Daily Thoughts from just completed trip to WDW

[domarino]

I just returned from WDW with my wife, 3 1/2 year old and both sets of grandparents. I have so many thoughts and opinions I would love to share but not a ton of time to write. So I will putr some thoughts on this thread daily for the next week or so. I look forward to your feedback!

Thoughts for Saturday, August 27th.

1) The bigger the group, the tougher the trip. I planned this trip so the granparents could enjoy my son's first visit to Disney and eventhough it was fine (for the most part), it is really tough keeping seven people happy. Especially when they are in 90 degree heat and humidity. I am glad I did it for the grandparents, but I probably won't try it ever again.

2) EPCOT I never truly realized how awesome EPCOT is. Walking through all of the countries on a beautiful day, taking in all of the architecture and scenery, talking with the people from the actual countries while partaking in an adult beverage. It was truly awesome.

3) San Angel Inn This was the first place my wife and I had dinner on our honeymoon so we booked a mommy and daddy dinner for our 5 year anniversary. The food was better than I remembered and the ambiance is so romantic. If you go, you have to have the Mole Poblano!!!!

4) Soarin' Did not get to go on my honeymoon so I made sure I got a fast pass. It was beautiful and made me start thinking about really going hangliding!

Ok that's all for now. I have to go tie down my backyard furniture for this hurricane!

Good night all.

Dominic

[fancyfeet]

Hi Dominic!
I'm going to WDW in 11 days so it's fun to hear from someone who just went. I'm going with my brother and sister in law who is pregnant so this will be the first vacation she's not going to be on us to go-go-GO!! We'll actually get to slow down and enjoy the little things. Can't wait to go on Soarin!! You're right, though, a small group is better and easier to keep track of (I apparently like to wander off or stop and look at something and my family is still talking to me but then I'm not there! Oops!) Epcot is definitely my favorite. It's like the pipe "happy stuff" into the air! I look forward to your next update. Deb

[boilerbabe]

Would love to hear more about your trip Dominic!!! And congrats fancyfeet on your upcoming trip!!!

[Mousekedude]

Good observations, Dominic... and all true! As for the San Angel Inn.... I'm with you there, buddy! Might I also suggest trying the Jalapeno Margaritas at La Cava del Tequila...? All my fellow Mayhem Marauders on here know how I feel about those things!

[mindflipper]

Might I also suggest trying the Jalapeno Margaritas at La Cava del Tequila...? All my fellow Mayhem Marauders on here know how I feel about those things!

Yeh, when Mousekedude gets to thinking about Jalapeno Margaritas, he begins salivating in a pure pavlovian response. Just the thought of that drink gets him drooling all over the keyboard. Hopefully it won't short out...again...

[kcarts]

Looking forward to a full trip report if you have it in you.

Your first point is great. My friend's old man used to tell us all the time that "you can't plan anything with more than three people". He was usually right.

[Goofyfan]

Dominic:

Glad you had a great time at WDW. I will have to agree with you when it comes to EPCOT. We still find things there that we missed. Love it all.

[domarino]

Memories and observations from my trip! :Tuesday, August 30, 2011.

Thank you all for replying to my first post on my recent trip. I just got my internet service back this afternoon so I can add a new post regarding my trip.

Focusing on the Magic Kingdom:

ENTRANCE FEELINGS:Upon first view of Cinderella's Castle while approaching the MK via Monorail (MY SON IS OBSEESED WITH MONORAILS NOW!!! LOL) or ferry boat, I got a warm feeling inside like I was a little kid. This feeling intensified once I walked through the entrance tunnel and first viewed Main Street USA. It was as if I truly stepped into another world. I wanted to soak in every sight and all of the details of every building but it was hard because I also was anxious to start creating some excitement and memories for my son.

TEA CUPS: We were in Florida for 10 days so we were able to go to the parks alot. That first time in the MK and any park for that matter, my son wanted to go on the tea cups first. I was shocked that he walked right past Dumbo in search of the tea cups because in the months leading up to the trip, all he talked about was riding Dumbo (He never did ride Dumbo as he was satisfied with the Magic Carpets, and the Triceratops in AK). When we got in our tea cup, the expression on his face was priceless. It was such a fulfilling moment! Then Justin did a good job spinning us on the ride. Glad it was before breakfast. Hee hee.

