TiggeRia
05-11-2009, 08:03 PM
I always have the best of intentions to write a trip report...I take notes, written and mental, but then I get home and get involved and it never seems to get done! I figured I'd just briefly comment on a few tidbits...
Quick background info--this trip was to celebrate my dad's 65th birthday and I went along with both my mom and dad. We arrived Monday 4/20 and departed 4/27, renting a midsize SUV and an ECV for my dad. Dad wound up with bronchitis during our trip and spent a good 2.5 days sick in bed and only did bits of the other days because he was feeling so ill.
Hotel - We stayed at SOG which was a first for us. The resort is beautifully landscaped. We had one of the older rooms, but it was not too far of a walk from the lobby. Rooms were HUGE and three adults fit in comfortably. Staff were pleasant. We frequently walked across the street to the Poly to pick up the monorail--took us between 10 and 15 minutes depending on how tired we were. The resort definitely lacked in that Disney immersion other resorts on property have, but to be honest, what you get for the price can't be beat. If I don't have the money to swing a deluxe resort, I would definitely stay here again.
Dining - We ate at several new restaurants including WCC, Brown Derby, Spoodles, The Plaza and the San Angel Inn. My dad and I have pretty simple tastes--I found the San Angel Inn to be ok, but I don't find the need to go there again. (I prefer the Americanized Mexican food :secret:). Brown Derby was good, but I would not use two table credits on it. Spoodles was nice, had some interesting dishes but a little too "out there" for my liking. Oh, but the sangria was good! My dad and I both really enjoyed The Plaza and WCC--we will do these again. My mom likes anything so she enjoyed each place. We also stuck to some old favorites like 'Ohana, LeCellier, and Kona. Service was not exactly stellar at any of the restaurants, but acceptable. When I made the reservations, they asked what we were celebrating and I told them it was my dad's 65th. The person taking the reservation must have marked that on all the ADRs, because when I check in I was frequently asked whose birthday it was, but only two restaurants did anything to celebrate it-Kona and the Brown Derby. That's ok though, because dad doesn't like a lot of attention.
Parks - I found the parks to be moderately crowded most of the time, certainly more so towards the weekend. Most of the larger attractions had wait times of 40+ minutes with some days at 90 minutes. Mom and I got in line for TT with it posting a 30 minute wait (I should have known where the line started it would be more than 30 minutes...). When we finally got on the ride we had waited for more than an hour and the wait time was then 80 minutes. EPCOT was beautiful with the flower and garden show. We had a blast at MK and I even braved Splash Mountain for the first time! Only spent a half a day at AK before Dad got sick, which is a shame b/c it's one of my favorites. Only went to DHS for Fantasmic. We went Thurs for the 8 pm show. Got in line 90 minutes prior to showtime and were able to get prime seats, but it was already packed. With 40 minutes to go it was standing room only. Such a great show though--I love Sorcerer Mickey!
KTTKT - We took this tour for the first time and it was fabulous! My dad was feeling well enough this day to go, and did it on an ECV with no problems. Matthew was our tour guide and he did such a great job. We learned so many new and interesting tidbits--I highly recommend it! I am sure that I will take this one again!
Anyway, even with all of our ups and downs, we had a fabulous time together. My brother was unable to join us this time because he is serving in Afghanistan, but we're in the process of planning an early December trip that he will join us for! Thank goodness for DBF doggysitting for us! Thanks all for reading and I'm looking forward to my next trip! :mickey:
Quick background info--this trip was to celebrate my dad's 65th birthday and I went along with both my mom and dad. We arrived Monday 4/20 and departed 4/27, renting a midsize SUV and an ECV for my dad. Dad wound up with bronchitis during our trip and spent a good 2.5 days sick in bed and only did bits of the other days because he was feeling so ill.
Hotel - We stayed at SOG which was a first for us. The resort is beautifully landscaped. We had one of the older rooms, but it was not too far of a walk from the lobby. Rooms were HUGE and three adults fit in comfortably. Staff were pleasant. We frequently walked across the street to the Poly to pick up the monorail--took us between 10 and 15 minutes depending on how tired we were. The resort definitely lacked in that Disney immersion other resorts on property have, but to be honest, what you get for the price can't be beat. If I don't have the money to swing a deluxe resort, I would definitely stay here again.
Dining - We ate at several new restaurants including WCC, Brown Derby, Spoodles, The Plaza and the San Angel Inn. My dad and I have pretty simple tastes--I found the San Angel Inn to be ok, but I don't find the need to go there again. (I prefer the Americanized Mexican food :secret:). Brown Derby was good, but I would not use two table credits on it. Spoodles was nice, had some interesting dishes but a little too "out there" for my liking. Oh, but the sangria was good! My dad and I both really enjoyed The Plaza and WCC--we will do these again. My mom likes anything so she enjoyed each place. We also stuck to some old favorites like 'Ohana, LeCellier, and Kona. Service was not exactly stellar at any of the restaurants, but acceptable. When I made the reservations, they asked what we were celebrating and I told them it was my dad's 65th. The person taking the reservation must have marked that on all the ADRs, because when I check in I was frequently asked whose birthday it was, but only two restaurants did anything to celebrate it-Kona and the Brown Derby. That's ok though, because dad doesn't like a lot of attention.
Parks - I found the parks to be moderately crowded most of the time, certainly more so towards the weekend. Most of the larger attractions had wait times of 40+ minutes with some days at 90 minutes. Mom and I got in line for TT with it posting a 30 minute wait (I should have known where the line started it would be more than 30 minutes...). When we finally got on the ride we had waited for more than an hour and the wait time was then 80 minutes. EPCOT was beautiful with the flower and garden show. We had a blast at MK and I even braved Splash Mountain for the first time! Only spent a half a day at AK before Dad got sick, which is a shame b/c it's one of my favorites. Only went to DHS for Fantasmic. We went Thurs for the 8 pm show. Got in line 90 minutes prior to showtime and were able to get prime seats, but it was already packed. With 40 minutes to go it was standing room only. Such a great show though--I love Sorcerer Mickey!
KTTKT - We took this tour for the first time and it was fabulous! My dad was feeling well enough this day to go, and did it on an ECV with no problems. Matthew was our tour guide and he did such a great job. We learned so many new and interesting tidbits--I highly recommend it! I am sure that I will take this one again!
Anyway, even with all of our ups and downs, we had a fabulous time together. My brother was unable to join us this time because he is serving in Afghanistan, but we're in the process of planning an early December trip that he will join us for! Thank goodness for DBF doggysitting for us! Thanks all for reading and I'm looking forward to my next trip! :mickey: