RavsRuleDisney!
11-11-2014, 11:14 PM
POR - 11/5 to 11/10
Cast of Characters:
Me: DD-just goin' with the flow :thumbsup:
DW-master planner/coordinator
DS15-gotta drive a speedboat
DS12-ready to ride EVERYTHING!!
So we arrived late Wednesday via good ol' JetBlue and stayed at AofA to basically save a few $$. DW and DS12 stayed there in Feb. but first time myself and DS15 have seen it. Didn't explore much but the resort seems extensively themed and in a good way with lots of 'broad strokes' and little details as well. With that, I will highlight the trip starting with our first full day.
DAY 1:
Breakfast at AofA and then off to the MK! BTMRR first, then off to Splash and Uggh!! - first glitch ....we were just heading to the first drop and the ride stops. After 5-10 minutes a CM turns the corner and well, you know the rest-out of our seats, orderly march off the ride and out the back of the ride, blah blah blah! :( Actually not that big a deal, they handed out blank FP's and off we went. Managed to hit up the following: PoTC, Buzz 2x, BTMRR 3x, HM, Space, Speedway, Splash(finally!), HofP, People Mover. Whew. We spent the majority of the morning and afternoon there and haven't 'worked' one park like that in awhile.
Lunched at Pinnochio Haus which was good as always. Noticed while sitting inside near the exit doors to the restaurant people continuously walked over and tried getting in. Two things wrong here - first, there are no handles on the doors which should tell you hey, maybe not the way to get in but two, there is no sign anywhere simply saying "EXIT ONLY" that would prevent this. Was kind of funny watching and yes, some did get the doors open and in they came!
Dinner at Kona - no complaints but I feel for our original fave resort - she is really getting an overhaul! Tuff navigating for those staying now and in the short term but when all is done I bet it will look fantastic. Took a few pics I can hopefully compare a trip or two down the rode with the finished product.
DAY 2:
Off to rope drop at HS-or so we thought. Busses were really crowded with uber numbers of strollers and a few scooters thrown in. We finally boarded but by time we got there people were already steaming in. Split up - me and DS15 headed to TSM stand-by (we already had a FP) and DW and DS12 went to R&RC and TofT - shortest line they would jump on and FP the other. Well....we had 65 min when we got to TSM and jumped on anyway and the other 2 jumped on TofT twice because - Uggh #2 of the trip - R&RC was not operating. Did FP TSM then Movie Ride, Frozen sing-a-long and remembered to grab a jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel near the hat (good bye hat) :(. Left HS to hit up Epcot for part one of our noshing expedition. Seems like lots more food kiosks than last time we were here for F&W. Hit up TT and SE and then dinner at Biergarten.
Was not overly impressed with the buffet food to be honest. Some variety but from what I have heard/read thought it would be "more". Beer was very tasty - duh! - and the ambience was excellent, as was the stage show. Scoped out my hot sauce at Mexico and off to bed.
DAY 3:
AK day. Looked like big crowds heading in but not that bad actually. Rode EE 4x, Safari 2x, then a bite at Piuzzafari. Did Dinosaur and caught Lion King in its new spot. Have not seen this since the DS' were merely ds' ;) and the show is still very entertaining. Back to resort for a combo of napping, laundry, and arcade.
Then hit up POLY for some speedboat time - DS15 very satisfied! - followed by dinner at Ohana's (DD very satisfied!). Best Ohana dinner in awhile - the Edemama wrap thingy was a big no but everything else was a YES!! They didn't rush the food at us and the steak/pork/shrimp medley was all yummy, not to mention the pot stickers and my favorite chicken wings! We asked for a second helping. And of course a Backscratcher to compliment the great food!!
Headed back to MK for some ridin'....hit up BTMRR(luv that ride at night), buzz, space, people mover, speedway and minetrain....ahh the minetrain. We had a FP so we jumped right on, but with my lean toward motion sickness I was a bit woozy by rides end. Definitely a fun, if short, ride addition to the park and can't wait to try it in daylight where I can see my way around a bit better. Back to POR.
DAY 4:
Resort breakfast & off to Epcot - part 2 of noshin' round the world. First rode Living with the land, SE, and DD's fave Soarin', also MS: green. Then headed into WS - hey, had some snack credits to burn!! We decided to run over to HS and try and snag some FP's for a evening return - could only scoop up Star Tours and Movie Ride. Dinner back at resort-Boatrights.
