BklynChick
10-30-2010, 05:01 PM
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Me - 30something and a true Disney freak, ready for a long-overdue trip!
Mom - 60+, loves Disney, but content to let me do all the planning
(Note: I will not go into great detail about food in this report, as I will be posting a separate “Dining Trip Report” in the Dining Forum.)
Our wake-up call was at 6:30am, as we needed to be at the ME stop for 7:40am. We decided against using Resort Check In (I like to see my luggage go onto the belt at the airport) so we brought our own luggage to the lobby and onto the bus. We were the last pickup for that particular ME bus and we had a very nice bus driver who kept us informed. We arrived at MCO to find that our flight was delayed a half-hour (at this point, it didn’t bother me). After bag drop and security, we had breakfast near our gate. The flight home was uneventful and before we knew it, we were back in NYC.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
First, the negative (very short)
- Please, please, PLEASE read the CS menus before you get up to the cashier! They are busy and don’t have time to review every single option with you, while the rest of us who are ready get stuck waiting.
- I may get flamed for this, but the single rider lines are just that - for single riders. I don’t think it is fair for huge families to get on the line just so they don’t have to wait. It defeats the purpose even if they do get split up.
- Duffy the Bear may only be appearing in person at Epcot, but his merchandise is EVERYWHERE! They are really pushing Duffy. It seems like a bit of overkill to me.
Now the positive (much longer):
- We absolutely love ME. It is a great way to start the vacation and we have never had any issues. We also have no complaints about the bus service. Admittedly, we may be a bit biased because 1) we don’t drive so if it weren’t for the buses, we wouldn’t get anywhere, and 2) we take public transportation every day so we are used to waiting for trains/buses.
- Parks looked crowded but as long as you did the big rides early in the day, wait times were not bad.
- I was pleasantly surprised by Hollywood Studios. I thought we would run out of things to do but we could have used another hour or so. TSM, American Idol and Block Party Bash are great additions, and the Citizens of Hollywood were lots of fun.
- The Food and Wine booths have a much better set up than I remember. I liked paying first and then getting the food, rather than having to juggle your change and your food. I recommended getting a Gift Card if you plan to visit many booths, it makes it even easier.
- It really is the “little things” that set Disney apart. Each morning we were greeted by CMs as we entered the park, and each night they said goodbye to us as well. I loved the one at Epcot who bid us adieu by reminding us that “Fish are friends, not food!”.
- Everyone is so much friendlier at Disney. We had many pleasant conversations with families while riding the buses or waiting in line.
- Keep an eye out for bargains. Sometimes the same merchandise is on sale in different stores, especially in certain sizes. I saved $10 on a T-shirt this way.
- MNSSHP is definitely worth the extra $$.
- Adding an extra day to the start of our trip, and arriving early that day, was worth it. We were able to fit in some special events and still had some time to relax during the trip.
- NO RAIN! Not a single drop the whole trip! :cloud9:
Me - 30something and a true Disney freak, ready for a long-overdue trip!
Mom - 60+, loves Disney, but content to let me do all the planning
(Note: I will not go into great detail about food in this report, as I will be posting a separate “Dining Trip Report” in the Dining Forum.)
Our wake-up call was at 6:30am, as we needed to be at the ME stop for 7:40am. We decided against using Resort Check In (I like to see my luggage go onto the belt at the airport) so we brought our own luggage to the lobby and onto the bus. We were the last pickup for that particular ME bus and we had a very nice bus driver who kept us informed. We arrived at MCO to find that our flight was delayed a half-hour (at this point, it didn’t bother me). After bag drop and security, we had breakfast near our gate. The flight home was uneventful and before we knew it, we were back in NYC.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
First, the negative (very short)
- Please, please, PLEASE read the CS menus before you get up to the cashier! They are busy and don’t have time to review every single option with you, while the rest of us who are ready get stuck waiting.
- I may get flamed for this, but the single rider lines are just that - for single riders. I don’t think it is fair for huge families to get on the line just so they don’t have to wait. It defeats the purpose even if they do get split up.
- Duffy the Bear may only be appearing in person at Epcot, but his merchandise is EVERYWHERE! They are really pushing Duffy. It seems like a bit of overkill to me.
Now the positive (much longer):
- We absolutely love ME. It is a great way to start the vacation and we have never had any issues. We also have no complaints about the bus service. Admittedly, we may be a bit biased because 1) we don’t drive so if it weren’t for the buses, we wouldn’t get anywhere, and 2) we take public transportation every day so we are used to waiting for trains/buses.
- Parks looked crowded but as long as you did the big rides early in the day, wait times were not bad.
- I was pleasantly surprised by Hollywood Studios. I thought we would run out of things to do but we could have used another hour or so. TSM, American Idol and Block Party Bash are great additions, and the Citizens of Hollywood were lots of fun.
- The Food and Wine booths have a much better set up than I remember. I liked paying first and then getting the food, rather than having to juggle your change and your food. I recommended getting a Gift Card if you plan to visit many booths, it makes it even easier.
- It really is the “little things” that set Disney apart. Each morning we were greeted by CMs as we entered the park, and each night they said goodbye to us as well. I loved the one at Epcot who bid us adieu by reminding us that “Fish are friends, not food!”.
- Everyone is so much friendlier at Disney. We had many pleasant conversations with families while riding the buses or waiting in line.
- Keep an eye out for bargains. Sometimes the same merchandise is on sale in different stores, especially in certain sizes. I saved $10 on a T-shirt this way.
- MNSSHP is definitely worth the extra $$.
- Adding an extra day to the start of our trip, and arriving early that day, was worth it. We were able to fit in some special events and still had some time to relax during the trip.
- NO RAIN! Not a single drop the whole trip! :cloud9: