After months (if not a year or more) of planning, we finally went on our Disney trip last week (Sunday, November 1 to Saturday, November 7). This was my daughter's (6 years old) 3rd annual trip, and my thirteenth overall... I think. See, we went almost annually when I was a kid (almost always with my cousin), but all the trips blended into one big super trip!
Consequently, we've tried to make each trip different for my daughter. Although we've stayed at the Art of Animation each time, the first year, it was just the three of us, then last year, my parents came. This year, my cousin (the same cousin I went with as a kid!) and his wife joined us.
Arrival day went off without a hitch, with my cousin and his wife getting to experience Magical Express for the first time (although they've been down literally two dozen times or more, he's military, so they normally stay at Shades of Green). We arrived around dinner time, took a cab to the Boardwalk, and hung out there for a while. Not the most auspicious start (the Boardwalk wasn't bad, but also wasn't great), but not a terrible way to ease into things.
Lessons learned: 1) Don't be afraid to use cabs to save time. 2) 4:45 arrival at the airport is a little late. 3) I don't need to go to the Boardwalk again.
Day One we got up early for 8 am opening at Magic Kingdom. Per my plan, we blitzed Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land, hitting a total of 12 attractions before our 1:15 reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table. It was a great day, starting with many of my daughter's favorites. In the afternoon, the park was starting to get very crowded, so we didn't cover as much area, but we did "clear" Adventure Land (thanks to FP+) as well as the Circus part of Fantasy Land.
One major positive surprise was that Peter Pan was still open (we had read that it was going to be closed for refurbishment, and it was, later in the week). This was the 4th ride we hit, and the first "old school" ride that my cousin and I rode together in a few decades (the last time we were in the park together was 1981).
All in all, we did almost 20 attractions, with no wait longer than 18 minutes, and most less than 10.
The only negative: My daughter was not ready for Space Mountain. Over the past few years, she has become a bit of a roller coaster and thrill ride fan, but we didn't account for the darkness, since she's used to riding outdoor roller coasters.
Day Two was Epcot. Again, my plan (and some carefully timed FP+) got us on a lot of stuff fairly quickly. Not the same number of attractions as Day One, but after splitting up briefly (my wife and daughter to play at Imagination while the remaining grown-ups did Test Track), we were finished with Future World by lunch time. Our longest wait here (a tie for the entire trip) was 26 minutes for Turtle Talk with Crush. That was the only appreciable wait of the day, so I can't complain.
After lunch, we took on the the World Showcase, or, as the late, great John Pinette calls it - "The Epcot Death March." With the temperature hovering at 90 degrees, and no air-conditioned rides after Mexico, I can't disagree.
We ran into some potential trouble in China. My daughter has been looking forward to getting Mulan's signature all year (Mulan is the last princess she needed to meet), and we arrived at 2:30 for her meet and greet running from 2:00 to 2:40 only to be told by Rick (whose name should start with a D), that the line was already full and they were turning people away. I'm sorry, but if the time is listed as 2-2:40, you shouldn't turn people away until 2:40. Thankfully, a good-hearted traveler gave up her spot at the end of the line for us when my daughter started to cry. We left Rick seething because his authority had been usurped, but my daughter got to complete her princess signature collection.
From China, we marched forward to an early dinner in Japan. Teppan Edo was good, but I found it to be a bit of disappointment. Although the setting was very nice, I was expecting showmanship better than the average Benihana, and here, Disney fell short. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that our group shared a table with an older couple who appeared to be celebrating an anniversary. At first, my wife joked that she felt bad that they were saddled with us, but it turned out to be the reverse: these two old bats were so soused that they could barely order their meals, and when the husband knocked his drink all over my cousin, a bag of stuff, a hat, and cell phone, and a charger, he didn't have the coherence or common courtesy to even offer an apology.
Still, the food was good.
After dinner, we took the boat back across to Future World. On the way out, my daughter wanted to ride Spaceship Earth again. Why? Did she love it? Nope. She didn't like the picture that was taken during her first go around, and wanted a more flattering one for the video they show at the end of the ride. (Yes, I know we're in trouble.)
At this point, we broke up briefly, with my tired daughter and wife heading back to the hotel, while my cousin, his wife, and I headed to the Polynesian for two reasons. First, we wanted a nostalgic ride on the old monorail. Second, my daughter was upset by the lack of club soda and seltzer for the first few days, and after visiting Teppan Edo, we realized that a place with liquor might be a place where we could buy some for the room.
We had success with club soda, Dole Whips (which we had missed at the Magic Kingdom the day before), and I had my cousin's wife take some pictures of the Attractionista dolls, which I suspected my daughter would be interested in (this is a key plot point that will come back later). This was also the first chance for us three old school Disney travelers to see the new Polynesian lobby. It's very nice, but I miss the old one...
