[ilvminnie]

Hi everyone! I'm back...don't wanna be, but I am. We got back late Sunday night so of course there's been 100 loads of laundry, a paper bag full of mail, & let's not forget grocery shopping to do. The real world seems to hit right off the bat!

We had a great time & since I don't want to bore you all with all the details of our 11 days, I'll hit the highlights. If anyone has any specific questions, fire away!

The weather was hot & humid most of the time, but you just duck into a/c when it gets to be too much. Lines were short for the most part, but we still used FastPass on some just to maximize our time. We stayed at Boardwalk & our room looked out over the courtyard but we could also see part of the boardwalk & the water. Huge balcony with great view, it was a great place to unwind at the end of the day. We used Tiffany Towncar & loved it. Our driver was so efficient both coming & going. When you realize it's so reasonably priced, there's no other choice to make.

The 1st night we hit EPCOT & did the Rose & Crown for dinner. I would highly recommend it to anyone. The food was awesome & the service was wonderful. We also saw Illuminations that night from the Rose & Crown. Beautiful, as always. Day 2 we did MK & were disappointed that CoP wasn't open, but had a great time anyway. Saw the snowglobe parade & loved it just as much as we did in March. Since my DD collects Disney snowglobes, she particularly loves it. Did the Octoberfest in Germany in EPCOT for dinner, but weren't that impressed. We've seen better. Day 3 we did the EE at MGM, Prime Time for dinner, & Fantasmic at night. Everything was great, especially ToT, RnR & Beauty & Beast show. Also saw the Stars & Cars parade since that's my favorite parade. I especially love the genie car, so my DD bought me a pin of it. MGM is definately our favorite park. Day 4 was Typhoon Lagoon where my DH & DD spent the whole day in the wave pool. Those are my down days so I just take a book & lay out. We did Cape May for dinner & ate waaaaay too much, but it was great. Got a discount with our DVC membership, so that was a plus. Day 5 was EE at AK followed by dinner at Fulton's. It started raining while we were waiting in line at Primeval Whirl so we pulled out our ponchos & just kept going. By the time we got on it had stopped raining & didn't start up again. For some reason decided to wait in stabdby line at Kali River Rapids....never again. Always go for the FastPass on that one. Fulton's was absolutely fantastic & we got a discount there with our PAP. A little pricey still, but worth it if you love seafood. Hung out downtown for awhile & (of course) spent too much money in the stores, but it was nice and not very crowded. Day 6 was MK again. Still no CoP, but great anyway. Did Tony's for dinner, which is normally my DH's favorite, but weren't real thrilled with it. He said even his spaghetti & meatball (which he always gets) wasn't as good. Had a waitress that didn't speak English clearly & it took us forever to be able to pay our bill & get out of there. Might have to rethink that one next time. Day 7 was MGM again, beginning with the character breakfast at Hollywood & Vine. Loved it! My DD is thinking she wants to have a character lunch there for her birthday in August. Good food & service along with characters (Chip had me dancing with him!), what more can you ask for? My DH developed a sinus headache and went back to the room early, so me & DD stayed awhile longer by ourselves. By the time we got back to the room he was feeling a little better so we just hopped over to EPCOT & did Figment & a couple of other things. Day 8 was TL again (I love my down days!) followed by Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party. The party was nice, but I thought really geared to kids. We did get on several "popular" rides with no wait, so that part was nice. Generally thought it was a nice experience, but not one we'd need to do again. Day 9 we kind of jumped around a bit...did AK & EPCOT & then did the Luau at the Poly. We had great seats - dead center right up front - and truly enjoyed the show & the food. My DD was sweating it out everytime they started scanning the audience for "volunteers." Day 10 we were starting to get depressed 'cause it was almost over, but started with the new Princess breakfast in Norway which we would do again anytime. We thought the food was fantastic & the castle is beautiful. Then we did EPCOT for day 1 of the Food & Wine Festival. We caught the Temptations Review show as a surprise for my DD who, believe it or not, is a 17-year-old absolute Temptations fan. She was so tickled...I think it was just about the highlight of her trip. We scooted over to MK later for Spectromagic & it was really crowded, but we got curbside just outside of Tony's. Day 11 we're all bummed, but went to MK & had lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. It's just as awesome as ever. It was a Sunday & I was surprised at the light crowds, especially in Fantasyland where it generally tends to be really crowded. Nice way to end the trip.

The only comment I would like to make is that I wish they would enforce the smoking thing. My husband has really sensitive sinuses/allergies & there are people walking around all over smoking where ever they feel like it. Other than that, everything was generally up to usual WDW standards.

Although I wish I was in WDW, I'm glad I have you guys to help me get my fix & get me through til our next trip in August.

[trishb]

Fantastic Report!
You had such a wonderful and RELAXING vacation! Perfect!
What type of room did you have at the Boardwalk?

[ilvminnie]

Thanks Trish! Yep, it was so wonderful my DH kept saying "I miss Disney World" & "I miss our room at the Boardwalk" all day yesterday.

We just had a standard room since it was our incentive freebie for joining the DVC. But it was great. Plenty of room, double vanity (which is a must with a teenage DD!) & a balcony that was big enough to put one of the beds on with room to spare. I loved our view though. We got to see the water & a part of the boardwalk without actually facing the boardwalk & having all that noise at night. But I did get to sit out on the balcony & watch & hear the 4 piece brass ensemble among other things. If you're planning on staying there, ask for a room facing the courtyard on the 3rd or 4th floor.

[trishb]

Thanks for the info! I cannot wait for our vacation in January! We will be staying at the Boardwalk, too. Any other tips are greatly appreciated!

[jgriff2388]

Sounds like you had a terrific time. Now back to reality and post Disney blues. Now you can start planing your your trip.:)

[Cinderellafifi]

Wow, what a trip! 11 days! How could you go wrong? It really sounds like you had a great time.

You didn't mention our cold front which blew in Thursday night. Huh, I wonder why? (wink) :laugh

[Donna B]

Great report. I am glad you guys had such a good time.

[stitchie]

Now start planning your NEXT TRIP THERE!

[ilvminnie]

Originally posted by Cinderellafifi
You didn't mention our cold front which blew in Thursday night. Huh, I wonder why? (wink) :laugh

Yeah, we loved that part! It just didn't last very long though. By Saturday we were hot & humid again, but I'd rather be there with hot & humid than back in the regular routine any day. Of course here in Colorado we have rain/snow today!!!!! My body is having a really hard time adjusting.