TwinFoxes
10-07-2010, 02:04 PM
It was a blast. We all had a great time. DH kept thanking me for planning such a great trip. :D Here's my long trip report, I'll try to include things I've seen people ask about here before.
The players: DH & Me (Disneyholics, former Disneyland Annual Passholders, been to WDW twice before) and 27 month old DDs (first trip to Disney, but they:heartbeat: Mickey).
First off, we took the Autotrain. We liked it, and would probably take it again. But I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. Our girls are really bad in the car, and our last flight was a disaster. It was really nice having a train compartment for them to play, watch videos, etc. They also love trains, so they had a great time. And it was great having our own car once we got to WDW, we didn't have to depend on their transportation system at all, and we had AAA Diamond parking passes, so we got to park super close and not bother with the trams. BUT, the autotrain is more expensive than flying. And once we got to our destination we had to wait about 45 minutes for them to unload the car (some people waited less, some more). And I think if your kids are much bigger, the compartments will feel tiny (they're small, very small). Also, the shower is shared by about 10 compartments. But it's very clean. DH and I have both travelled by train in other countries, so we weren't that thrown by the accommodations. If anyone ever wants more info on the autotrain, PM me.
We loved the location of the BWV. being able to walk to Epcot and DHS is awesome. It is definitely faster to walk than to take the boat. We happened to just miss boats going to both parks, and beat the boats to the park, and this is pushing our BJCMD. The one bedroom suite we got was a good size. Having a kitchen and laundry was awesome. I highly recommend getting a villa if you have kids. Being able to feed them before hitting the parks was great. DH and I both agree that the theming at BWV is lame compared to the other properties like AKL (we did not go to BC or YC, but I think it's all kind of the same...east coast beach of yesteryear).
We took our girls to Fantasmic, and they didn't get scared, which I was happy about. There was one point where S was a little wide eyed, but she settled down. In a way I think they were a little too young to realize that it's supposed to be scary, does that make sense?
You HAVE to get to DHS early to get passes for Toy Story Mania. We got there early, but didn't realize it is as popular as it is, so our FP wouldn't be until very late in the day (during our Fantasmic Dinner reservations) so we skipped it, which was kind of a bummer. There's a play area in DHS that's great for little kids, but you really have to keep an eye on them, they can get out of sight easily.
The current street party (I think that's what it's called) at MK is awesome. The characters (and there are a LOT of them) get off their floats and dance with the crowd in the center hub. The first day, they were dancing for a long time. The second time we saw it, they just did conga lines, and got back on their float. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Mr. Incredible, and others were there.
I think the most over-rated "E-ticket" ride is Mission: Space. It just wasn't fun. I'm glad I did it so I could see what the hype was about, butI have no desire to do it again. (I should also mention I've been up in a NASA airplane before and experienced real weightlessness, so that may skew my opinion, but DH said he had no desire to do it again either.)
We did Mickey's Backyard BBQ. If your kids (or you!) love Mickey and Minnie, this is the place to be. They come out and dance with the kids for about an hour (they take breaks). Goofy and Chip and Dale were there too. Our girls were ecstatic!
If you buy your tickets from AAA, you get a special parking pass that puts you VERY close to the parks. You don't have to take the trams, the only close parking is disabled parking.
For those of you going in October and are on the DDP, you can use snack credits at the Food and Wine festival in Epcot, which was great. I had a lamb chop from the Australia exhibit which was delicious.
I know the merits of the DDP have been discussed. We used it and are glad we did. My DH (who does the bills) said it was just nice not worrying about the cost of meals day in and day out while on vacation. So, there's one intangible plus. It seemed like a lot of places let you use the "dessert" that came with lunch for a side dish. I also think the DDP was very cost effective for us, because the girls are 2 and didn't have to pay to eat. So DH and I would get big lunches, and share with the girls. At night, we had a bunch of character meals, which were buffet or family style, and the girls got to eat for free off their own plates that we loaded up at the buffet.
The worst meal we had was at Backlot Express at DHS. The best was probably Boma. I thought Biergarten was surprisingly good, and the same goes for Mickey's Backyard BBQ. DH liked O'hana a lot, but my experiences was slightly negative because that's the one dinner the girls just wouldn't sit still for, and then DH knocked his glass to the floor, so it was just a little crazy!
