goofynmd
05-13-2010, 09:33 PM
I know I won't have the time to write up a full trip report, so I thought I would summarize my thoughts in one quick report.
- My family consists of me, DH, DS#1 5 yrs old and DS#2 10 months.
- Booked for Woodsview room at Wilderness Lodge. We ended up in room 3167 which is at the very end of the V. Our balcony looked out over the beach and lake. Only negative was that we had one of the stone balconies that was closed in. I would have preferred one with open railing.
- Very happy with the mousekeeping, always had plenty of towels, and room was always cleaned by the time we came back from the parks late morning/early afternoon
- I would definitely stay at WL again. Lots of kid friendly activities. Decorate a cookie in the afternoon, organized games at the pool in the afternoon, movies on the beach at night.
- I shipped a box down via UPS with all the baby supplies. Great idea from fellow Intercotees!
- My 10 month was easier to deal with than the 5 year old. But I have to remind myself, no matter how difficult my 5 year old can be, I saw children behaving much worse in the parks.
- I pride myself on teaching DS#1 manners. He knows to say please and thank you, hold doors, etc. I wish the same could be said about other people :(
- Crowds were manageable at this time of the year. Somethings still had long waits (Soarin, Toy Story Mania) but Extra Magic Hours and Fastpass made it easier.
- Food was good in my opinion. Many places we tried for the first time... Wispering Canyon for lunch, Character breakfast at Ohana, dinner buffet at Trail's End, and breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe. Counter service was less creative, as we went with our old standbys, Cosmic Rays, Flame Tree Barbacue, Sunshine Season, and Backlot Express.
- Roaring Forks is just too small for the size of Wilderness Lodge. The food was very good, but the logistics of the place need to be improved
- Why can't Disney get real coffee at counter service??? :ack: The two times we had sit down breakfast I overloaded on real coffee :cloud9:
- DS#1 did the Pirate Adventure at the Grand Floridian. He had a blast. I was worried he would get all shy and not want to go on the cruise without us. But that was not the case at all. He got his bandana, tattoo and life vest and was on his way. I highly recommend this for boys and girls.
- I am so glad we decided to bring two strollers. We didn't always take both of them to the parks in the morning, but many times when we went back at night we would. DS is a big 5 year old. Pushing him is a lot harder than the baby, but it saved us from hearing the whining.
- Bus transportation was great. The longest we waited was probably 15-20 minutes (when we saw the bus pulling away from AK and couldn't catch it). Normal wait was less than 5 minutes.
- Loved having the boat transportation to MK. Especially nice when it was the larger boat that you could drive the stroller right on too! :boat:
- Order the unlimited milkshake at Wispering Canyon. It was yummy. There are three flavors available on the menu. First we had vanilla, then strawberry. When our waiter Jeffro came back DH said "we might as well try all the flavors" and he asked for the chocolate. When Jeffro came back he had 5 glasses filled with different flavors of milkshake (chocolate, bubble gum, cotton candy, carmel and orange) He said we asked for all the flavors. LOL
- I still love EE, ToT and RRC. We used baby swap to take advantage of these rides. Space Mountain seemed rougher than I remember.
- I found it crazy that people were lined up for a 9:55 Jedi Training at 8 am when the parked opened for Extra Magic Hours. DS so wanted to do this, but we could not justify the time waiting in line. Maybe someday...
- We didn't get to experience much of the Flower and Garden Festival. I would love to have had time to myself to explore all of the extra stuff around the park. Again maybe someday...
- Block Party Bash at Studios was good but I like the Stars and Motor Cars parade better.
- Because we splurged on a Deluxe hotel, I decided to not get the park hopper pass. With a little advanced planning it worked out fine. We took advantage of both morning and evening Extra Magic Hours and always went back to the hotel in the afternoon for a break.
- It is important to schedule a "down day" in the middle of the trip. On day 4 we stayed at the hotel for the morning and afternoon and didn't head to the park until evening. I think it gave us all time to get the crankies out :D
Overall it was a great trip. DS#1 starts Kindergarten in the fall so I don't think we will be going back next year. But maybe 2012. Fantasyland should be done, DS#2 will be 3 and maybe the new Art of Animation resort will be done.
