Janmac
09-24-2012, 02:00 PM
The Epcot Flower & Garden Show DBF Cousins Amtrak POR/VWL April Experiment
Sunday day 7, departure day, and final thoughts
Cast of characters
>From Missouri – 15 – 22 April, Sunday to Sunday
Me – [ineffective] OCD planner
DH – my dear husband, almost immune to Disney magic
Eeyore - my dear sister
Tink - Eeyore's daughter
Pluto - Tink's 7 year old daughter
DBF – Tink's significant other & sorta newbie (visited almost 20 years ago as teen)
>From Illinois - 17 – 22 April, Tuesday to Sunday
Remy - my dear cousin
Pirate – Remy's DH
Wall-e – 7 yr old son of Remy & Pirate
The Plan:
Counter service breakfasts at respective resorts, packing and transfers to airport (5 am for Pirate and 11:30 am for Eeyore) and train station, 10:30 am at VWL and then to POR. Coach seating on the Silver Meteor to Washington DC where we will do sightseeing on Monday, maybe using the Red Trolley. Sleeper accommodations on the Capitol Ltd to Chicago, where we say good bye to Remy and Wall-e on Tuesday. Few hours on the Chief to Missouri, arriving about 8 pm.
What really happened:
DH, Remy, Wall-e and I walked to the French Quarter for a counter service breakfast and some beignets. Yu-um. Took some to go for Pluto to eat on the train, as she dearly loves her some beignets. After breakfast we met in front of Riverside for Noble Trans to take us to the station. This time we were in a big van, with an okay but not terrifically chatty driver, maybe because he'd never been to the Kissimmee Amtrak station and was navigating. I would probably use either transportation company again.
Remy was not impressed with the Silver Meteor, especially the facilities on the single level cars. There was a discussion about this recently in Vacation Planning. The weather in Washington DC was very chilly, after such a warm March. I was glad I had not reserved ahead on the Red Trolley as we opted to pass on that. We did tour the Air and Space Museum and the American Indian Museum - had a great lunch there. Except DH, who was feeling a bit tired still and opted to remain in the Metro Lounge at Union Station, reading his book and napping.
Our sleeping accommodations were the other end of the scale so Remy had some interesting train experiences. Our arrival into Chicago coincided with the commuter train schedule, so Remy and Wall-e hurried off to try to grab their train out to the suburbs. We had a few hours before boarding the Chief, and a very few hours after that our train ride was over and we were on the road heading home.
Oops!
Transportation services are geared to getting you to the airport a couple hours early. This is not necessary at the train station. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. ;)
Surprise: It's not Disney but . . . snow in Pennsylvania! Covered the ground on the evening of 23 April. We were watching from the dining car on Amtrak's Capitol Limited.
Ok, experiment summary time:
Amtrak – on the way down, we were an even number, which works well, since seats are in pairs. On the way back, we had coach until Washington DC because the Silver Meteor's sleeping accommodations are so danged expensive. For the Meteor portion of the return trip we had an uneven number in our group. DH and I sat together, Remy with Wall-e, Pluto with Tink, leaving DBF to hang out in the lounge all night as his seat mate snored and took up too much room. Remy was not happy with the restroom facilities as they quickly became messy. From DC to Chicago we had two, connecting bedrooms (en suite) (Remy & Wall-e and DH, Pluto & me) and a roomette (Tink & DBF). Everyone was much happier with the Capitol Ltd and our sleeping compartments. The dining car is more comfortable on the double level trains, as well, and the snack car has the observation level.
Bottom line for Amtrak: we are so spoiled by the double level trains, we probably will pass on taking to the train to Disney again, until or unless the Sunset Ltd gets going east of New Orleans again. (I'm not holding my breath.)
Epcot Flower & Garden Show - apparently I'm not excited about topiaries. I liked Epcot's flora offerings just as much in January 2010. We visited the Fairy Garden area at least twice, since the themed areas, with the different colors and inspired fairy houses, were so interesting. We spent a lot of time in the Butterfly House (Pluto raised several Painted Ladies at home). I liked the play yards but Pluto and Wall-e must feel they are too old as they didn't indicate any interest. Admittedly I did not do any of the presentations; mostly my goal was to see the flowers, etc. I actually did like some of the different, non-traditional landscaping on display back in World Showcase near Morocco.
