Confessions of an Unlikely Disney Fan - April 2010 Trip Report - Old Key West - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Confessions of an Unlikely Disney Fan - April 2010 Trip Report - Old Key West
Confessions of an Unlikely Disney Fan April 2010 – All Star Movies and Old Key West
I never really thought we’d take the kids to Disney. Lines. Crowds. Expensive souvenirs. Junk food. Florida heat. It wasn’t our style. Previous family vacations had involved drawing water from a well while camping on a remote island off the coast of Maine and a three-hour tractor ride through the rainforest to an eco-friendly lodge in Costa Rica. We were too liberal, too well traveled, too real world for breakfast with Cinderella and parades with dancing mice.
But the kids wanted to go. And we were looking for something fun to do with my parents. One trip to Disney World before our three kids went to college seemed obligatory… a middle-class American rite of passage.
We booked the trip. My parents voted for staying on property and generously offered to pay, so it looked like we were going all the way. Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hoppers. Dining Plan. Water Parks and More. I ordered a copy of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and was transfixed. Touring plans? You’ve got to be kidding me. Advanced Dining Reservations 180 days in advance? I quickly got online to see if there was anything left for our trip only 2 months away. Got a table for 7 at Hoop-de-Doo on Friday night. Woo-hoo! I was hooked.
By the time we left for Orlando, I had detailed touring plans and maps printed and assembled in custom binders, had discovered that there was a world of Disney fanatics (experts all of them) online, and was feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve. I knew this would be our one and only trip, so I had elaborate plans to make sure we experienced everything important.
Epcot is Huge – Day 1, part 1
We checked into All Star Movies at 11:55 p.m. for a one-night stay. No sense paying deluxe rate and dining plan when arriving with 3 tired kids at midnight. My hat is off to families of 4 who stay in those rooms for a week. We would have driven each other crazy.
Funny story with the ECV. My mom was due for knee surgery shortly after our trip and my dad rented her one of those huge, deluxe ECVs. The SUV of ECVs. They arrived a few hours before we did and went to baggage services to pick it up. There was a record of it being dropped off, the key was there, but no SUV ECV. They looked everywhere for it. How do you lose something that is almost as big as a MiniCooper? The rental company scratched their heads and said they’d bring another in the morning. Sure enough, there it was in the morning with a huge sign on it with my mom’s name. While she was getting her lesson, up drives an identical ECV, also with a huge sign with my mom’s name, and a gentleman driving it. He was complaining that it was too big and he wanted a smaller one. Seems he had taken my mom’s the night before even though he had rented a different style from a different company. He liked the looks of the bigger one and somehow got his key to work in it.
Once my mom was sufficiently schooled in how not to run over small children with the scooter, we caught a bus for Epcot while my husband and my dad moved everything over to our 2-bedroom villa at Old Key West. I was completely unprepared for how huge Epcot is. I had been to the Magic Kingdom several times as a kid and to Disneyland twice as a teenager, but never to Epcot. It looked so neat and manageable on the map, but I could hardly figure out how to get past the giant golf ball and was stunned by how long it took us to walk to Soarin’ It was 10:30 a.m. Our touring plan was to grab Fastpasses for Soarin’, ride Test Track and Mission Space, then head back to Soarin and eat lunch at Sunshine Seasons before a quick jaunt to Maelstrom and be out of the park by 2:00 p.m. to go unpack at Old Key West. Ha, ha. Fastpass return time at Soarin was 2:00 p.m. and it took us more than 30 minutes to find our way to Mission Space.
After waiting in line to ride Mission Space, my husband’s good sense prevailed and we searched for guest relations to see if there were any accommodations they could offer our son who is on the autism spectrum. We had brought a letter from our family doctor on the advice of one of the many blogs and forums I had read before the trip. I was blown away by how accommodating Disney was – both for our son and with my mom’s mobility issues. Part of my reluctance to visit Disney was out of a fear that the experience would be overwhelming for our hyper-sensitive son who tires easily. There were many aspects of the theme parks that were challenging, but the graciousness of the cast members and the accommodations offered by the Guest Assistance Card (GAC) got us through those difficulties. I was impressed by Disney’s commitment to serving guests with special needs.
Lunch at Sunshine Seasons was up next and surprised me with the quality and selection of the food available. I still mourn the demise of Gourmet magazine and am a bit of a food snob. I was prepared to grin and bear the Disney food, particularly the counter service meals. At Sunshine Seasons I had grilled salmon with kalamata olive pesto, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a crème brulee for dessert. Figuring out how the dining credits were going to work and navigating a party of 7 through the various stations and check out frazzled our nerves a bit, but our meals were delicious. Then on to Soarin’ for my first ride of the trip (I sat out Mission Space with our 3-year old). This was hands down my favorite attraction at Disney World. Wow. It took my breath away.