I could write tons more, but I'll end now. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM me. We all had a great time, and I want to start planning again! If I can help you, it will help my Disney withdrawal. :)
The players: DH & Me (Disneyholics, former Disneyland Annual Passholders, been to WDW twice before) and 27 month old DDs (first trip to Disney, but they:heartbeat: Mickey).
First off, we took the Autotrain. We liked it, and would probably take it again. But I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. Our girls are really bad in the car, and our last flight was a disaster. It was really nice having a train compartment for them to play, watch videos, etc. They also love trains, so they had a great time. And it was great having our own car once we got to WDW, we didn't have to depend on their transportation system at all, and we had AAA Diamond parking passes, so we got to park super close and not bother with the trams. BUT, the autotrain is more expensive than flying. And once we got to our destination we had to wait about 45 minutes for them to unload the car (some people waited less, some more). And I think if your kids are much bigger, the compartments will feel tiny (they're small, very small). Also, the shower is shared by about 10 compartments. But it's very clean. DH and I have both travelled by train in other countries, so we weren't that thrown by the accommodations. If anyone ever wants more info on the autotrain, PM me.
We loved the location of the BWV. being able to walk to Epcot and DHS is awesome. It is definitely faster to walk than to take the boat. We happened to just miss boats going to both parks, and beat the boats to the park, and this is pushing our BJCMD. The one bedroom suite we got was a good size. Having a kitchen and laundry was awesome. I highly recommend getting a villa if you have kids. Being able to feed them before hitting the parks was great. DH and I both agree that the theming at BWV is lame compared to the other properties like AKL (we did not go to BC or YC, but I think it's all kind of the same...east coast beach of yesteryear).
We took our girls to Fantasmic, and they didn't get scared, which I was happy about. There was one point where S was a little wide eyed, but she settled down. In a way I think they were a little too young to realize that it's supposed to be scary, does that make sense?
You HAVE to get to DHS early to get passes for Toy Story Mania. We got there early, but didn't realize it is as popular as it is, so our FP wouldn't be until very late in the day (during our Fantasmic Dinner reservations) so we skipped it, which was kind of a bummer. There's a play area in DHS that's great for little kids, but you really have to keep an eye on them, they can get out of sight easily.
The current street party (I think that's what it's called) at MK is awesome. The characters (and there are a LOT of them) get off their floats and dance with the crowd in the center hub. The first day, they were dancing for a long time. The second time we saw it, they just did conga lines, and got back on their float. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Mr. Incredible, and others were there.
I think the most over-rated "E-ticket" ride is Mission: Space. It just wasn't fun. I'm glad I did it so I could see what the hype was about, butI have no desire to do it again. (I should also mention I've been up in a NASA airplane before and experienced real weightlessness, so that may skew my opinion, but DH said he had no desire to do it again either.)
We did Mickey's Backyard BBQ. If your kids (or you!) love Mickey and Minnie, this is the place to be. They come out and dance with the kids for about an hour (they take breaks). Goofy and Chip and Dale were there too. Our girls were ecstatic!
If you buy your tickets from AAA, you get a special parking pass that puts you VERY close to the parks. You don't have to take the trams, the only close parking is disabled parking.
For those of you going in October and are on the DDP, you can use snack credits at the Food and Wine festival in Epcot, which was great. I had a lamb chop from the Australia exhibit which was delicious.
I know the merits of the DDP have been discussed. We used it and are glad we did. My DH (who does the bills) said it was just nice not worrying about the cost of meals day in and day out while on vacation. So, there's one intangible plus. It seemed like a lot of places let you use the "dessert" that came with lunch for a side dish. I also think the DDP was very cost effective for us, because the girls are 2 and didn't have to pay to eat. So DH and I would get big lunches, and share with the girls. At night, we had a bunch of character meals, which were buffet or family style, and the girls got to eat for free off their own plates that we loaded up at the buffet.
The worst meal we had was at Backlot Express at DHS. The best was probably Boma. I thought Biergarten was surprisingly good, and the same goes for Mickey's Backyard BBQ. DH liked O'hana a lot, but my experiences was slightly negative because that's the one dinner the girls just wouldn't sit still for, and then DH knocked his glass to the floor, so it was just a little crazy!
I could write tons more, but I'll end now. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM me. We all had a great time, and I want to start planning again! If I can help you, it will help my Disney withdrawal. :)