Bottom line for the E F & G Show: between the crowds – our week was apparently the last of the Spring Break weeks – and the heat, I wouldn't mind avoiding an April trip in the future. I was glad to have seen the Fairy area and the model train area.
DBF/Cousins – there were a couple of surprises here. We'll do DBF first, and then the cousins.
DBF - is more of a night owl, and while he tried hard to be up and going with the rest of us, he was off his game a bit. He definitely wasn't ready for meals when we were. We were not prepared also for the monopolizing of Tink by DBF. This left Eeyore and Pluto feeling left out. Tink was stressed at being pulled at least 3 ways until she figured out to suggest DBF and Pluto, and later Wall-e, go do this or that, leaving her free to chat with Eeyore, and the rest of us.
Bottom line: it might be a good idea when a DBF or DGF is going along as a newbie, to go with the significant other on a trip by themselves, before joining the extended family. This might be a preview of what our hoped for 2014 Beach Club Anniversary trip (first big extended family trip, in 1994) could be like, with more night owls and newbies joining us - grown up grandkids and their families! We're thinking we might have our table service meals at lunch, accommodating those who are just getting up as well as those who had early breakfasts and are starving for more (me and Eeyore).
Cousins – This was a surprise. Remy and Pirate had been to WDW twice before, without having that magical time that compelled them to return. They were mostly going because they wanted to spend time with us (and because of good travel deals). I was expecting them to be more immune to the whole Disney thing. I can not recall any time when they were not just a whole lot of fun to be with, wearing their Disney t-shirts for 'the picture', wearing glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces, doing pin trading. They are veteran travelers which probably helped their going with the flow so much, being patient with some of the snags we can encounter during a week at Disney. They did have to occasionally remind Wall-E who was boss, but that's the way it is at WDW with 7 year olds. I was very happy that they wanted to remain in a park on their own, while still spending group time with us.
Bottom line: hope they want to go in 2014!
VWL/POR – this wasn't going to be part of the experiment this trip. Early on, a one bedroom villa came available at Wilderness Lodge, so my sister grabbed it, thinking maybe another one would show up. No other villas – other than Saratoga – were available, so DH and I and our cousins got Royal Guest rooms at POR, thanks to a military discount. We didn't know how it would work, being at different locations but overall, we had no problems. Thank goodness for cell phones and texting – this kept coordinating easy. The main difficulty was when Pluto came to POR to go swimming with Wall-e, and didn't have a swim suit, easily enough solved by a trip to Fulton's.
Bottom line: staying at different resorts in future is not out of the question.
Disney Dining Plan – for years we have been fans of this. Before the DDP we used to eat 3 sit down meals every day. The current one TS meal a day has always seemed too little. After our 2010 trip, even with our breakfasts in our Wilderness Lodge Villa we were hungry at mid-morning; we decided we were going to do Character Breakfasts every day. We did the math on the Deluxe DP and that doesn't work, with so many single TS fixed price, buffet meals. We went with the DDP, using that for the suppers, and paying OOP for Character Breakfasts, because we could at least break even. At least those of us at POR did. Because of the goof about not signing up for the DDP 3 days ahead of arrival the VWL folks were OOP the whole trip. We haven't crunched the VWL folks numbers but we have discovered a few things. One big fan of the DDP was Eeyore, because she didn't feel she had to look at the prices on the menus. She discovered that using her room charge was pretty much the same thing. Since the VWL folks were not on the DDP, if DBF wanted only an appetizer for supper, that was doable, OOP.
Bottom line: we will probably do food differently for 2014, altho, if Eeyore, DH and I stay in the same room, we might still do the DDP. :blush:
At the end of the stay - We enjoyed some new experiences: first into CP and our own private ferry ride. Pluto has a new screaming ride – Tower of Terror. And maybe RnRC. Wall-e got to hug Aurora. Now we know what a Royal Guest room looks like. We got beignets at the French Quarter. DH got to see Soarin' again, even if he did miss MSEP. We learned some lessons which might make our 2014 trip more enjoyable. Maybe our cousins feel the magic more now. It turned out to be a pretty good week at WDW.