Last edited by home4us123; 10-17-2010 at 02:15 PM..
Reason: fp195
First Characters, First Fireworks – Day 1, part 2
Back to Old Key West to unpack and stock up at a grocery store. The 2-bedroom villa was very spacious and suited our needs well. I loved having the full kitchen and the living room space for everyone to spread out. By 6:15 it was time to head to the Magic Kingdom for our 7:00 ADR at the Crystal Palace. I was beginning to understand at this point that we were going to have to choose between my carefully constructed touring plans and our sanity. Our original plan was to be at the Magic Kingdom by 6:00 p.m., ride 4 rides in Adventureland before our ADR, and send one member of the party to snag Fastpasses at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to use after dinner. We were lucky to make it to the Crystal Palace by 7:00 p.m. with no stops for rides.
crystal palace.jpgThe Crystal Palace was a delight. We didn’t know how our three year old would react to the characters. We don’t watch TV and the only Disney DVD she had seen was the trip planning DVD we received in the mail. I had low expectations… maybe she would be frightened, or perhaps indifferent. And I thought the older kids (ages 10 and 12) were probably beyond the appeal of characters. The kids all loved the Winnie the Pooh characters… especially the 3 yr old. She could not get enough of hugging those furry creatures.
The food was better than I expected, but really this meal was about the characters. After dinner we let the big kids ride Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain while my parents and I caught the tail end of Spectromagic in Frontierland by accident. My attitude going into the trip was waste no time on parades or character greetings in order to experience maximum rides. But the parade was pretty impressive… and our 3 yr old loved it when Snow White waved to her. Might need to readjust those commando touring plans!
We finished the night by watching Wishes from the hub. Another “wow.” Check out the expression on our 10 year old’s face. fireworks.jpgOrly fireworks.jpg
It had been a jam packed wonderful day. I was beginning to see that my plans needed adjusting… but it would take a few more days before I fully understood what would work for our family. Case in point, our agenda for the next day included an early morning start at Animal Kingdom, full touring plan, back to OKW for swimming, then a 6:15 ADR at Le Chefs de France followed by a stroll around the World Showcase while watching Illuminations and doing Kim Possible. Not a recipe for success.
Great start to your TR, I love your writing style.
I can already tell though that you fell in to the all too common first time planners dillema of...I have planned too much! But, I am happy to see that it looks like you have figured out pretty quickly that sometimes the best plans are the ones that involve going with the flow. Can't wait to read more!
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Great start! We could start a club...Liberals who love Disney! LOL-can't wait to see how your "plans" for tomorrow pan out ! You should have seen the plans i had for our first trip before my 'Disney education'. It's easy to get carried away with so much to see and do. I've mellowed but it's taken years.
Great start! I feel into the "touring plans trap" on our first family trip. When you read it on paper, you think you can accomplish it all relatively quickly. Glad you caught on early in the trip. I felt pressure to get as much done as I could because it was going to be a "once in a lifetime" trip. Before we checked out on our last day, DH was already talking about "next time".
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Kids donald.jpgAvital Donald.jpgDonald Orly.jpg
Well, since we didn’t get back to OKW until close to midnight, there was no chance of making rope drop at Animal Kingdom per my touring plan. Instead, we slept in, had a great vacation breakfast in the villa (eggs, Callaway Gardens grits, bacon,…) and finally headed out around 10:00 a.m. My parents decided to relax a bit longer around the villa and meet up with us later at AK.
We were all (except the 3 yr old) looking forward to Expedition Everest. I had plans for how we were going to see every major attraction and show in Animal Kingdom, still get back to OKW to swim, and make our 6:15 ADR in France. Again, I was unprepared for just how big Animal Kingdom was. It was quite a trek just to get to Discovery Island and then over to Asia. The theming in Asia was very impressive. Not sure what I think about the faux poverty reflected in the Asia and Africa themes, but it was certainly more interesting than the “It’s a Small World” style I expected.
My husband rode Expedition Everest with the two older kids, and then they got right back on with me. This was my first real roller coaster in many years! I enjoyed Everest, but had no desire to do it again this trip – that backwards rush down the mountain was intense. I’ll try it again next time.