Well, there's no way I'm getting through the entire trip in one sitting. I'll check back in later.
Consequently, we've tried to make each trip different for my daughter. Although we've stayed at the Art of Animation each time, the first year, it was just the three of us, then last year, my parents came. This year, my cousin (the same cousin I went with as a kid!) and his wife joined us.
Arrival day went off without a hitch, with my cousin and his wife getting to experience Magical Express for the first time (although they've been down literally two dozen times or more, he's military, so they normally stay at Shades of Green). We arrived around dinner time, took a cab to the Boardwalk, and hung out there for a while. Not the most auspicious start (the Boardwalk wasn't bad, but also wasn't great), but not a terrible way to ease into things.
Lessons learned: 1) Don't be afraid to use cabs to save time. 2) 4:45 arrival at the airport is a little late. 3) I don't need to go to the Boardwalk again.
Day One we got up early for 8 am opening at Magic Kingdom. Per my plan, we blitzed Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land, hitting a total of 12 attractions before our 1:15 reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table. It was a great day, starting with many of my daughter's favorites. In the afternoon, the park was starting to get very crowded, so we didn't cover as much area, but we did "clear" Adventure Land (thanks to FP+) as well as the Circus part of Fantasy Land.
One major positive surprise was that Peter Pan was still open (we had read that it was going to be closed for refurbishment, and it was, later in the week). This was the 4th ride we hit, and the first "old school" ride that my cousin and I rode together in a few decades (the last time we were in the park together was 1981).
All in all, we did almost 20 attractions, with no wait longer than 18 minutes, and most less than 10.
The only negative: My daughter was not ready for Space Mountain. Over the past few years, she has become a bit of a roller coaster and thrill ride fan, but we didn't account for the darkness, since she's used to riding outdoor roller coasters.
Day Two was Epcot. Again, my plan (and some carefully timed FP+) got us on a lot of stuff fairly quickly. Not the same number of attractions as Day One, but after splitting up briefly (my wife and daughter to play at Imagination while the remaining grown-ups did Test Track), we were finished with Future World by lunch time. Our longest wait here (a tie for the entire trip) was 26 minutes for Turtle Talk with Crush. That was the only appreciable wait of the day, so I can't complain.
After lunch, we took on the the World Showcase, or, as the late, great John Pinette calls it - "The Epcot Death March." With the temperature hovering at 90 degrees, and no air-conditioned rides after Mexico, I can't disagree.
We ran into some potential trouble in China. My daughter has been looking forward to getting Mulan's signature all year (Mulan is the last princess she needed to meet), and we arrived at 2:30 for her meet and greet running from 2:00 to 2:40 only to be told by Rick (whose name should start with a D), that the line was already full and they were turning people away. I'm sorry, but if the time is listed as 2-2:40, you shouldn't turn people away until 2:40. Thankfully, a good-hearted traveler gave up her spot at the end of the line for us when my daughter started to cry. We left Rick seething because his authority had been usurped, but my daughter got to complete her princess signature collection.
From China, we marched forward to an early dinner in Japan. Teppan Edo was good, but I found it to be a bit of disappointment. Although the setting was very nice, I was expecting showmanship better than the average Benihana, and here, Disney fell short. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that our group shared a table with an older couple who appeared to be celebrating an anniversary. At first, my wife joked that she felt bad that they were saddled with us, but it turned out to be the reverse: these two old bats were so soused that they could barely order their meals, and when the husband knocked his drink all over my cousin, a bag of stuff, a hat, and cell phone, and a charger, he didn't have the coherence or common courtesy to even offer an apology.
Still, the food was good.
After dinner, we took the boat back across to Future World. On the way out, my daughter wanted to ride Spaceship Earth again. Why? Did she love it? Nope. She didn't like the picture that was taken during her first go around, and wanted a more flattering one for the video they show at the end of the ride. (Yes, I know we're in trouble.)
At this point, we broke up briefly, with my tired daughter and wife heading back to the hotel, while my cousin, his wife, and I headed to the Polynesian for two reasons. First, we wanted a nostalgic ride on the old monorail. Second, my daughter was upset by the lack of club soda and seltzer for the first few days, and after visiting Teppan Edo, we realized that a place with liquor might be a place where we could buy some for the room.
We had success with club soda, Dole Whips (which we had missed at the Magic Kingdom the day before), and I had my cousin's wife take some pictures of the Attractionista dolls, which I suspected my daughter would be interested in (this is a key plot point that will come back later). This was also the first chance for us three old school Disney travelers to see the new Polynesian lobby. It's very nice, but I miss the old one...
Well, there's no way I'm getting through the entire trip in one sitting. I'll check back in later.
