[lvbug]

I booked my trip through an agency that sets up all of your advance ressies for you (at no add'l charge) and puts together an itinerary based on your preferences. So all I had to do was show up!

There was a whole group of us -- from 10 to 70 years old. And I think almost everyone had a great time (except one who has never had a good time in his life!)

We stayed at the BC and that was nice, the location was great and the pool was alot of fun. (check out my post "back from BC")

We ate at a ton of great restaurants, our favorites were flying fish, spoodles and california grill. Eating out at nice restaurants are a priority for the Fam when we go on vacation and I realize this is not so for alot of people, but, if you have the opportunity definitely check out one of these restaurants. Try the Bananas Napoleon at the FF and the Sushi platter appetizer is enough for two at the CG. Our TA made our ressies at CG at the exact right time so that we would be there for the fireworks. They dim the house lights and pipe in the music from the fireworks and b/c it overlooks MK from the 15th floor of the Contemporary, you have a front row seat for the show.

Another fun event was our fireworks cruise. You got front row seats for the Illuminations at Epcot--your pontoon boat is parked right in the lagoon. This was a blast (and the driver made it alot of fun too).

I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour and this was very interesting. It was really cool to go into the "first floor" of the MK and see how the behind the scenes works. I heard that the tour used to take you through costuming--but now you just look at pictures of costuming while your guide talks about it. It included lunch and it only cost us one wish ($58) it was definitely worth it and I want to go on the Epcot tour now!

Another hilite was E RIDE NIGHT. Dont forget this. If you stay on site it is 100% worth it. Sleep in, eat an early dinner at MK around 4 pm and then ride the night away. Eride night is open for 5000 resort guests for an addl $12/pp. You get a wrist band and when the parks close, the 5000 eriders are allowed to stay in the park and a select number of rides stay open. Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, TTA, BTMR, Splash Mountain, Buzz, etc.. are all open. From 4-10 we rode the rides that weren't staying open, then we went nuts. We rode Buzz about 10 times in a row -- no exaggeration. We walked right onto space mount, big thunder, splash mountain -- NO WAITS. It was awesome. Definitely do this.

I'm starting to get tired, but there were a ton of other things that we did that were a ton of fun -- Water Mice (speed boats for one), Water Slide at BC, Disney Quest, Once upon a toy grand opening, took a golfing lesson, stayed on the concierge floor, Jelly Rolls (my favorite night club)... I could go on forever.

One last note, before I go to bed. We did the discovery magic and for 2 adults this package was perfect. I sat down and did the math and we definitely made out on the deal. This is where you get two wishes per person per day for the length of your stay. I am going to do a post specifically about this b/c I know alot of people said it was cheaper to do it on my own, but I ended up definitely making out on the deal.

Well, now I'm off to plan my next visit. I hope this was helpful and if you have any questions -- ask away I'll try and answer as best as possible. Spreading the Magic... lvbug.

[jgriff2388]

Hey lvbug, it sounds like you had a great trip! The Disney packages are a lot of fun if you can use all of the amentities. We spent the money for a package on our honeymoon some 15 years ago, and it was wonderful. You then do anything you want without guilt of the costs.
So do you have post Disney depression? :)

[trishb]

Sounds like a fun trip! Can you give us some details about Flying Fish and California Grill. I would love to hear about Jellyrolls, too!

[Cinderellafifi]

Oh, Lvbug, I am so jealous! Your trip sounds absolutely perfect! I can't wait to hear about the package plan. Did you stay for 10 days? That really makes all the difference - having the time (and money) to be able to do what you want.

I cannot wait to go to Disney and do just what I want for as long as I want!

Tell us more - please!:)

[ELyon10431]

Wow you did so much, It sounds like you really had a ball.
Can you give me some info on CG and also Disney quest if you have the time. I was looking for a good restaurant in order to watch the fireworks and CG sounds really good, was it expensive?