We walked through Dinoland – what a contrast after Asia – and my son and husband went to ride Dinosaur. Our older daughter was feeling a bit unsettled after 2 rides on EE and chose to come with me and our younger daughter to the Boneyard playground. We had a great time and were getting ready to head to Flame Tree to meet my parents when I got a call from my husband. Dinosaur had not gone well. DS was stressed by the loud noises and abrupt movements and needed some quiet down time. If you have a child with sensory integration issues, I would not recommend this ride.
After a long lunch break to regroup at Flame Tree Barbeque, we headed toward Kilimanjaro Safari and then on to Kali River Rapids. Everyone loved Kali River Rapids, but got soaking wet. At this point, DH and DS were ready to head back to the room to rest… but it was 3:30 and we had 6:15 ADR in Epcot. I thought it would be stressful to get back to the hotel and then return to Epcot quickly. Let's just stay at AK and check a few more things off our to-do list. After some deliberating (OK - arguing - we were all tired at this point), we went to Festival of the Lion King.
We probably should have just headed back to the resort, but I’m so glad we didn’t miss this show. The costumes and singing were spectacular. We were seated near the front and one of the monkeys kept coming over and pulling pretend bugs out of my 3 yr olds hair. This experience was a good example of what I’ll call the Disney dilemma. You really need to go slowly, soak in the magic, build in plenty of R&R… but if you go too slowly or leave early you’re going to miss something fabulous.
It took FOREVER to get to Le Chefs de France from Animal Kingdom. The food sounds better at Epcot restaurants, so no big deal to just pop over there for dinner most nights if you've got a Park Hopper – right? Big-time newbie mistake. Hiking from the Epcot entrance to France with seven tired, cranky people was not fun. This is when it really hit me (aided by some not-so-subtle comments by DH – “I thought we were going on vacation!”) that the touring plans had to go. It didn’t help that it started pouring rain when we were just crossing over the bridge from England to France.
Honestly, Chefs de France was a disappointment. First of all, our waitress was way too French. We needed some serious kindness and flexibility after the Dinosaur disaster and the rainy hike through Epcot. She was curt and seemed offended by our request for bread and by our 12 yr old son’s lack of interest in the adult menu. I thought this would be our best meal of the trip… but the food was ho-hum, and we were sorry to learn that Remy only comes out at lunch.
We rode Spaceship Earth on our way out of the park and this put everyone back into a good mood. What fun! I wouldn’t trade certain portions of this day… Festival of the Lion King, DD meeting Donald Duck at Camp Minnie-Mickey, our leisurely breakfast at the villa… but most of the day seemed to be teaching us lessons on what not to do at Disney.
I took a fresh look at our plans before bed, tossed out a lot, made some modifications, circled some ADRs to try to change, and we were primed for good times. Next up, Magic Kingdom and Hoop-de-Doo.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Great start to your TR, I love your writing style.
I can already tell though that you fell in to the all too common first time planners dillema of...I have planned too much! But, I am happy to see that it looks like you have figured out pretty quickly that sometimes the best plans are the ones that involve going with the flow. Can't wait to read more!
Oh, and !!
Thanks! It killed me not to just go, go, go the whole trip... I didn't want to "waste" any time... but we definitely needed a slower pace. And, of course, after we returned home no one talked about what we didn't have time to do... we only remembered the many fun things we did do.
Great start! We could start a club...Liberals who love Disney!
Oh, thank goodness I'm not the only one! I'm still trying to reconcile my feminist, skeptical of large corporations, healthy food values with my strong desire to take my kids back to Disney World as soon as possible. Disney's serious commitment to accommodating people with disabilities is a salve to my liberal conscience.
Sorry about the Dinosaur disaster, the rain, and the unpleasant waitress at Le Chefs de France! Hope the next day is so much better!
Thank you! The next day/s were much better. Even that day was good... plus it helped push us to reconsider our schedule for the rest of the week before we got too far in to it.
I know, sounds so simple to "hop" on over for dinner. Not really. I did that our first trip...went to all the "recommended parks" for touring, but made my ADRs where ever. Now I look at what's close to where we'll be (restaurants either in the park or at a close by resort). But a tip for the Epcot restaurants.....if you are coming from another park, take the park bus to Beach Club or another Epcot resort and walk thru the international gateway. Also works taking a cab to BC. The walk is shorter than hiking thru the front of Epcot.
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! You should have seen the plans i had for our first trip before my 'Disney education'. It's easy to get carried away with so much to see and do. I've mellowed but it's taken years.
I'm still trying to reconcile my feminist, skeptical of large corporations, healthy food values with my strong desire to take my kids back to Disney World as soon as possible. Disney's serious commitment to accommodating people with disabilities is a salve to my liberal conscience.
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