Probably the lowlight of the trip as we have eaten here several times with big :number1: each go around. They have altered and actually expanded the menu which was cool but mine and DS15's choice of Boatright Jamalaya was not up to par. Smallish portion in a huge bowl always a turnoff but the dish itself was ehh at best. It said shrimp, sausage and chicken but I'm pretty darn sure my meal had NO chicken at all and the flavor was all in the rice, and there wasn't much of that either. And it was weird at a sit down service that the server brought out our meals literally a few minutes after we ordered. Truly weird. Oh well, my DD and DS12 had slow-cooked ribs that were very tasty and dessert was good so not a total loss. Oh, and I am eating at WDW so all's good I guess!
Back to HS for The Osborne Lights, a first for us. Heard many good things but hey, they're a bunch of blinking lights right? Noooo, not so. Fantastic!! Street was packed, crowd was festive, lights and decorations everywhere you looked and holiday music blasting away - a big block party! Took a few cool pics and video and then me/DS15 headed for Movie Ride and DW/DD12 went to Star Tours. Ha-DS15 and I beelined to TSM instead and the wait was doable so we did that instead. DS topped out at 182k while yours truly managed a 162k score. Back to the resort-packing to do. :ack:
Day 5:
Last day so we decided to finish up at MK - a bit late getting there as the busses were a bit of an issue again. Rode Buzz, Space, Speedway and then headed across the park hitting up Minetrain and BTMRR twice. And then....resort, Magical Express, & home.
All in all a great trip. Jersey week but the crowds were never horrible. Busses were a bit more hit and miss then on prior trips but not a negative. CM's were great as always. Didn't have any rude or intoxicated guests ruin our experience at Epcot (ok, I did NOTICE some intoxicated folks!). Weather-we seem to always have good weather. Honestly, in our 12+ trips since the DS' were tots, we've had some sprinkles here and there and a few chilly temps along the way but never a rainout day and entire trips we have had no rain at all. This trip - rain overnight (I think during the F&W run) but otherwise dry skies and nice temps. Missed out on a few things - turkey leg, churro, IASW....and oh, I mentioned the F&W run - oooh how did I miss this?! Have been talking with DD about timing one of our trips to coincide with a run for several visits now - yet I somehow didn't put these two together? Knucklehead am I.
Hope you enjoyed the post as I do all of yours. Until next time.... :cool:
Cast of Characters:
Me: DD-just goin' with the flow :thumbsup:
DW-master planner/coordinator
DS15-gotta drive a speedboat
DS12-ready to ride EVERYTHING!!
So we arrived late Wednesday via good ol' JetBlue and stayed at AofA to basically save a few $$. DW and DS12 stayed there in Feb. but first time myself and DS15 have seen it. Didn't explore much but the resort seems extensively themed and in a good way with lots of 'broad strokes' and little details as well. With that, I will highlight the trip starting with our first full day.
DAY 1:
Breakfast at AofA and then off to the MK! BTMRR first, then off to Splash and Uggh!! - first glitch ....we were just heading to the first drop and the ride stops. After 5-10 minutes a CM turns the corner and well, you know the rest-out of our seats, orderly march off the ride and out the back of the ride, blah blah blah! :( Actually not that big a deal, they handed out blank FP's and off we went. Managed to hit up the following: PoTC, Buzz 2x, BTMRR 3x, HM, Space, Speedway, Splash(finally!), HofP, People Mover. Whew. We spent the majority of the morning and afternoon there and haven't 'worked' one park like that in awhile.
Lunched at Pinnochio Haus which was good as always. Noticed while sitting inside near the exit doors to the restaurant people continuously walked over and tried getting in. Two things wrong here - first, there are no handles on the doors which should tell you hey, maybe not the way to get in but two, there is no sign anywhere simply saying "EXIT ONLY" that would prevent this. Was kind of funny watching and yes, some did get the doors open and in they came!
Dinner at Kona - no complaints but I feel for our original fave resort - she is really getting an overhaul! Tuff navigating for those staying now and in the short term but when all is done I bet it will look fantastic. Took a few pics I can hopefully compare a trip or two down the rode with the finished product.
DAY 2:
Off to rope drop at HS-or so we thought. Busses were really crowded with uber numbers of strollers and a few scooters thrown in. We finally boarded but by time we got there people were already steaming in. Split up - me and DS15 headed to TSM stand-by (we already had a FP) and DW and DS12 went to R&RC and TofT - shortest line they would jump on and FP the other. Well....we had 65 min when we got to TSM and jumped on anyway and the other 2 jumped on TofT twice because - Uggh #2 of the trip - R&RC was not operating. Did FP TSM then Movie Ride, Frozen sing-a-long and remembered to grab a jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel near the hat (good bye hat) :(. Left HS to hit up Epcot for part one of our noshing expedition. Seems like lots more food kiosks than last time we were here for F&W. Hit up TT and SE and then dinner at Biergarten.
