kcrc
07-08-2009, 03:04 PM
Rather than try to remember things on a day by day basis, I've just kind of lumped everything here grouped by topic.
Resort: We stayed at the Poly, which was, as always, beautiful. We were upgraded to a lagoon view, and it was awesome. Room was great. Mousekeeping left us a "hidden mickey" towel setup upon arrival, and left us an AMAZING towel bunny later in the week!
Weather: This was our first trip in the summer, so I was expecting to absolutely melt every day. The heat was there on some days, but it was definitely tolerable. There were a few quite overcast days, and one day it absolutely POURED all day. But, we made the best of it. I'm not sure I could get used to Florida weathermen though. On our last full day (7/2), we were scheduled to do Typhoon Lagoon and Epcot. The weathermen the night before were saying 90% chance of HEAVY rain - as in inches. We woke up on 7/2 to fog, and decided we'd give it a try and see what happened. Let's just say, that day ended up having the most sun we had seen in the past 4 days. Glad we stuck to our schedule!
Parks: We were so VERY pleased with the lines. I had prepped my kids - telling them everything would have an hour wait, etc. Well, we were so pleased to find many things had 20 - 30 minute waits (and it actually took much less than what was stated). The normal big rides had their lines, but we were more than able to deal with them with early standby lines and fast-passes. Even the day we left (7/3), the lines in MK were VERY good!
Food: Now - just as a preface, my DS has a peanut allergy. That's one of the big reasons we keep going to Disney is because they are so good at handling special diet requests. Our table services included:
Kona Cafe - Food was good. Desserts were excellent. Service was just ok. The waitress kind of did the "bare minimum" of checking on us.
Tutto Italia - Food was great. Desserts were good. Service was excellent!! Our waiter Dimas was fantastic - very personable and on top of everything. He noted my son's birthday button, and handled it himself to have everyone come over and sing Happy Birthday to him (and give him a peanut-safe dessert). Excellent.
Ohana's - This was normally one of our favorites. While the food was ok this year, there just seemed to be something missing. I don't believe our server smiled the entire time we were there (any my husband thought he was chewing gum while serving tables). And, he brought over the dumplings and dipping sauces without reading the paper from our reservation saying "Peanut Allergy" (One of the sauces is a peanut sauce). When I mentioned it to him, he took the dish away. After the chef came over, he brought back the original dish and just removed the peanut sauce from it. Technically, they should've brought a whole new dish - to make sure no peanut sauce had sloshed into anything else. And we were stuck kind of "away" from the action, so the kids felt a bit removed from the activities. So, we may actually skip this one next time. It was just "ok" this time.
Mama Melrose - Fantasmic package - Now, we have eaten here before. But this time, everything seemed to be excellent. Service was great. Food was excellent. Desserts were good. The chef came out and brought my son a special dessert with his allergy. And of course - seats for Fantasmic. Great all around.
Whispering Canyon - The food was very good. Service was good. We were stuck way off in the "library" I believe they call it. That's what it felt like anyway. Very quiet. Half the reason we go there is for the kids to be involved in all the activities. So, again, being removed from that took away from the experience a bit. We'd still go back though (may just request the "main" room).
1900 Park Fare - Breakfast - So, we just check in and a fire alarm starts going off. The CMs are all looking at each other going "Is this real?" So, they seat us at a table - 2 seconds later - "Not a drill! Everyone out!!" We stood outside for 1/2 hour waiting for them to straighten things out. We get back inside - alarm sounds again - but, luckily we can stay and it shuts off after a few minutes. Aside from that, food was great! Server excellent! With all of the alarms, the characters got a bit messed up in their table visits. But, we notified our server, and the character that skipped us was brought over right away. My kids LOVED the Mad Hatter. I think my son finally met his match!! Mary Poppins was great too.
Grand Floridian Cafe - The food was ok - portions were a little small for the price. The menu seemed different than what I remembered, but maybe that was just me. Service was pretty good. I'd only go back here if I needed a "fill-in" type restaurant.
Teppan Edo - Love hibachi. Of course, service was excellent. Food was great. I didn't mind doing this, as we were on the dining plan. If I were paying OOP though, it's a bit pricey for what you get!