Crystal Palace Character Breakfast: After the ride, we had the character breakfast at Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. It was awesome! We were able to get good pics with the characters and Justin was in his glory! He also loved the waffles and OJ. I was partial to everything on the menu!!! LOL... You cannot go wrong with the breakfasts at the Disney restaurants. My mom's husband who is very hard to please (and complained about multiple things on the trip) even enjoyed it!

Eventhough we waited 20 minutes past our reservation time, the staff was pleasant and accomodating and we weren't rushed at any point.

PETER PAN-DAMONIUM?: After breakfast we went to the Peter Pan ride (Justin calls it the Tick Tock Crock Ride). Thankfully I had gotten fast passes before breakfast. Justin loved the ride and wanted to keep going on it. I had to explain that we had to get another fast pass because the lines for this ride were always sooooo long! I cannot believe how popular this attraction is. The second time we went on it we had a fast pass and STILL waited 25 minutes before boarding. It goes to show some older attractions can hold their own in this roller coaster crazy world!! Good stuff!

On a (very) picky note; Have they dimmed the lights inside this attraction? I remember the aerial view of London being very bright! The scenery was a little difficult to see. On a more pragmatic note, this observation did make me get off my procrastinating butt and make an appt with my eye doctor!! (Went yesterday, turns out my prescription has not changed!) LOL

I am going to take a break for today! Have (yeesh) some work to do. I will have more observations, thoughts, and stories from the trip in the next day or two.

Have a great evening everyone!

Dominic

[Amy]

Sounds like a fun day! How old is your son? Sounds like he had a blast. I can't believe he ended up not riding Dumbo after talking about it so much before going
I wonder if they have dimmed the lights a bit in Peter Pan so any flaws might hide a bit in the dimmer light. Or maybe a few bulbs were out? It is amazing how that attraction still draws the people in after so many years. It is still one of my Mom's favorites!

[boilerbabe]

Awesome report! Sounds like you had a grea day! I remembered thinking Peter Pan looked brighter on our last trip, maybe it just depends on the day!?

[Mousekedude]

Nice report. I think you're right about the lights in PPF. I specifically noticed that on our last trip because I couldn't get any decent pics on it. Usually there is enough light to get some nice shots, but this time it was obviously way darker. We even had a much better camera on that trip, but even that didn't help. I also thought it went through a lot faster than it used to. Used to be that you had more time with each scene. But maybe that was just me... I was still trying to get used to the new camera, so I felt rushed. But at any rate, the light was definitely dimmer. No question.

[mindflipper]

Maybe it's dimmer in PPF because they added more power black lights to make the attraction have that brighter "glow"...

[MmeLeota]

It's funny. At DL (I can't speak for WDW), it amazes me how 10+ years ago PPF was just considered another Fantasyland dark ride and it hardly ever had more than a 20-25 minute wait (maybe 30 on a really busy summer day). We used to go on it every trip. This is no longer the case, since it got to be so popular in recent years...not to mention the HUGE boom in annual passholders...now you're lucky to find it with less than a 30 minute wait.
(and there are no FPs at the DL version)

[Amy]

It's funny. At DL (I can't speak for WDW), it amazes me how 10+ years ago PPF was just considered another Fantasyland dark ride and it hardly ever had more than a 20-25 minute wait (maybe 30 on a really busy summer day). We used to go on it every trip. This is no longer the case, since it got to be so popular in recent years...not to mention the HUGE boom in annual passholders...now you're lucky to find it with less than a 30 minute wait.
(and there are no FPs at the DL version)

Peter Pan is always crowded! I think the only time you can get on in a timely fashion is to run there directly after the park opens, or wait until the very last few minutes of EMH in the wee hours. I know when I went through Fantasyland last December around midnight, the line was still packed to the gills!

[Polynesian Princess]

It's funny. At DL (I can't speak for WDW), it amazes me how 10+ years ago PPF was just considered another Fantasyland dark ride and it hardly ever had more than a 20-25 minute wait (maybe 30 on a really busy summer day). We used to go on it every trip. This is no longer the case, since it got to be so popular in recent years...not to mention the HUGE boom in annual passholders...now you're lucky to find it with less than a 30 minute wait.
(and there are no FPs at the DL version)

I don't think it used to have as long of a wait at WDW either. It was still long, but not compared to most Fantasyland attractions. I think the increased emphasis on Tinker Bell and the new fairies in recent years has brought more interest to the attraction.