BhamWriter
03-22-2012, 11:27 AM
My son in college arrived for Spring Break expecting a week to rest and relax, but I surprised him with a quick trip to WDW. I hadn't expected to be able to take the trip, but I coordinated it with my office and, so, my son and I drove to WDW Saturday after making reservations at POR. We didn't have much of a plan, but, with a place to stay and Florida Annual Passes, we had a great time.
First, POR was excellent. I hadn't stayed there in years. I was impressed with the refurbished room in Magnolia Terrace, which was close to the bridge to the pool as well as to a bus site. The room was dark, which facilitated afternoon naps, quiet, and well appointed. We kept the flat-screen TV tuned either to Stacy or to P&F. The refrigerator kept our beverages and my son's insulin cold. I like the bathroom arrangement, with the tub and toilet separate from a good-sized changing area with a large double-sink and clothes rack (a curtain separates this area from the bedroom).
We went to the parks eight times (evenings Saturday through Tuesday and mornings Sunday through Wednesday): four times to Epcot, twice to MK, and once each to DS and AK. Each park was attended one morning, and each evening was spent at either Epcot (thrice) or MK (once). The crowds were typically heavy, but once advantage of traveling to WDW many times is that there's no necessity to do everything: rather than force doing a specific attraction, you can take what the parks give you. So, on this trip, we didn't do Toy Story Mania (I lose anyway) or Splash Mountain, but did Spaceship Earth four times (the only time it was too crowded was leaving Epcot for the last time Wednesday morning), Star Tours thrice (twice stand-by and once with FastPass), Haunted Mansion twice (walked on both times), Captain EO twice (me, not my son, who hates it), Everest twice (once stand-by, once FastPass), Buzz Lightyear (walk on), Space Mountain (FastPass), Astro Orbiter, WedWay, CoP, Winnie the Pooh (FastPass), Mickey's Philharmagic (my very favorite attraction), PotC (stand-by), Muppets, Backstage Tour, Rock'n Rollercoaster (FastPass), Safari (FastPass), Dinosaur (FastPass), Primeval Whirl (stand-by), Test Track (stand-by), Gran Fiesta (walk on), Living with the Land (walk on), Soarin' (FastPass), American Adventure, Sum of All Thrills, and probably some more I'm forgetting. We probably stood in line no longer than 15 or 20 minutes, and, in most instances, much less.
The food and drinks on the trip were excellent even though we ate at only one signature restaurant: Brown Derby. Earl of Sandwich, Lotus Blossom Cafe, T-Rex (nachos at the bar), Starring Rolls, Grand Floridian Cafe, and others served us well. The star, though, was Brown Derby. The two entrees we had were perhaps the two best dishes I've ever tasted at WDW. I ordered the Sterling Silver Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Herb and Four-Cheese Spaetzle with Applewood-smoked Bacon, Shallots, Sweet Peppers, Braised Red Cabbage, and an Apple Cider Jus. My son chose the Coriander-dusted Grouper with Cauliflower Risotto, Pea Tendrils, crunchy Sunchokes, and a Yellow Tomato Coulis. Our server (and I overheard another say the same thing) said the Grouper was her favorite dish on the menu. My son loved my pork so much, though, that we split the two, and both were absolutely amazing. The spaetzel was truly cheesy, the pork was very moist, and the apple cider jus was rich and flavorful. The Grouper was perfectly prepared, not overcooked, but light, creamy, and moist. The Brown Derby has become my favorite restaurant at WDW (and there are many outstanding choices), remarkable for a restaurant inside a theme park.
All in all, we had a wonderful trip. The weather was warm, but pleasant (I like hot weather and have been to WDW when it was much hotter than this week) with hardly any rain. The crowds, though heavy, were manageable (if you know how to do it: don't show up at noon and stand in line at the busiest attractions). And the food and drinks (such as the margaritas at the tequila bar) were memorable.
First, POR was excellent. I hadn't stayed there in years. I was impressed with the refurbished room in Magnolia Terrace, which was close to the bridge to the pool as well as to a bus site. The room was dark, which facilitated afternoon naps, quiet, and well appointed. We kept the flat-screen TV tuned either to Stacy or to P&F. The refrigerator kept our beverages and my son's insulin cold. I like the bathroom arrangement, with the tub and toilet separate from a good-sized changing area with a large double-sink and clothes rack (a curtain separates this area from the bedroom).
We went to the parks eight times (evenings Saturday through Tuesday and mornings Sunday through Wednesday): four times to Epcot, twice to MK, and once each to DS and AK. Each park was attended one morning, and each evening was spent at either Epcot (thrice) or MK (once). The crowds were typically heavy, but once advantage of traveling to WDW many times is that there's no necessity to do everything: rather than force doing a specific attraction, you can take what the parks give you. So, on this trip, we didn't do Toy Story Mania (I lose anyway) or Splash Mountain, but did Spaceship Earth four times (the only time it was too crowded was leaving Epcot for the last time Wednesday morning), Star Tours thrice (twice stand-by and once with FastPass), Haunted Mansion twice (walked on both times), Captain EO twice (me, not my son, who hates it), Everest twice (once stand-by, once FastPass), Buzz Lightyear (walk on), Space Mountain (FastPass), Astro Orbiter, WedWay, CoP, Winnie the Pooh (FastPass), Mickey's Philharmagic (my very favorite attraction), PotC (stand-by), Muppets, Backstage Tour, Rock'n Rollercoaster (FastPass), Safari (FastPass), Dinosaur (FastPass), Primeval Whirl (stand-by), Test Track (stand-by), Gran Fiesta (walk on), Living with the Land (walk on), Soarin' (FastPass), American Adventure, Sum of All Thrills, and probably some more I'm forgetting. We probably stood in line no longer than 15 or 20 minutes, and, in most instances, much less.
The food and drinks on the trip were excellent even though we ate at only one signature restaurant: Brown Derby. Earl of Sandwich, Lotus Blossom Cafe, T-Rex (nachos at the bar), Starring Rolls, Grand Floridian Cafe, and others served us well. The star, though, was Brown Derby. The two entrees we had were perhaps the two best dishes I've ever tasted at WDW. I ordered the Sterling Silver Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Herb and Four-Cheese Spaetzle with Applewood-smoked Bacon, Shallots, Sweet Peppers, Braised Red Cabbage, and an Apple Cider Jus. My son chose the Coriander-dusted Grouper with Cauliflower Risotto, Pea Tendrils, crunchy Sunchokes, and a Yellow Tomato Coulis. Our server (and I overheard another say the same thing) said the Grouper was her favorite dish on the menu. My son loved my pork so much, though, that we split the two, and both were absolutely amazing. The spaetzel was truly cheesy, the pork was very moist, and the apple cider jus was rich and flavorful. The Grouper was perfectly prepared, not overcooked, but light, creamy, and moist. The Brown Derby has become my favorite restaurant at WDW (and there are many outstanding choices), remarkable for a restaurant inside a theme park.
All in all, we had a wonderful trip. The weather was warm, but pleasant (I like hot weather and have been to WDW when it was much hotter than this week) with hardly any rain. The crowds, though heavy, were manageable (if you know how to do it: don't show up at noon and stand in line at the busiest attractions). And the food and drinks (such as the margaritas at the tequila bar) were memorable.