Thanks for reading!
- My family consists of me, DH, DS#1 5 yrs old and DS#2 10 months.
- Booked for Woodsview room at Wilderness Lodge. We ended up in room 3167 which is at the very end of the V. Our balcony looked out over the beach and lake. Only negative was that we had one of the stone balconies that was closed in. I would have preferred one with open railing.
- Very happy with the mousekeeping, always had plenty of towels, and room was always cleaned by the time we came back from the parks late morning/early afternoon
- I would definitely stay at WL again. Lots of kid friendly activities. Decorate a cookie in the afternoon, organized games at the pool in the afternoon, movies on the beach at night.
- I shipped a box down via UPS with all the baby supplies. Great idea from fellow Intercotees!
- My 10 month was easier to deal with than the 5 year old. But I have to remind myself, no matter how difficult my 5 year old can be, I saw children behaving much worse in the parks.
- I pride myself on teaching DS#1 manners. He knows to say please and thank you, hold doors, etc. I wish the same could be said about other people :(
- Crowds were manageable at this time of the year. Somethings still had long waits (Soarin, Toy Story Mania) but Extra Magic Hours and Fastpass made it easier.
- Food was good in my opinion. Many places we tried for the first time... Wispering Canyon for lunch, Character breakfast at Ohana, dinner buffet at Trail's End, and breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe. Counter service was less creative, as we went with our old standbys, Cosmic Rays, Flame Tree Barbacue, Sunshine Season, and Backlot Express.
- Roaring Forks is just too small for the size of Wilderness Lodge. The food was very good, but the logistics of the place need to be improved
- Why can't Disney get real coffee at counter service??? :ack: The two times we had sit down breakfast I overloaded on real coffee :cloud9:
- DS#1 did the Pirate Adventure at the Grand Floridian. He had a blast. I was worried he would get all shy and not want to go on the cruise without us. But that was not the case at all. He got his bandana, tattoo and life vest and was on his way. I highly recommend this for boys and girls.
- I am so glad we decided to bring two strollers. We didn't always take both of them to the parks in the morning, but many times when we went back at night we would. DS is a big 5 year old. Pushing him is a lot harder than the baby, but it saved us from hearing the whining.
- Bus transportation was great. The longest we waited was probably 15-20 minutes (when we saw the bus pulling away from AK and couldn't catch it). Normal wait was less than 5 minutes.
- Loved having the boat transportation to MK. Especially nice when it was the larger boat that you could drive the stroller right on too! :boat:
- Order the unlimited milkshake at Wispering Canyon. It was yummy. There are three flavors available on the menu. First we had vanilla, then strawberry. When our waiter Jeffro came back DH said "we might as well try all the flavors" and he asked for the chocolate. When Jeffro came back he had 5 glasses filled with different flavors of milkshake (chocolate, bubble gum, cotton candy, carmel and orange) He said we asked for all the flavors. LOL
- I still love EE, ToT and RRC. We used baby swap to take advantage of these rides. Space Mountain seemed rougher than I remember.
- I found it crazy that people were lined up for a 9:55 Jedi Training at 8 am when the parked opened for Extra Magic Hours. DS so wanted to do this, but we could not justify the time waiting in line. Maybe someday...
- We didn't get to experience much of the Flower and Garden Festival. I would love to have had time to myself to explore all of the extra stuff around the park. Again maybe someday...
- Block Party Bash at Studios was good but I like the Stars and Motor Cars parade better.
- Because we splurged on a Deluxe hotel, I decided to not get the park hopper pass. With a little advanced planning it worked out fine. We took advantage of both morning and evening Extra Magic Hours and always went back to the hotel in the afternoon for a break.
- It is important to schedule a "down day" in the middle of the trip. On day 4 we stayed at the hotel for the morning and afternoon and didn't head to the park until evening. I think it gave us all time to get the crankies out :D
Overall it was a great trip. DS#1 starts Kindergarten in the fall so I don't think we will be going back next year. But maybe 2012. Fantasyland should be done, DS#2 will be 3 and maybe the new Art of Animation resort will be done.
Thanks for reading!