Mendelson
01-29-2009, 10:28 AM
Me - 34
Wifey - 39
Daughter - 15
First trip in about five years!
Sunday was supposed to be our “vacation day” from our vacation but we ended up doing a lot. We went to FQ and got some more beignets (do you see a theme?). Then the plan was to go to Fantasia Gardens for mini golf. I decided we probably would go to the parks at some point that day, so went to concierge to go from four to five days on our tickets, and of course they make it very, very appealing to add days to your hoppers to get you in the parks. It was only $3 per ticket. In fact, I could have added six days and it would still only be $3. Crazy!
While I did this my wife stopped to talk to the DVC rep in the lobby. We had talked a fair amount about it, but not really seriously. With more info we could be persuaded but I didn’t think I’d spend 90 minutes out of my vacation talking about this if I wasn’t going to sign up that day, and I really didn’t think I would sign up without sleeping on it for awhile. But when she said that we each got three VIP FPs for listening to the schpiel, I figured that was worth at least 90 minutes of our time there…not to mention the free ice cream at the end! And a ride straight to mini golf after we were done….so we signed up.
We talked to Mark, who some of you may deal with. He was very nice, very professional, and we enjoyed our time with him. I learned a great deal about DVC and definitely see some positives to it…no doubt before taking that leap, if I do, we’ll spend some time looking the discussion section here on the vacation club.
At mini golf there was a 30-minute wait for the “Gardens” course and no wait for the “Fairways” course. I took one look at it, however, and realized that it was way, way too challenging for people like my wife and daughter, just out for a fun time of mini golf. That course is for serious mini-golfers…and plus it’s not as fun as the other side. I wonder how many decide to play it based on limited wait times and then don’t have a fun time because it’s so hard.
We had a great time on the Gardens side and in fact I ended up with low score of the day – a 43. And you know what? That and fifty cents will get me a cup of coffee. That’s right, aside from getting my name on a board and the awe of my family :blush: that was it…a fast pass would have been nice! :mickey:
Armed with our VIP fast passes and being close to the Studios, we thought we’d head there and check out TSM. We walked over to the boardwalk and then followed the path down to the Studios, about a 15-minute walk. On the way went into the lobby of the Swan – this place is quite lovely. I think these resorts (the Swan and Dolphin) are fairly old, and yet they appear to be in very good shape. At the Studios, as I had feared, TSM was already out of FPs at 4pm (the VIP FP card doesn’t work if no FPs are being distributed for a particular ride). Here was the first snag we hit in the dining plan and having it work against us…not having an ADR we went to 50s and saw a bustling crowd. Strange at 4pm, right? I asked about opening and he said the next one would be at 7:30, so it was off to burgers for us!
We went to ToT and expected another line but it was virtually a walk on (yet the line for RnR was long and FPs were also gone for this for the day…I always viewed these rides as similar in attraction, but is ToT not as popular?). We rode this three times in a row in about 45 minutes and then figured we’d head to MK for Wishes, as it was the only chance we’d have on this trip. Main Street is just so nice at night when it’s all lit up and is slightly crowded and the music and the smells….I didn’t even want to try to ride anything but we just walked around and people watched. I went into the bakery with the ice cream sandwiches and we shared one of those (thus the holy trinity of calories that I really wanted to get on this trip was complete – Dole Whips, beignets, and ice cream sandwiches…but they really need some chocolate ice cream!).
We got a pretty good spot for Wishes, right by Roy and Minnie, so there were no people directly in front of us (there is some landscaping between them and the castle). Enjoyed Wishes and caught a bus with no wait at all heading back to POR!
Wifey - 39
Daughter - 15
First trip in about five years!
Sunday was supposed to be our “vacation day” from our vacation but we ended up doing a lot. We went to FQ and got some more beignets (do you see a theme?). Then the plan was to go to Fantasia Gardens for mini golf. I decided we probably would go to the parks at some point that day, so went to concierge to go from four to five days on our tickets, and of course they make it very, very appealing to add days to your hoppers to get you in the parks. It was only $3 per ticket. In fact, I could have added six days and it would still only be $3. Crazy!
While I did this my wife stopped to talk to the DVC rep in the lobby. We had talked a fair amount about it, but not really seriously. With more info we could be persuaded but I didn’t think I’d spend 90 minutes out of my vacation talking about this if I wasn’t going to sign up that day, and I really didn’t think I would sign up without sleeping on it for awhile. But when she said that we each got three VIP FPs for listening to the schpiel, I figured that was worth at least 90 minutes of our time there…not to mention the free ice cream at the end! And a ride straight to mini golf after we were done….so we signed up.
We talked to Mark, who some of you may deal with. He was very nice, very professional, and we enjoyed our time with him. I learned a great deal about DVC and definitely see some positives to it…no doubt before taking that leap, if I do, we’ll spend some time looking the discussion section here on the vacation club.
At mini golf there was a 30-minute wait for the “Gardens” course and no wait for the “Fairways” course. I took one look at it, however, and realized that it was way, way too challenging for people like my wife and daughter, just out for a fun time of mini golf. That course is for serious mini-golfers…and plus it’s not as fun as the other side. I wonder how many decide to play it based on limited wait times and then don’t have a fun time because it’s so hard.
We had a great time on the Gardens side and in fact I ended up with low score of the day – a 43. And you know what? That and fifty cents will get me a cup of coffee. That’s right, aside from getting my name on a board and the awe of my family :blush: that was it…a fast pass would have been nice! :mickey:
Armed with our VIP fast passes and being close to the Studios, we thought we’d head there and check out TSM. We walked over to the boardwalk and then followed the path down to the Studios, about a 15-minute walk. On the way went into the lobby of the Swan – this place is quite lovely. I think these resorts (the Swan and Dolphin) are fairly old, and yet they appear to be in very good shape. At the Studios, as I had feared, TSM was already out of FPs at 4pm (the VIP FP card doesn’t work if no FPs are being distributed for a particular ride). Here was the first snag we hit in the dining plan and having it work against us…not having an ADR we went to 50s and saw a bustling crowd. Strange at 4pm, right? I asked about opening and he said the next one would be at 7:30, so it was off to burgers for us!
We went to ToT and expected another line but it was virtually a walk on (yet the line for RnR was long and FPs were also gone for this for the day…I always viewed these rides as similar in attraction, but is ToT not as popular?). We rode this three times in a row in about 45 minutes and then figured we’d head to MK for Wishes, as it was the only chance we’d have on this trip. Main Street is just so nice at night when it’s all lit up and is slightly crowded and the music and the smells….I didn’t even want to try to ride anything but we just walked around and people watched. I went into the bakery with the ice cream sandwiches and we shared one of those (thus the holy trinity of calories that I really wanted to get on this trip was complete – Dole Whips, beignets, and ice cream sandwiches…but they really need some chocolate ice cream!).
We got a pretty good spot for Wishes, right by Roy and Minnie, so there were no people directly in front of us (there is some landscaping between them and the castle). Enjoyed Wishes and caught a bus with no wait at all heading back to POR!