For lunch my rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans at Cosmic Ray's was delightful. Unfortunately, the rest of the adults - and most if not all of the kids too - found the fare at the Starlight Cafe underwhelming. Online reports raved about the condiment bar and the sauted mushrooms in particular; DW found the mushrooms overcooked and not really edible. On the way to Frontierland we lucked into a little impromptu entertainment in the form of The Notorious Banjo Brothers, who serenaded our birthday girl: From Tom Sawyer's Island and Splash Mountain we headed back to the resort for naps and returned 5 hours later.

    Part 2: evening
    In order, the rides were: Tomorrowland Speedway & Buzz (two oldest and I rode Space Mountain while rest of crew visited the former two), dancing, Prince Charming's Royal Carrousel, Philharmagic, Peter Pan's Flight, iasw (my family rode HM & The Barnstormer at this time), Teacups, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, and Main Street Electrical Parade.

    With the kids - particularly dear niece and nephew - a few rides were such grand hits in the morning that they had to be revisited again in the evening (Splash, it's a small world, Buzz's, and Tomorrowland Speedway). Outside Space Mountain there was a stage show and some dancing for the kids that we got involved in before heading off to Fantasyland.
    (this pic is from the morning installment of Splash Mountain. Didn't get one of the night version - Splash was certainly niece's favorite discovery today) -

    Once it was dark, we redeemed one of our FP+ experiences at Peter Pan's Flight, before splitting for a little while - niece and nephew don't do spooky scary so were more than happy to reprise iasw while we tried Haunted Mansion.

    Attempts to get on The Barnstormer early in the morning failed. The wait was too long. Evening lines were much shorter. We rode once, and were about to be joined by my sister and her family for a ride when it broke down. Urgh! No worries. They gave us some paper fast passes good for any time within the next four weeks so that worked out since we'd be back. There's a thoroughfare next to Country Bear from Frontierland to Adventureland. Once we passed through, I swear it was as if the park emptied and we were alone, and it wasn't quite even 9pm yet! ....

    It was then that 3 of my 4 favorite discoveries/events of the day occurred:
    4) The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. We were up in the air on our magic carpets as fireworks exploded overhead. How perfect. 3) Jungle Cruise: the last quarter of the ride where you ride through the tunnel was an unexpected and surprising treat. Up until that point the ride was identical to another Jungle Cruise we've been on before at a park that will remain nameless. Then youngest and I went to save spots for Main Street Electrical Parade while everyone else revisited Splash. 2) Main Street Electrical Parade was everything I remembered and more. DW concurred. It's unique, captivating, magical, all that stuff not to mention not very crowded.

    -
    -

    Although it happened in around the middle of our evening, I saved it here for last because it was by far the day's most pleasant surprise for me: 1)Mickey's Philharmagic. Loved it. The virtual ride through all those classic Disney films. The 3-D. The music. I was enthralled by it. I knew almost immediately this show would be atop my to-do list for our next day in Magic Kingdom.

    .
    Your attention, please. The Disneyland Limited now leaving for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom. Aboaaard!

  15. #14
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    Did you manage to bring our parade home with you? So cute with their faces painted.

    Last edited by candles71; 05-04-2014 at 03:39 PM.

  16. #15
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    Loving the report, can't wait to read more. The photo album is awesome. I agree with candles71 I miss the electrical parade too. Always a must see for us, looks like we'll need to travel to see it again. Not a horrible thing right.

    Keep a cap on your radiator & a smile on your bumper

  17. #16
    Registered User anniedg's Avatar
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    Great report and fantastic pictures! Your little guy with the gibbons is priceless.

    Cool that you guys got to try WDW, aren't generous relatives great?! My in-laws also give us timeshare weeks periodically and the Vistana looks really good, and it sounds like it's close enough to do afternoon breaks.

    ~Annie

  18. #17

    re the lions : had the same experience @ the gibbons display some years ago held everyone intrest for some time the male was quite a stud


  19. #18

    Admittedly, I dropped the ball on this trip report. boooo! and thumbs down to me. In the midst of the holiday now there's not time to do it justice like in the first two installments; and with our return to the original Magic Kingdom a few weeks away, I feel obliged to put a bow on this one.
    I'll convey what I remember about these two days and enclose a few images I have handy.

    Days 3 & 4: Magic Kingdom & Disney's Hollywood Studios
    My parents rejoined in the fun day 3 at Magic Kingdom. First thing in the morning DW and our two youngest and my sister and her two attended Enchanted Tales with Belle. Most of the kids participated in the show. It was a princess themed morning, as the kids headed over to meet Snow White and others, one of whom planted a big lip stick leaving kiss on youngest's forehead. He was throwing an absolute tantrum a little while later. Seeing this, the wicked stepsisters hanging nearby began to mimic him and create this hilarious spectacle. Bravo!
    it's a small world was a highlight for the group. I seem to recall we held off until this day to see Country Bear, which was not anywhere near as great as I recall. If my kids were like "Really, dad?" I wouldn't have blamed them at all. Columbia Habour House for lunch was a pleasant surprise. Lobster roll: above average. The other entree or two we tried was also right on, as was the mini-blueberry pie dessert. Liberty Square is just a cool, cool place to hang. It has that colonial northern city feel to it. Disneyland has nothing like it. I guess New Orleans Square is it's counterpart. Totally different feel and vibe and theme though, aside from Haunted Mansion being housed in them.
    Today we didn't have the endurance to go 8am into the evening like we did the first two days. Pretty sure we were done around 2:30 after riding Pirates.



    That last photo is of when my mom, oldest, and I stole away from Sheraton late to make it back in time for one last Mainstreet Electrical Parade. While here, why not let's ride Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion too. Great way to end the day.



    The fourth and final day was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I don't feel we had adequate time there for me to give a fair assessment of DHS and if I base what I say on the things I did experience (for instance Great Movie Ride, Beauty and the Beast show, Animation Academy, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, etc.) the review would not be overwhelmingly positive to say the least. Unlike the previous three days, this one was remarkably hot and humid. That added to the fact we got a late start and there was insufferable traffic heading into the park probably conspired to put things in a foul perspective from the get go. The traffic was so bad, in fact, they began simply waiving cars through the pay booths without collecting money just to get cars flowing and off the street.
    The Aerosmith ride was alright, but as the park's big draw e-ticket signature ride (if that's even what it is) I'm not seeing it. The variation on Tower of Terror versus DCA's is a really nice change. Walt Disney: One Man's Dream was my favorite thing all day. In fact, the entire group enjoyed it. I used all our FP+'s on things other than Midway Mania which I ended up regretting because the kids really wanted to ride it and the standby was over an hour. They're good sports, and realize we have and will ride DCA's version (identical to DHS's from what I'm told) more times than they count.

    Your attention, please. The Disneyland Limited now leaving for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom. Aboaaard!

  20. #19
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    I love that last picture.
    Psh, dropped the ball... you'd think you have 3 kids, and a full time job, and papers to grade, and just life in general the way you just left it.
    The family shot is great too, you should frame that one.


  21. #20

    Loved it!! Thanks for finishing it. Your family is lovely!


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