[Leslie427]

Hi all,

As you can tell, I'm pretty new here. I've been lurking for a while to get your tips for my trip to WDW, and I am grateful! This is a great forum.

We were at WDW from June 18-21. It was definitely an adventure. DH, DS (Age 4) and I drove the 17 or so hours from Dayton, OH. It was definitely cheaper than airfare but exhausting. DS has never been a good sleeper in the car, so that was a problem on the way down. (he was worn out enough on the drive back!) Next time, i think we'll definitely fly.

We stayed at Coronado Springs -- liked the room size and proximity to the parks a lot. However, we thought the bus transportation could have been a little smoother - but it could have just been the weather (torrential rain every day but Friday). Unfortunately, we never went to the big pool or the lake due to the weather, which was disappointing to me.

Day 1 -- Epcot

Had an 11:50 PS at the Garden Grill for the character lunch. We ran behind schedule getting to Orlando, and we hit CSR at around 10:45. It took a little while to get our passes, and the CM told us we might be better off driving to EPCOT rather than waiting for the bus -- so we did. It worked out great! We were 25 minutes early for our seating, and were able to get in right away.

I know that people have reported bad experiences at the Garden Grill. Fortunately for us, everything was great. Farmer Mickey almost immediately came to our table and posed for photos. We also met Pluto, Chip & Dale. Of course, my son was beside himself! We really thought the food was good - lat year we did the Crystal Palace buffet, but we definitely thought GG was better.

After lunch, off we went to Future World. I wanted to ride Living with the Land, but the line was unbelievable! I think the standby was 75 minutes. DH wanted to get Fastpasses for Test Track instead. Tough luck for me. Of course, Test Track was down anyway! So we ended up at Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and walked right in. Helpful Hint: If you have a 4 year old, don't give them the 3D glasses. They WILL be terrified. Enough said.

We rode the Journey into Imagination with Figment. Very cute. We loved it! Again, we waited about 10 minutes. Next we went to The Living Seas. Of the whole trip, this was the biggest disappointment. We just felt like there wasn't anything spectacular about it - maybe because we have great zoos and an aquarium very close to us. Then DH wanted to do Ellen's Energy Adventure, because DS is in a dinosaur phase. Note: After seeing a 3D movie, your 4 year old will be leery of ANYTHING dark and cling to you the rest of the day. Got it? Good! Although DS LOVED Spaceship Earth. DH & I laughed at the new warning on the way in!

DH & I think that Future World would benefit from some updating. But on to World Showcase!!!

We didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked. (remember, we started our EPCOT day after lunch) Plus, by this time it was pouring rain. We stopped at a bunch of counter service places and got something to snack on at every one. Egg rolls, brats, etc. etc. We rode Maelstrom but had to Fastpass and come back to it. Wanted to see the Tapestry of Dreams parade but it was cancelled due to the rain. :madmad We loved the EPCOT parade from last year, and this looked to be very similar.

Then came the highlight of my EPCOT day -- Blast 2 - Shockwave! It is really an excellent show. For those of you that haven't heard of Blast! let me explain. Blast! is a Tony-award winning show which is basically a drum choir on stage combined with sets, props, and theatrical effects. Blast 2 is wonderful -- a Must See in my book.

Then came Illuminations -- beautiful. No one does the nighttime shows and fireworks like Disney.

I was going to make this all 1 post but it's now 10:40 and I'm tired. I'll come back tomorrow for the rest!!!! :D

[PiratesFan]

Glad to hear your trip was favorable so far. We were last year this time and saw Blast also. I was very impressed and wished I cought it from the beginning. It rained several days for us also which caused us to alter our plans all too often. When we did return to the parks when it was dry, the long lines slowed everything down. Looking forward to your next report. (I'm getting early pointers on how I should structure my trip report when we return to WDW eons from now

[brumcg]

Leslie427,

Great report! Keep them coming... :)

Bruce

[jgriff2388]

Welcome back!
Sorry to hear you had lots of rain, but it sounds like you still had a great time. :)

[LRTJS]

Hi Leslie,
Well we share more than a love for WDW> My name is Leslie too. I am going on my 8th trip in August. I hope we don't run into as much rain as you did. I am interested in the Shockwave show. Where is it located? Is it hard to see? I am thinking about taking my grandaughter to the ice cream character thing at Epcot. I think it is a the same place you went. Enjoyed reading about your trip.

[Donna B]

Great report, sorry about the rain. Looking forward to next day's events. :D :D

[Goofette]

Welcome Leslie427 and thank you so much for the Trip report. I'm looking forward to more of it. Oh...And what did you think about the mice in Honey I shrunk the audience? That terrified me and I'm Way older than 4 :D I hate that about the rain. I hope the rest of the vacation went better.

Thanks again for posting,
Goofette/aka Paula

[Leslie427]

Now.. for Part 2...

But first, Shockwave is at the America Gardens Theatre. The day we were there, it only played in the afternoon - I think the first show was at 3:45.