Jan
Sunday day 7, departure day, and final thoughts
Cast of characters
>From Missouri – 15 – 22 April, Sunday to Sunday
Me – [ineffective] OCD planner
DH – my dear husband, almost immune to Disney magic
Eeyore - my dear sister
Tink - Eeyore's daughter
Pluto - Tink's 7 year old daughter
DBF – Tink's significant other & sorta newbie (visited almost 20 years ago as teen)
>From Illinois - 17 – 22 April, Tuesday to Sunday
Remy - my dear cousin
Pirate – Remy's DH
Wall-e – 7 yr old son of Remy & Pirate
The Plan:
Counter service breakfasts at respective resorts, packing and transfers to airport (5 am for Pirate and 11:30 am for Eeyore) and train station, 10:30 am at VWL and then to POR. Coach seating on the Silver Meteor to Washington DC where we will do sightseeing on Monday, maybe using the Red Trolley. Sleeper accommodations on the Capitol Ltd to Chicago, where we say good bye to Remy and Wall-e on Tuesday. Few hours on the Chief to Missouri, arriving about 8 pm.
What really happened:
DH, Remy, Wall-e and I walked to the French Quarter for a counter service breakfast and some beignets. Yu-um. Took some to go for Pluto to eat on the train, as she dearly loves her some beignets. After breakfast we met in front of Riverside for Noble Trans to take us to the station. This time we were in a big van, with an okay but not terrifically chatty driver, maybe because he'd never been to the Kissimmee Amtrak station and was navigating. I would probably use either transportation company again.
Remy was not impressed with the Silver Meteor, especially the facilities on the single level cars. There was a discussion about this recently in Vacation Planning. The weather in Washington DC was very chilly, after such a warm March. I was glad I had not reserved ahead on the Red Trolley as we opted to pass on that. We did tour the Air and Space Museum and the American Indian Museum - had a great lunch there. Except DH, who was feeling a bit tired still and opted to remain in the Metro Lounge at Union Station, reading his book and napping.
Our sleeping accommodations were the other end of the scale so Remy had some interesting train experiences. Our arrival into Chicago coincided with the commuter train schedule, so Remy and Wall-e hurried off to try to grab their train out to the suburbs. We had a few hours before boarding the Chief, and a very few hours after that our train ride was over and we were on the road heading home.
Oops!
Transportation services are geared to getting you to the airport a couple hours early. This is not necessary at the train station. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. ;)
Surprise: It's not Disney but . . . snow in Pennsylvania! Covered the ground on the evening of 23 April. We were watching from the dining car on Amtrak's Capitol Limited.
Ok, experiment summary time:
Amtrak – on the way down, we were an even number, which works well, since seats are in pairs. On the way back, we had coach until Washington DC because the Silver Meteor's sleeping accommodations are so danged expensive. For the Meteor portion of the return trip we had an uneven number in our group. DH and I sat together, Remy with Wall-e, Pluto with Tink, leaving DBF to hang out in the lounge all night as his seat mate snored and took up too much room. Remy was not happy with the restroom facilities as they quickly became messy. From DC to Chicago we had two, connecting bedrooms (en suite) (Remy & Wall-e and DH, Pluto & me) and a roomette (Tink & DBF). Everyone was much happier with the Capitol Ltd and our sleeping compartments. The dining car is more comfortable on the double level trains, as well, and the snack car has the observation level.
Bottom line for Amtrak: we are so spoiled by the double level trains, we probably will pass on taking to the train to Disney again, until or unless the Sunset Ltd gets going east of New Orleans again. (I'm not holding my breath.)
Epcot Flower & Garden Show - apparently I'm not excited about topiaries. I liked Epcot's flora offerings just as much in January 2010. We visited the Fairy Garden area at least twice, since the themed areas, with the different colors and inspired fairy houses, were so interesting. We spent a lot of time in the Butterfly House (Pluto raised several Painted Ladies at home). I liked the play yards but Pluto and Wall-e must feel they are too old as they didn't indicate any interest. Admittedly I did not do any of the presentations; mostly my goal was to see the flowers, etc. I actually did like some of the different, non-traditional landscaping on display back in World Showcase near Morocco.
