Fantasia79
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2009
Hello! Welcome to my first ever trip report! After years of reading everyone's reports, it's time I add my own.
This is the story of a four day trip March 14-17.
Who am I? Thanks for asking. I'm Kirk. My wife Samantha and I live and work in the Chicago area. She's a clinical psychologist who has a private practice and teaches at a few colleges, I teach high school band. You'll soon learn what all our family and friends already know; I married up. We love eating, the blackhawks, eating, exercise, our cats, cooking, eating, and going to Disney!
This trip was for Samanthas birthday. She took me for my birthday a few years ago, and I have really wanted to return the favor. Over the winter break, we were in Disney with my band. I know what youre thinking, "Disney twice in a few months? Two vacations?" Let me tell you, being there with 110 of your favorite 13-18 year olds is far from a vacation. Very far from it. It's always fun to be with the kids. But, a lot of late nights, early mornings, trips to first-aid, phone calls, meetings, putting out fires, but in the end, you're there for the kids, not yourself.
We've been looking into the Disney Vacation Club for a while and wanted to rent points before we buy. So, we rented from a Dis Board user, who was so helpful! As huge EPCOT fans, its been a dream of ours to stay at Beach Club, so thats where we stayed!
It seemed like everyday there was something to make our impending trip more exciting. First a little mouse ear USB drive shows up. Cool. Then reservation window day arrived. Anyone else get an adrenaline rush booking reservations? Hope it's not just me. Fastpass+ reservation window day (a first for me). Also, way cool. Then, magic bands arrive, Magical Express Itinerary arrives, memory maker materials, then.....dinner reservation confirmation emails...oh...yea.
Day one
Day one starts on a cold day in Chicago. After working late every night this week, I had not packed much, so panic was setting in! I had to get through our inservice day and run home to finish packing before our flight! Agh! Naturally, our final meeting of the day went long. Samantha also had clients and classes every night leading up to our trip. She woke up to grade papers and finish packing. As were driving the list of forgotten items grows: vitamins, swimming trunks, shower lufa....oh no!
We got to the airport, and after a few short delays we were on our way to the happiest place on earth! We got into Orlando around 11pm. What a beautiful airport! Marble everywhere, comfortable seats, outlets! We put on our bands and got on Mickeys Magical Express. The magic bands--awesome. You tap the mouse ears and your itinerary pulls up, they tell you what lane to walk in and you board your bus. So cool. A short ride and were at Disney!
We got into a Beach Club pretty late, about 12am, checked-in with our magic bands (cool), and were off to our room. We booked a studio. Pleasantly surprised; plenty of room, plenty of towels, very comfortable. The room was in good condition, definitely dated, little spots of damage (worn this and that) but comfortable.
Off to bed!
Day two
A lot of internal debate whether to call this day one or two. Well go with two. We got up early and walked over to Boardwalk before EPCOT opens. This location is so cool. I didn't realize how cool it is to have 4 resorts all right next to each other.
We tap our magic bands at the turnstiles, and here we are looking at Paris & England. Nothing feels as cool as walking around EPCOT before the crowds show up. I didn't mention it, we were here during the Flower & Garden Festival. EPCOT is filled with the smells of fresh flowers and food everywhere. What a treat.
I wanted to try the new Test Track first. It's well done. The pre-ride cue is way cool. You get to design your own car. As you're designing, the screen shows your scores for speed, agility, efficiency etc. The wife and I quickly discover you can make your car faster with the add-ons. Today, were concerned with getting the highest agility and speed scores we can. A few seconds before the timers shuts us down, we've squeezed out a few extra points. The first part of the ride is very different, the brake test, blocks, heat, cold, etc is either really different or altogether gone. Everything is bordered in a pinstripe electric light, kinda looks like you stumbled onto the set of Tron, but done on the cheap. As you go through each stage, they give you your cars score vs others in your car. We finished first in every category except efficiency, and first overall. I first pumped just a bit. The road test is still awesome.
After we got out, I was thinking of the Olympics and the luge/skeleton. They were going 25-30mph faster than us and only on a sled, no seat belts. Thats fierce.
The wife was getting hungry and that means one thing: hurry and get her to food! So we walked over to Seasons. I've wanted to go there for a while. We got breakfast Paninis, man are they good!
I'm also a big coffee fan. So a trip to EPCOT Starbucks was part of my plan. I noticed over the winter break people walking everywhere with Starbucks cups. It's something you're not used to seeing at Disney. During the winter, I didn't have the patience to stand in the Starbucks like (we were there on NYE, so lines were out of control). Coffee was of course magical. I really liked the cups. Our waitress was so nice and made Samanthas for Princess Samantha. Love it.
I'm pretty sure Samantha would say Soarin' is her favorite ride anywhere. So, when I booked our FastPass+ rides, it was the first thing I did. We got on Soarin' and though we didn't get to sit in the front, it was a blast. I love the smells, sounds (bought the soundtrack; great reading music), and experience. We went on Journey into Imagination with Figment. Samantha has loved since she was a child, for her birthday I wanted to get her a Figment doll. Shes quite happy.