Was not overly impressed with the buffet food to be honest. Some variety but from what I have heard/read thought it would be "more". Beer was very tasty - duh! - and the ambience was excellent, as was the stage show. Scoped out my hot sauce at Mexico and off to bed.
DAY 3:
AK day. Looked like big crowds heading in but not that bad actually. Rode EE 4x, Safari 2x, then a bite at Piuzzafari. Did Dinosaur and caught Lion King in its new spot. Have not seen this since the DS' were merely ds' ;) and the show is still very entertaining. Back to resort for a combo of napping, laundry, and arcade.
Then hit up POLY for some speedboat time - DS15 very satisfied! - followed by dinner at Ohana's (DD very satisfied!). Best Ohana dinner in awhile - the Edemama wrap thingy was a big no but everything else was a YES!! They didn't rush the food at us and the steak/pork/shrimp medley was all yummy, not to mention the pot stickers and my favorite chicken wings! We asked for a second helping. And of course a Backscratcher to compliment the great food!!
Headed back to MK for some ridin'....hit up BTMRR(luv that ride at night), buzz, space, people mover, speedway and minetrain....ahh the minetrain. We had a FP so we jumped right on, but with my lean toward motion sickness I was a bit woozy by rides end. Definitely a fun, if short, ride addition to the park and can't wait to try it in daylight where I can see my way around a bit better. Back to POR.
DAY 4:
Resort breakfast & off to Epcot - part 2 of noshin' round the world. First rode Living with the land, SE, and DD's fave Soarin', also MS: green. Then headed into WS - hey, had some snack credits to burn!! We decided to run over to HS and try and snag some FP's for a evening return - could only scoop up Star Tours and Movie Ride. Dinner back at resort-Boatrights.
Probably the lowlight of the trip as we have eaten here several times with big :number1: each go around. They have altered and actually expanded the menu which was cool but mine and DS15's choice of Boatright Jamalaya was not up to par. Smallish portion in a huge bowl always a turnoff but the dish itself was ehh at best. It said shrimp, sausage and chicken but I'm pretty darn sure my meal had NO chicken at all and the flavor was all in the rice, and there wasn't much of that either. And it was weird at a sit down service that the server brought out our meals literally a few minutes after we ordered. Truly weird. Oh well, my DD and DS12 had slow-cooked ribs that were very tasty and dessert was good so not a total loss. Oh, and I am eating at WDW so all's good I guess!
Back to HS for The Osborne Lights, a first for us. Heard many good things but hey, they're a bunch of blinking lights right? Noooo, not so. Fantastic!! Street was packed, crowd was festive, lights and decorations everywhere you looked and holiday music blasting away - a big block party! Took a few cool pics and video and then me/DS15 headed for Movie Ride and DW/DD12 went to Star Tours. Ha-DS15 and I beelined to TSM instead and the wait was doable so we did that instead. DS topped out at 182k while yours truly managed a 162k score. Back to the resort-packing to do. :ack:
Day 5:
Last day so we decided to finish up at MK - a bit late getting there as the busses were a bit of an issue again. Rode Buzz, Space, Speedway and then headed across the park hitting up Minetrain and BTMRR twice. And then....resort, Magical Express, & home.
All in all a great trip. Jersey week but the crowds were never horrible. Busses were a bit more hit and miss then on prior trips but not a negative. CM's were great as always. Didn't have any rude or intoxicated guests ruin our experience at Epcot (ok, I did NOTICE some intoxicated folks!). Weather-we seem to always have good weather. Honestly, in our 12+ trips since the DS' were tots, we've had some sprinkles here and there and a few chilly temps along the way but never a rainout day and entire trips we have had no rain at all. This trip - rain overnight (I think during the F&W run) but otherwise dry skies and nice temps. Missed out on a few things - turkey leg, churro, IASW....and oh, I mentioned the F&W run - oooh how did I miss this?! Have been talking with DD about timing one of our trips to coincide with a run for several visits now - yet I somehow didn't put these two together? Knucklehead am I.
Hope you enjoyed the post as I do all of yours. Until next time.... :cool: