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 I'll be writing about trips, LOST, design... whatever seems appropriate at the moment. I hope you enjoy it. I also hope it's not like watching soemone else's home videos... if it is, forgive me. I'll try not to go there!
Oh, we're dreaming of another trip to the 'World. I'm trying to convince the family to drive it again (c'mon, have you proced flights for five lately?), but I'm losing the battle. For now. One thing I do know is that we're gonna put the brakes on some of the frivolous spending... maybe even avoid Downtown Disney altogether. I mean, seriously, the Lego store has enough of my money. No. Really, they do. Based on our learnings for the previous three trips, we're honing our process... so here's the list of things we're planning on doing: Restaurants
Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Animal Kingdom
I'll post more about the other aspects of it as we move forward, or rather, if we move forward, so keep an eye here.
Our family loves Disney. No, I mean LOVES Disney. Every other year, we go down for a no-holds-barred trip, where we don't say “no” to the kids for anything. Truth be told, my lovely wife has probably states it best this way: “We're taking Dad to Disney.” Yes, it's true, my name is Greg, and I'm addicted to Walt Disney World. This trip the first time we've driven down, what an experience. We toured with our neighbors, the Schimmollers, and took their huge van and trailer.... here's how it went. We decided to go for two weeks. (Note to self: way too long, way too expensive.] We spent 10 days in Disney, then a couple of days split between Cape Canveral and Cocoa Beach. Really nice trip. We're not rookies at this, and certainly everyone who's made a trip to WDW has a tip or two to share, but I pride myself on being up to speed with things pertaining to the 'World. Having said that, I learned a lot from our friends that we travelled with. The summarized learnings:
The drive We drove down in one shot (split between several drivers, it's not so bad). It gave us a reason to 'take it easy' on that arrival day and lay around the pool. Not bad. On the drive back, we took our time, and spread it across two days. Not surprising. And, I'd have to admit, it sure was nice to have a vehicle at our disposal for the two weeks... need to go off property? No problem. Want to go to Downtown Disney without the bus? No problem. That was a new experience for us. The accomodations
The Pop Century was huge. Literally. You'd need a tram to go from one side to the other. It does have a nice food court, and plenty of pool space. One thing I'd have to say, though, the themeing left a lot to be desired. Big box buildings with stuff “bolted on.” Not really too impressive for a Disney experience. Now, the cost was attractive, but honestly, we go every other year, so when you look forward to it for that long, you may as well get what you're looking forward to. I know plenty of people who would disagree with me, but I am not convinced we'll vist the Pop again. Maybe we will... depends on the budget I suppose. For more detail on the Pop Century, check out All Ears Net's report for photos, reviews and more.
Then we moved to the Polynesian... that's our home away from home. We love the Poly. Yes, it costs more, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Nicer accomodations, better service all around, superb themeing. And, O'Hana... that seals the deal. We thoroughly enjoy every aspect of the Poly. The overall atmosphere is exactly what the doctor ordered. Lush foliage, accomodating service, Monorail access. All around, a wonderful experience. I could go on and on, but I won't for now. Again, for more detailed info, visit All Ears Net's fact sheet. The Parks Magic Kingdom | We rode all three of the “mountain” rides in Magic Kingdom (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain & Big Thunder Mountain). Admittedly, our butts were dragging by noon, but by then, you can justify leaving the park. After all, you've done what you came there to do. EPCOT | Test Track, Soarin' & Mission to Mars were a blast. We did the Ellen's Energy attraction... mainly for the air-conditioned break, though I'd have to admit, she's pretty funny. Animal Kingdom | We also rode the Dinosaur attraction... a little intense for the younger ones in the crowd, but worth a try. Oh, and we ate at Rainforest Cafe, a fun experience. Expedition Everest is awesome. We rode it three times in a row (thanks to extra magic hours), and would do it again. The Finding Nemo stage play is also noteworthy... if you like the Lion King experience, you'll like this...
Hollywood Studios (our family's favorite park) | Of course, we did the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, and Lights, Motors, Action, always a good time. We skipped Sci-Fi Dine In... weren't impressed last time we dined there. However, the highlights of the Studios had to be riding the rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Wow. Solid fun. Dining We also had the pleasure or Mama Mel Rosa's... everyone had a good meal there. Our party of 10 (remember, two families) was well fed, and enjoyed the themeing. Wolfgang Puck Express... well, we'll pass on that next time. Nice environment, but for the value, it's not there. (This was a sans-kid meal, thankfully.) One evening we dined at the Mexican restaurant in the Mexico pavilion at EPCOT (the particular name escapes me at the moment), which is a really nice environment, though the fare is, well, fair. Ready for next: Links: |
There are a few things I'm really passionate about. Design, though hopefully you've already noticed that. Disney (as in Walt Disney World). Pixar movies (c'mon, who doesn't like Nemo, Woody & Lightning McQueen?). Oh, and LOST... oh my, don't get me started... here are a few of my favorite links: 
And, oh, what the heck... here's a few more:
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We tried some new places, and several old favorites. Hitting O'Hana is a must for us, but this trip also brought a character dinner at Chef Mickey's. Surprisingly good food (sorry, maybe I wasn't expecting much) and one of the trip's best photo opps.
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