Upon going to Norway, we saw a Disney surprise; tons of Frozen stuff. The exhibits inside the Norwegian church have been removed for Frozen themed tie-ins. I'm sad to see the Leif Erickson gone, battle swords, etc, but Frozen simply cannot be bigger for Disney. The line to get pictures with Anna & Elsa is crazy long! We got a picture of them for Samanthas best friends 3 y/o daughter. We then wondered, we should get her a dress or tiara? Let's text her and see what her daughter would want. Samantha's friend is also a psychologist and was with clients when we texted, so we didn't hear back for a few hours. Elsa, all Elsa all the time. When we returned we learned that Frozen stuff sells out FAST! It was all gone, only Anna stuff remained. We now have a Disney mission: to find an Elsa dress.
Flower & Garden Festival is so amazing. If you can go to Disney during it, I highly recommend it. Because of my job, I will most likely never be able to go to the Food & Wine Festival (until I retire), so this looked like the next best thing. There are dozens of kiosks with special food and drinks, the Flower & Garden Center, topiaries, gardens, garden sales, and garden demo spots. The topiaries are simply gorgeous, the detail is astounding. The gardens are just simply an experience, there are so many different themes: play gardens, irrigation, hummingbird, butterfly, vegetable, many more, theyre all inspiring. One of the first we walked into was the butterfly garden. None of the butterflies has hatched yet, but the set-up was cool. Different flowers that attract butterflies, sculpture, and little butterfly houses.
I love all the water in EPCOT. Hopefully, its not me. They bordered some of their lakes with flower gardens that made images of butterflies and flowers. Again, the smells are heavenly. The lakes had floating topiaries. Spoiler, they hand out instructions on how to make them yourself in the Flower and Garden Center. The garden center in EPCOT is in one of the abandoned looking EPCOT buildings. It's actually pretty cool inside, theres a ton of trade show like tables/booths, demos, cool merchandise and a huge tree under some neat skylights. HGTV had a line-up of guest speakers coming in daily. I picked up a hand out on how they make their hanging flower baskets.
The gardens around the park are simply perfect. I really liked walking in and getting great ideas for back home. The different country pavilions had flowers all over. I really like all the terra cotta flowers in Italy, just makes you want summer here faster! Besides great ideas, it's surprisingly fun to walk through a little garden on your way to whatever attraction you're on your way to.
This is the story of a four day trip March 14-17.
Who am I? Thanks for asking. I'm Kirk. My wife Samantha and I live and work in the Chicago area. She's a clinical psychologist who has a private practice and teaches at a few colleges, I teach high school band. You'll soon learn what all our family and friends already know; I married up. We love eating, the blackhawks, eating, exercise, our cats, cooking, eating, and going to Disney!
This trip was for Samanthas birthday. She took me for my birthday a few years ago, and I have really wanted to return the favor. Over the winter break, we were in Disney with my band. I know what youre thinking, "Disney twice in a few months? Two vacations?" Let me tell you, being there with 110 of your favorite 13-18 year olds is far from a vacation. Very far from it. It's always fun to be with the kids. But, a lot of late nights, early mornings, trips to first-aid, phone calls, meetings, putting out fires, but in the end, you're there for the kids, not yourself.
We've been looking into the Disney Vacation Club for a while and wanted to rent points before we buy. So, we rented from a Dis Board user, who was so helpful! As huge EPCOT fans, its been a dream of ours to stay at Beach Club, so thats where we stayed!
It seemed like everyday there was something to make our impending trip more exciting. First a little mouse ear USB drive shows up. Cool. Then reservation window day arrived. Anyone else get an adrenaline rush booking reservations? Hope it's not just me. Fastpass+ reservation window day (a first for me). Also, way cool. Then, magic bands arrive, Magical Express Itinerary arrives, memory maker materials, then.....dinner reservation confirmation emails...oh...yea.
Day one
Day one starts on a cold day in Chicago. After working late every night this week, I had not packed much, so panic was setting in! I had to get through our inservice day and run home to finish packing before our flight! Agh! Naturally, our final meeting of the day went long. Samantha also had clients and classes every night leading up to our trip. She woke up to grade papers and finish packing. As were driving the list of forgotten items grows: vitamins, swimming trunks, shower lufa....oh no!
We got to the airport, and after a few short delays we were on our way to the happiest place on earth! We got into Orlando around 11pm. What a beautiful airport! Marble everywhere, comfortable seats, outlets! We put on our bands and got on Mickeys Magical Express. The magic bands--awesome. You tap the mouse ears and your itinerary pulls up, they tell you what lane to walk in and you board your bus. So cool. A short ride and were at Disney!
We got into a Beach Club pretty late, about 12am, checked-in with our magic bands (cool), and were off to our room. We booked a studio. Pleasantly surprised; plenty of room, plenty of towels, very comfortable. The room was in good condition, definitely dated, little spots of damage (worn this and that) but comfortable.