Liz:D

[lvbug]

Originally posted by jgriff2388
Hey lvbug, it sounds like you had a great trip! The Disney packages are a lot of fun if you can use all of the amentities. We spent the money for a package on our honeymoon some 15 years ago, and it was wonderful. You then do anything you want without guilt of the costs.
So do you have post Disney depression? :)

Griffy:
The whole fam is so depressed, we got together right away to have pizza and look at our pictures! We had a great time and it was relaxed too, not hectic. I think it was in the planning.

[lvbug]

Originally posted by trishb
Sounds like a fun trip! Can you give us some details about Flying Fish and California Grill. I would love to hear about Jellyrolls, too!

Flying Fish? Art Deco style interior and is located on the BW. Ressies are definitely necessary, unless you plan on sitting at the counter, which is very cool. The counter is up against the glass walls where the chefs cook, so you can see everything that they are doing and I hear they give out samples. There were about 8 entrees and 5 appetizers on the menu. The lobster salad was fantastic, so were the crab cakes. but, the Steak was probably one of the best I have had. They cooked the steak on an oak block and it was almost blackened. Delicious! (I want to go back, I want to go back). There were 2 desserts that were awesome, one was a chocolate lava cake, the other was Banana Napoleon(?) It was creme brulee, carmelized bananas, fried and sugared phylo dough with ice cream. I would fly to FLA right now for that. I tend to think of this as an adult restaurant, but all 4 of the kids inour group went and loved it. They hand out those little water games where you try to catch the ring on the fish fin, too.

California Grill. Excellent. Get there around 8:30 or 9:00 and ask for a window seat, again you must have ressies. When the fireworks at MK go off, the lights in the restaurant dim and the music is piped into the restaurant. It is awesome. Dinner is expensive, for 2 with drinks & tip, it would cost about $130. If it isn't in your budget, try hopping over and sit outside on the deck for a couple of drinks. The deck is the best place in the house to watch the fireworks. I had a Sushi app (which was enough for two) and a Filet for dinner. It was wonderful. The desserts that we had were Strawberry shortcake (sounds boring--but was the fanciest, most delicious, ss I have ever had) and profiterols which are like a cream puff with ice cream instead of cream. Delicious. Again, this restaurant is highly recommended, but don't take the kids, its not really geared toward them, unless they enjoy going out for a great meal (some of the kids in our group do, some would rather stay back at the hotel).

Jellyrolls is a great time. It is dueling pianos. That is, 2 guys, at 2 baby grands, playing their hearts out -- usually on whatever the audience requests. You write your request on a napkin and put it on top of the piano with $$ and they'll try and sing it. They play everything from Frank Sinatra to Billy Joel to Kenny Rodgers to Dave Matthews to Baby Got Back -- that's right --Baby Got Back the rap song from back in the '90's. And it was good too! The musicians are very talented. You have to be 21 to get in.

Hope I didn't talk too much. Lvbug

[lvbug]

Originally posted by ELyon10431
Wow you did so much, It sounds like you really had a ball.
Can you give me some info on CG and also Disney quest if you have the time. I was looking for a good restaurant in order to watch the fireworks and CG sounds really good, was it expensive?

Liz:D

Liz, I hope I answered your question about CG in the post above. If you don't have the budget to dinner, go for drinks and sit on the deck or go for dessert and coffee. It is worth it.

As for DQ, this was my nephews hilite of the trip. There are so many things to do here and all included in the admission. If you have a hopper, it should cover admission. It opens around 11 am. The activities range from playing arcade games from the 80's to Virtual reality. There is a whole section devoted to creativity and drawing, like learning how to draw disney characters. One game is the virtual pirates of the caribbean. Another is VSpace MTn, where you create your own roller coaster then get to ride it. This includes going upside down too. Then your coaster is rated. You can become part of the game in the virtual pin ball. There is traditional games too like air hockey and arcade basketball. It is alot of fun, even for people who are totally opposed to video games.