Crystal Palace - Lunch - We've only ever done this for dinner. I have to say that I think I like lunch better! Food was very tasty. Our server was quite friendly. Would definitely do that again.
New Things We Tried:
Kim Possible at Epcot - My kids LOVED this. We did this on 3 different days. It seemed to work best when I got each of my kids their own Kimmunicator and their own adventure. The CMs distributing the Kimmunicators were very accomodating (so, if you didn't want to walk 1/2 way around they world they could give you a closer country ;)) Very cute. Lots of kids doing it. Loved it.
Campfire, sing-along and movie at Fort Wilderness - My kids really enjoyed having some down time and doing this. Cowboy Mark led the sing along, and he was quite entertaining. The movie on the night we went was Prince Caspian - so, it was a little tough to see at first, and something you need to pay attention to. I'm thinking, checking out Toy Story or Lilo and Stitch would be easier - as the colors would be brighter, and it's a little lighter of a story. One thing if you do this - BRING BUG SPRAY - we got eaten alive.
Design your own T - at DownTown Disney - My kids each made their own souvenir t-shirt. Very cute. The shirts come out very nice too - the silk screening feels good - like it's going to stay on.
And in the "What kind of parents are we?" category: Well, not all vacations run smoothly. I'd like to think we are parents that are prepared, keep a good handle on our kids, etc. Yes, well... so much for that theory...
While at Blizzard Beach, my DD managed to jam her pinky between the tube and the wall of one of the slides. It was a pretty shade of dark blue/purple and nicely swollen. Of course, I don't have THOSE type of first aid supplies packed. But, we manage to find some tape and make due. LESSON LEARNED: Pack more types of first aid supplies than you think you'll need.
Also (I think) while at Blizzard Beach, my DS somehow hurt his ankle/foot. We noticed it that night, as he kind of limped through HS. The next day, there was no way we were going to make him limp through the park all day. Unfortunately, stroller rentals are only available in the parks. So for the hotels, etc. you're out of luck. We ended up having to buy one of the umbrella strollers from the gift shop (Thank Heaven for Disney Visa Reward $). The cost on that? $50!!!! AGGGHHH. But, it was easier for him to move around, and later in the trip, helped as he was more tired! LESSON LEARNED: If your child is even CLOSE to be able to fit into a stroller, bring one along. You can always leave it in your room if you choose not to use it. But it's there just in case!
And - for the final kicker - We arrived back at the MK one night just as Spectro was about to start. I told DH, DS, and DD to go ahead in while I waited in the bag-check line. I get into the park, and am looking around for them - only to encounter DH coming back toward me in a panic because he has no idea where the kids are. They were trying to move up along Main St. to get a better spot, and somehow got cut off from each other. One of the CMs overheard (as I'll admit DH was a bit panicked and LOUD), and said not to worry, if we didn't find them, let someone with a blue wand know. DH continued to search Main Street and I moved farther down searching for them. Well, parade ends, we are all the way by Splash Mountain now looking for them - no luck. We let one of the CMs know - and immediately, they are on it in force. I showed them pictures of my kids (DO make sure you have one with you!) and they started contacting everyone to look for them. Basically the CM said that they will not let anyone leave the park that even REMOTELY fits either kid's description. So, a few moments later, DD called DH's cell phone. She went into a store and asked a salesperson for help. But - bad news is - DS is NOT with her. Now panic really starts to set in, as he is only 6. I go with one CM to get DD. I get a call a few minutes later that they have DS at the Baby Care Center. DS had gone up to someone with a blue wand, and told them he was lost. Thank Goodness he remembered what to do. Everyone was fine (in theory). Thank Goodness. I knew we would find them... it's just AWFUL to look at all these faces and not see your children... LESSONS LEARNED: 1) Make sure your kids know your Cell Phone #. DD did, and we got her more quickly. DS knows his HOME phone - but that does no good there. 2) Make sure you set up a meeting place in case you ever get separated. You may think - nah, it will never happen to us. Let me tell you, I used to be in that boat. I am ALWAYS on top of where my kids are, so if it can happen to us...
So overall, it was a good vacation. We came home exhausted and needing a vacation from our vacation. But, that's a good thing.