Off to bed!
Day two
A lot of internal debate whether to call this day one or two. Well go with two. We got up early and walked over to Boardwalk before EPCOT opens. This location is so cool. I didn't realize how cool it is to have 4 resorts all right next to each other.
We tap our magic bands at the turnstiles, and here we are looking at Paris & England. Nothing feels as cool as walking around EPCOT before the crowds show up. I didn't mention it, we were here during the Flower & Garden Festival. EPCOT is filled with the smells of fresh flowers and food everywhere. What a treat.
I wanted to try the new Test Track first. It's well done. The pre-ride cue is way cool. You get to design your own car. As you're designing, the screen shows your scores for speed, agility, efficiency etc. The wife and I quickly discover you can make your car faster with the add-ons. Today, were concerned with getting the highest agility and speed scores we can. A few seconds before the timers shuts us down, we've squeezed out a few extra points. The first part of the ride is very different, the brake test, blocks, heat, cold, etc is either really different or altogether gone. Everything is bordered in a pinstripe electric light, kinda looks like you stumbled onto the set of Tron, but done on the cheap. As you go through each stage, they give you your cars score vs others in your car. We finished first in every category except efficiency, and first overall. I first pumped just a bit. The road test is still awesome.
After we got out, I was thinking of the Olympics and the luge/skeleton. They were going 25-30mph faster than us and only on a sled, no seat belts. Thats fierce.
The wife was getting hungry and that means one thing: hurry and get her to food! So we walked over to Seasons. I've wanted to go there for a while. We got breakfast Paninis, man are they good!
I'm also a big coffee fan. So a trip to EPCOT Starbucks was part of my plan. I noticed over the winter break people walking everywhere with Starbucks cups. It's something you're not used to seeing at Disney. During the winter, I didn't have the patience to stand in the Starbucks like (we were there on NYE, so lines were out of control). Coffee was of course magical. I really liked the cups. Our waitress was so nice and made Samanthas for Princess Samantha. Love it.
I'm pretty sure Samantha would say Soarin' is her favorite ride anywhere. So, when I booked our FastPass+ rides, it was the first thing I did. We got on Soarin' and though we didn't get to sit in the front, it was a blast. I love the smells, sounds (bought the soundtrack; great reading music), and experience. We went on Journey into Imagination with Figment. Samantha has loved since she was a child, for her birthday I wanted to get her a Figment doll. Shes quite happy.
Upon going to Norway, we saw a Disney surprise; tons of Frozen stuff. The exhibits inside the Norwegian church have been removed for Frozen themed tie-ins. I'm sad to see the Leif Erickson gone, battle swords, etc, but Frozen simply cannot be bigger for Disney. The line to get pictures with Anna & Elsa is crazy long! We got a picture of them for Samanthas best friends 3 y/o daughter. We then wondered, we should get her a dress or tiara? Let's text her and see what her daughter would want. Samantha's friend is also a psychologist and was with clients when we texted, so we didn't hear back for a few hours. Elsa, all Elsa all the time. When we returned we learned that Frozen stuff sells out FAST! It was all gone, only Anna stuff remained. We now have a Disney mission: to find an Elsa dress.
Flower & Garden Festival is so amazing. If you can go to Disney during it, I highly recommend it. Because of my job, I will most likely never be able to go to the Food & Wine Festival (until I retire), so this looked like the next best thing. There are dozens of kiosks with special food and drinks, the Flower & Garden Center, topiaries, gardens, garden sales, and garden demo spots. The topiaries are simply gorgeous, the detail is astounding. The gardens are just simply an experience, there are so many different themes: play gardens, irrigation, hummingbird, butterfly, vegetable, many more, theyre all inspiring. One of the first we walked into was the butterfly garden. None of the butterflies has hatched yet, but the set-up was cool. Different flowers that attract butterflies, sculpture, and little butterfly houses.
I love all the water in EPCOT. Hopefully, its not me. They bordered some of their lakes with flower gardens that made images of butterflies and flowers. Again, the smells are heavenly. The lakes had floating topiaries. Spoiler, they hand out instructions on how to make them yourself in the Flower and Garden Center. The garden center in EPCOT is in one of the abandoned looking EPCOT buildings. It's actually pretty cool inside, theres a ton of trade show like tables/booths, demos, cool merchandise and a huge tree under some neat skylights. HGTV had a line-up of guest speakers coming in daily. I picked up a hand out on how they make their hanging flower baskets.
The gardens around the park are simply perfect. I really liked walking in and getting great ideas for back home. The different country pavilions had flowers all over. I really like all the terra cotta flowers in Italy, just makes you want summer here faster! Besides great ideas, it's surprisingly fun to walk through a little garden on your way to whatever attraction you're on your way to.
I leave tomorrow and I love seeing pictures of the Flower and Garden Festival. Oh yeah and Go Hawks 