Day 2 - AK

We love AK. We arrived at 8:30 for a scheduled 9 am opening. The park actually opened at 8:45 - news to us! So off we went to the Safari. This is by far my favorite thing at AK. We waited around 15 min and saw all kinds of animals - we had to wait a couple of minutes for 2 giraffes to get out of the way, and they were close enough to actually reach out and touch. Lots of animal activity except for the lions, who were passed out on a ridge. We have only ridden this ride in the morning, because everything we've always read says that morning is peak activity time for the animals. Highly recommended!

Next we went to Kali River Rapids. I declined to ride (due to the rain, I didn't feel like any optional wetness) - so DH and DS took the plunge. It was DS's first time on a water ride. They had NO wait, in fact the CM offered to let them ride again without leaving the boat. If you're like me and don't want to ride, make sure you find the bridge that the boats go under to press the shower button. Beware: it's addictive!

Onward to the Chester & Hester area. DH and I really think this is a nice addition. The only problem is that Primeval Whirl is 48" and up. Poor DS (42") cried and screamed. None of us rode it due to this, so I can't report on it. We did ride the Triceratops Spin - we usually don't spend time on midway-style rides, but we had to appease DS. Fortunately, a lot of people ride at a time (64?) so the wait wasn't very long. The Dig Site is also very cool. DS LOVED it. Due to the heat, there were huge fans blowing, and so the heat wasn't overpowering. They did a great job in keeping things bearable.

Next: Dinosaur. About a 20 minute wait - it went faster due to a really entertaining dinosaur CM. He posed for photos, and hid around corners just to jump out and scare the heck out of people. Really hilarious. DS was a trooper and rode, and really liked it!

We saw three shows while we were there. First: Pocahontas and her Forest Friends. Cute, especially if you have kids. DS has proclaimed his undying love for Pocahontas ever since we got back! Her "Forest Friends" are a raccoon, turkey (!), snake, and some mice, among others.

Next we saw Festival of the Lion King. We saw this one last year, and it continues to be on my Must See list. This year, we saw Tarzan Rocks! It is just as good as the Lion King show. If you haven't seen it, it is like a rock concert, with roller blading stunts and (tan & physically perfect) Tarzan flying in on his vine. It's wonderful. Don't miss it.

Well, then the rain started, & that was pretty much that for AK.....

to be continued!

[Leslie427]

I know. I hate the mice too.

I remembered them from last year and put my feet up on top of my seat. Kind of wimpy, I know!

[Leslie427]

It was not hard at all to get into Shockwave. I was really surprised. Of course, drum choir is a hugely popular thing here, and maybe not elsewhere...

We looked at doing the Ice Cream Social - I have heard mixed reviews. It is probably the most economical character meal! It is at the Garden Grill where we did lunch. I don't know much else about it, though.

I know you'll have a wonderful time!!!

[Leslie427]

Hello!

I forgot - Day 2 Lunch was at the AK Rainforest Cafe. We have eaten there the last 3 times at WDW. This time (and I have read this in other people's posts) we thought it was too loud!! Maybe the novelty has worn off for us. (We don't have a Rainforest Cafe here in Ohio) Food was good, but pricey, of course. I'd have to recommend against it. Keeping with the afraid-of-the-dark theme of the vacation, poor DS was afraid of the thunderstorm. And he's never afraid at home!

Day 2 -- Late afternoon/Evening

We decided to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom to catch the fireworks even before we left for our trip, since this was the designated AK day. Around 5:00 the rains came. (again) Back to CSR for us. DS & I napped while DH went on the dinner hunt. He returned with a pizza & a calzone from Pepper Market. Even after all the bad things I've read about PM, the food wasn't bad! I think it was $9.99 for the pizza (small - 10"?) and $7 for the calzone.

Around 8:30 we braved the flood and took the bus to MK. We rode "it's a small world" and got into parade position! We stood at the top of a cul-de-sac by the Hall of Presidents and some shops in Frontierland. The 9:00 parade got there at around 9:20. Spectromagic is awesome! We sat on the ground on our ponchos. Wet, wet, wet. Yick!

We stayed in our spots after the parade to watch the fireworks. We had read this tip in one of our Unofficial Guide Disney books. And boy, it was worth it! Even though you don't get the view of the fireworks and the castle, it looks like the fireworks are shooting right over your head. And hardly anyone else will be there! No crowds!

Then we got our blistered feet back to the hotel. Had to wait around 20 min. for the shuttle.

Day 3 - MGM - tomorrow.....

:)

[Cinderellafifi]

Welcome to Disney Central! I am enjoying reading your trip reports!

Sorry you had to deal with the rain. This is our fifth week of all day, all night rain here in S. Fla. It is really depressing. And, you can't do anything. I do feel for the people who have planned and saved for years to come to Disney and they have to deal with the rain.

[markypooh]

It sounds like you had a great trip even though it rained! We are leaving for the mouse July the 14th and maybe it will be dryer.

[Goofette]

I was reading this post again and just wondered if they are still having rain in FL like it was that week. I haven't watched any weather channels lately so I have no idea what it's doing anywhere other than here (raining here all week).

I'm still waiting for the MGM day 3 :D Thanks Leslie427 for posting. I Love!!! the trip reports.

[LRTJS]

Hi Leslie,
Just got through reading your post again and they are great! My trip is in 13 days and I am now even more excited, if that is possible. You did a great job telling us about your trip. Will tell you all abuot ours soon. Leslie