Thanks for listening to my report!
Beth
Resort: We stayed at the Poly, which was, as always, beautiful. We were upgraded to a lagoon view, and it was awesome. Room was great. Mousekeeping left us a "hidden mickey" towel setup upon arrival, and left us an AMAZING towel bunny later in the week!
Weather: This was our first trip in the summer, so I was expecting to absolutely melt every day. The heat was there on some days, but it was definitely tolerable. There were a few quite overcast days, and one day it absolutely POURED all day. But, we made the best of it. I'm not sure I could get used to Florida weathermen though. On our last full day (7/2), we were scheduled to do Typhoon Lagoon and Epcot. The weathermen the night before were saying 90% chance of HEAVY rain - as in inches. We woke up on 7/2 to fog, and decided we'd give it a try and see what happened. Let's just say, that day ended up having the most sun we had seen in the past 4 days. Glad we stuck to our schedule!
Parks: We were so VERY pleased with the lines. I had prepped my kids - telling them everything would have an hour wait, etc. Well, we were so pleased to find many things had 20 - 30 minute waits (and it actually took much less than what was stated). The normal big rides had their lines, but we were more than able to deal with them with early standby lines and fast-passes. Even the day we left (7/3), the lines in MK were VERY good!
Food: Now - just as a preface, my DS has a peanut allergy. That's one of the big reasons we keep going to Disney is because they are so good at handling special diet requests. Our table services included:
Kona Cafe - Food was good. Desserts were excellent. Service was just ok. The waitress kind of did the "bare minimum" of checking on us.
Tutto Italia - Food was great. Desserts were good. Service was excellent!! Our waiter Dimas was fantastic - very personable and on top of everything. He noted my son's birthday button, and handled it himself to have everyone come over and sing Happy Birthday to him (and give him a peanut-safe dessert). Excellent.
Ohana's - This was normally one of our favorites. While the food was ok this year, there just seemed to be something missing. I don't believe our server smiled the entire time we were there (any my husband thought he was chewing gum while serving tables). And, he brought over the dumplings and dipping sauces without reading the paper from our reservation saying "Peanut Allergy" (One of the sauces is a peanut sauce). When I mentioned it to him, he took the dish away. After the chef came over, he brought back the original dish and just removed the peanut sauce from it. Technically, they should've brought a whole new dish - to make sure no peanut sauce had sloshed into anything else. And we were stuck kind of "away" from the action, so the kids felt a bit removed from the activities. So, we may actually skip this one next time. It was just "ok" this time.
Mama Melrose - Fantasmic package - Now, we have eaten here before. But this time, everything seemed to be excellent. Service was great. Food was excellent. Desserts were good. The chef came out and brought my son a special dessert with his allergy. And of course - seats for Fantasmic. Great all around.
Whispering Canyon - The food was very good. Service was good. We were stuck way off in the "library" I believe they call it. That's what it felt like anyway. Very quiet. Half the reason we go there is for the kids to be involved in all the activities. So, again, being removed from that took away from the experience a bit. We'd still go back though (may just request the "main" room).
1900 Park Fare - Breakfast - So, we just check in and a fire alarm starts going off. The CMs are all looking at each other going "Is this real?" So, they seat us at a table - 2 seconds later - "Not a drill! Everyone out!!" We stood outside for 1/2 hour waiting for them to straighten things out. We get back inside - alarm sounds again - but, luckily we can stay and it shuts off after a few minutes. Aside from that, food was great! Server excellent! With all of the alarms, the characters got a bit messed up in their table visits. But, we notified our server, and the character that skipped us was brought over right away. My kids LOVED the Mad Hatter. I think my son finally met his match!! Mary Poppins was great too.
Grand Floridian Cafe - The food was ok - portions were a little small for the price. The menu seemed different than what I remembered, but maybe that was just me. Service was pretty good. I'd only go back here if I needed a "fill-in" type restaurant.
Teppan Edo - Love hibachi. Of course, service was excellent. Food was great. I didn't mind doing this, as we were on the dining plan. If I were paying OOP though, it's a bit pricey for what you get!