Bottom line for the E F & G Show: between the crowds – our week was apparently the last of the Spring Break weeks – and the heat, I wouldn't mind avoiding an April trip in the future. I was glad to have seen the Fairy area and the model train area.
DBF/Cousins – there were a couple of surprises here. We'll do DBF first, and then the cousins.
DBF - is more of a night owl, and while he tried hard to be up and going with the rest of us, he was off his game a bit. He definitely wasn't ready for meals when we were. We were not prepared also for the monopolizing of Tink by DBF. This left Eeyore and Pluto feeling left out. Tink was stressed at being pulled at least 3 ways until she figured out to suggest DBF and Pluto, and later Wall-e, go do this or that, leaving her free to chat with Eeyore, and the rest of us.
Bottom line: it might be a good idea when a DBF or DGF is going along as a newbie, to go with the significant other on a trip by themselves, before joining the extended family. This might be a preview of what our hoped for 2014 Beach Club Anniversary trip (first big extended family trip, in 1994) could be like, with more night owls and newbies joining us - grown up grandkids and their families! We're thinking we might have our table service meals at lunch, accommodating those who are just getting up as well as those who had early breakfasts and are starving for more (me and Eeyore).
Cousins – This was a surprise. Remy and Pirate had been to WDW twice before, without having that magical time that compelled them to return. They were mostly going because they wanted to spend time with us (and because of good travel deals). I was expecting them to be more immune to the whole Disney thing. I can not recall any time when they were not just a whole lot of fun to be with, wearing their Disney t-shirts for 'the picture', wearing glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces, doing pin trading. They are veteran travelers which probably helped their going with the flow so much, being patient with some of the snags we can encounter during a week at Disney. They did have to occasionally remind Wall-E who was boss, but that's the way it is at WDW with 7 year olds. I was very happy that they wanted to remain in a park on their own, while still spending group time with us.
Bottom line: hope they want to go in 2014!
VWL/POR – this wasn't going to be part of the experiment this trip. Early on, a one bedroom villa came available at Wilderness Lodge, so my sister grabbed it, thinking maybe another one would show up. No other villas – other than Saratoga – were available, so DH and I and our cousins got Royal Guest rooms at POR, thanks to a military discount. We didn't know how it would work, being at different locations but overall, we had no problems. Thank goodness for cell phones and texting – this kept coordinating easy. The main difficulty was when Pluto came to POR to go swimming with Wall-e, and didn't have a swim suit, easily enough solved by a trip to Fulton's.
Bottom line: staying at different resorts in future is not out of the question.
Disney Dining Plan – for years we have been fans of this. Before the DDP we used to eat 3 sit down meals every day. The current one TS meal a day has always seemed too little. After our 2010 trip, even with our breakfasts in our Wilderness Lodge Villa we were hungry at mid-morning; we decided we were going to do Character Breakfasts every day. We did the math on the Deluxe DP and that doesn't work, with so many single TS fixed price, buffet meals. We went with the DDP, using that for the suppers, and paying OOP for Character Breakfasts, because we could at least break even. At least those of us at POR did. Because of the goof about not signing up for the DDP 3 days ahead of arrival the VWL folks were OOP the whole trip. We haven't crunched the VWL folks numbers but we have discovered a few things. One big fan of the DDP was Eeyore, because she didn't feel she had to look at the prices on the menus. She discovered that using her room charge was pretty much the same thing. Since the VWL folks were not on the DDP, if DBF wanted only an appetizer for supper, that was doable, OOP.
Bottom line: we will probably do food differently for 2014, altho, if Eeyore, DH and I stay in the same room, we might still do the DDP. :blush:
At the end of the stay - We enjoyed some new experiences: first into CP and our own private ferry ride. Pluto has a new screaming ride – Tower of Terror. And maybe RnRC. Wall-e got to hug Aurora. Now we know what a Royal Guest room looks like. We got beignets at the French Quarter. DH got to see Soarin' again, even if he did miss MSEP. We learned some lessons which might make our 2014 trip more enjoyable. Maybe our cousins feel the magic more now. It turned out to be a pretty good week at WDW.
Jan