Crystal Palace - Lunch - We've only ever done this for dinner. I have to say that I think I like lunch better! Food was very tasty. Our server was quite friendly. Would definitely do that again.
New Things We Tried:
Kim Possible at Epcot - My kids LOVED this. We did this on 3 different days. It seemed to work best when I got each of my kids their own Kimmunicator and their own adventure. The CMs distributing the Kimmunicators were very accomodating (so, if you didn't want to walk 1/2 way around they world they could give you a closer country ;)) Very cute. Lots of kids doing it. Loved it.
Campfire, sing-along and movie at Fort Wilderness - My kids really enjoyed having some down time and doing this. Cowboy Mark led the sing along, and he was quite entertaining. The movie on the night we went was Prince Caspian - so, it was a little tough to see at first, and something you need to pay attention to. I'm thinking, checking out Toy Story or Lilo and Stitch would be easier - as the colors would be brighter, and it's a little lighter of a story. One thing if you do this - BRING BUG SPRAY - we got eaten alive.
Design your own T - at DownTown Disney - My kids each made their own souvenir t-shirt. Very cute. The shirts come out very nice too - the silk screening feels good - like it's going to stay on.
And in the "What kind of parents are we?" category: Well, not all vacations run smoothly. I'd like to think we are parents that are prepared, keep a good handle on our kids, etc. Yes, well... so much for that theory...
While at Blizzard Beach, my DD managed to jam her pinky between the tube and the wall of one of the slides. It was a pretty shade of dark blue/purple and nicely swollen. Of course, I don't have THOSE type of first aid supplies packed. But, we manage to find some tape and make due. LESSON LEARNED: Pack more types of first aid supplies than you think you'll need.
Also (I think) while at Blizzard Beach, my DS somehow hurt his ankle/foot. We noticed it that night, as he kind of limped through HS. The next day, there was no way we were going to make him limp through the park all day. Unfortunately, stroller rentals are only available in the parks. So for the hotels, etc. you're out of luck. We ended up having to buy one of the umbrella strollers from the gift shop (Thank Heaven for Disney Visa Reward $). The cost on that? $50!!!! AGGGHHH. But, it was easier for him to move around, and later in the trip, helped as he was more tired! LESSON LEARNED: If your child is even CLOSE to be able to fit into a stroller, bring one along. You can always leave it in your room if you choose not to use it. But it's there just in case!
And - for the final kicker - We arrived back at the MK one night just as Spectro was about to start. I told DH, DS, and DD to go ahead in while I waited in the bag-check line. I get into the park, and am looking around for them - only to encounter DH coming back toward me in a panic because he has no idea where the kids are. They were trying to move up along Main St. to get a better spot, and somehow got cut off from each other. One of the CMs overheard (as I'll admit DH was a bit panicked and LOUD), and said not to worry, if we didn't find them, let someone with a blue wand know. DH continued to search Main Street and I moved farther down searching for them. Well, parade ends, we are all the way by Splash Mountain now looking for them - no luck. We let one of the CMs know - and immediately, they are on it in force. I showed them pictures of my kids (DO make sure you have one with you!) and they started contacting everyone to look for them. Basically the CM said that they will not let anyone leave the park that even REMOTELY fits either kid's description. So, a few moments later, DD called DH's cell phone. She went into a store and asked a salesperson for help. But - bad news is - DS is NOT with her. Now panic really starts to set in, as he is only 6. I go with one CM to get DD. I get a call a few minutes later that they have DS at the Baby Care Center. DS had gone up to someone with a blue wand, and told them he was lost. Thank Goodness he remembered what to do. Everyone was fine (in theory). Thank Goodness. I knew we would find them... it's just AWFUL to look at all these faces and not see your children... LESSONS LEARNED: 1) Make sure your kids know your Cell Phone #. DD did, and we got her more quickly. DS knows his HOME phone - but that does no good there. 2) Make sure you set up a meeting place in case you ever get separated. You may think - nah, it will never happen to us. Let me tell you, I used to be in that boat. I am ALWAYS on top of where my kids are, so if it can happen to us...
So overall, it was a good vacation. We came home exhausted and needing a vacation from our vacation. But, that's a good thing.
Thanks for listening to my report!
Beth