Trip Report
Well another trip to Disney came and went; it feels so unreal to be home. I could live in Disney World, that’s how much I love it. There’s just something magical about the place that you can’t get anywhere else. There was a thread in the General discussion forum a few weeks ago that asked whether you preferred the parks over the movies; for me I definitely prefer the parks. There’s this feeling that you can only get from walking down Main Street or seeing Cinderella’s castle that the movies just don’t have. I can’t explain it, but the parks are truly magical.
For this trip, and like so many others before it, we stayed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. It seems every time we go we stay here. We have stayed at the Polynesian Resort a few times and the Beach Club once. The Floridian is such a beautiful hotel; it’s so elegant and has this class about. It’s most defiantly my favorite resort. Whenever we travel to Disney World we try to visit the other resorts; each offer a unique theme and have something special all their own. But no matter where we visit or where we stay, the Floridian just has this magic about it.
This trip, like most of the others, I vacationed with my Mom and sister. I’ll be 19 (aug, 31), and my sister who is 16. We had a fun time but Hurricane Fay ruined much of the experience. The first two days it was beautiful outside. On Tuesday it rained and on Wednesday it poured. Thursday and Friday were decent days; it would pour for 20mins, be sunny for 10mins, pour for 15mins, and be beautiful for 10mins. Thursday and Friday weren’t that bad, but when it rained it poured- everyone got completely soaked and the parks were unable to put on shows or parades.
I did most of my taping the first two days. I really did not think the hurricane would be that bad. Originally it was supposed to hit on Tuesday and be gone by Wednesday afternoon. Hurricane Fay however lingered and lost speed; it ended up staying an extra several days before moving away. I was not able to tape a lot of things, and that truly bothers me.
I love the shows and the parades, so I was very disappointed that they were cancelled. Unfortunately Amy I was unable to Tape “High School Musical” I apologize. I felt so guilty the last few days of the trip- I was hoping the sun would let out and they’d put on a performance. I am sorry Amy.
What really bothered me about the hurricane was the realization that, unlike myself, most people never have the opportunity to go to Disney. There are people who probably saved up for years and had their vacations ruined by the weather. I also feel bad for first time visitors. They were unable to grasp the whole Disney experience due to the weather. Whenever I thought about whining to my mom about the weather I thought about those people.
I do have to applaud Disney though for all they did to compensate for the weather. Last week was not only the Hurricane, but it was also the first week of the Liberty Square Bridge Construction. Because of this the bridge was closed, Spectromagic was cancelled, and the afternoon “Disney’s Dreams Come True Parade was shone twice; once at 3pm and once at 7pm. The floats started from the main Street Fire Co. entrance looped around the flagpole went up Main Street, circled the hub, and went back down Main Street returning to the Firehouse entrance. The parade usually starts in Frontier land and exits by the main Street fire station. This new route was executed because the floats could not cross the bridge because of the construction. I have a video at the end of this report where you can see all this.
That may sound confusing, and seem like a nightmare for the parade cast members; however, one nice cast member I spoke to said it was actually very simple, and non chaotic at all. I was shocked because I know from experience people have problems when everything is running like clockwork, I thought this would be a nightmare. The cast member I spoke to was very, very sweet. She had seen me lip synching the parade music and joined in, lol
Due to the rain the parade kept getting cancelled, as well as the castle stage show “Dream Along With Mickey”. To compensate Disney had character interactions all over the Magic Kingdom. There was Timon, Rafiki, Aladdin, and Jasmine in Adventureland. Snow White had a meet and greet at the park’s entrance, Prince John and Friar Tuck were on Main Street and so was Marie occasionally. I did not get to meet Marie, the line was too long. I wanted to though, she is a very rare character. Ok I’ve babbled enough here is the report, lol
Day 1 (Sunday August 17, 2008)
- Our flight was at 6 am so we arrived at Orlando International airport early. We purposely did this so the day wasn’t wasted. We landed and were on Disney property before 10. Once we got off the plane we walked down to the “Disney’s Magical Express” (DME) center. DME takes the hassle out of getting from the airport to the Disney property and getting back to the airport from Disney property. Prior to our trip, Disney sends special luggage tags in the mail that depict which resort we are staying at. We place the tags on our luggage and we don’t see it again until we get to the Hotel. Disney takes the luggage off of the plane and delivers it to your hotel room. There is no need to claim your luggage. On the last day of your trip Disney takes the luggage and places it on the plane for you. DME makes traveling to WDW hassle free.
Once at the DME station in Orlando International airport we were put on lines to board Disney buses to our resort. Usually the lines are very long, and we have to wait awhile for the buses. However because it was so early no one was there. We boarded a bus right away. We had a wonderful bus driver who was very informative about the property. Ten minutes into the ride the DME video played for us. It’s a cute video that depicts all of the characters checking into the resorts and getting off the plane, etc. Our bus stopped at Disney Fort Wilderness Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, and finally our stop at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
I love walking off the bus and seeing the hotel, smelling the smells, and taking in everything around me. It truly is heaven for me. I look forward to that experience all year. The Grand Floridian is stunning; it’s just a breathtaking hotel. It’s the most lavish and deluxe resort on the Disney property. I always enjoy staying here. I call it home, lol.
Check in was simple, the hotel was empty; it wasn’t even 10:00am. The woman upgraded us to Concierge service! My mom was so happy, but wondered why. We think it was because there was a room ready in the Concierge service building, and we were there so she gave it to us. Or perhaps because we’ve been there 3 times in the past two years at that same resort. Who knows? At The Floridian there are two Buildings that host Concierge service: the Main Building and the “Sugarloaf” Building. Every room at the Floridian is the same, despite concierge service (or if you’re staying in the Walt Disney suite). The only thing extra you get with concierge service is free food/coffee/drinks, etc are always available in your building at no cost. This is very helpful because if were thirsty we can just go back to our building as opposed to buying a coke. The other wonderful feature about Concierge service is the Concierges. They can basically get you dinner reservations anywhere you want, even if the restaurant says they have nothing available. They can also plan special events, or experiences. Through Concierge service we were able to get reservations at The California Grill, at a table by the window during the fireworks. That is a very exclusive thing. I’ll explain more about that later!
Magic Kingdom
Since our hotel is next to the Magic Kingdom we decided to visit that part first. We hopped on the monorail (“Please Stand Clear of The Doors”!!!...my favorite thing ever) and arrived at the Magic Kingdom. When those doors opened I ran like a 5year old, lol. I love The Magic Kingdom. We rode a few rides, and staked out a spot for the 7pm parade. I am so glad I taped it before the storm hit. The park was not that crowded. There were a decent amount of people there but nothing overwhelming. When we go we are usually bombarded by rude non-English speaking people. This time that was not the case. I think this is the first trip where I came across no rude guests. That’s a rare sentence, and one I’ll probably never type again.
“Mickey’s Philarmagic” has to be, in my opinion, has to be the greatest thing ever created. Words cannot describe the sensation you feel while watching. It is a 3-D show featuring special effects, an Imax type screen that completely surrounds you, and some amazing effects. The storyline begins with Mickey & co. who are trying to put on a show for the guests. Goofy trips over a cord and the curtains open, however Mickey is not ready to start the show. Donald steals Mickey’s sorcerer’s hat and is accidentally transported into several Disney worlds. It’s an amazing show; you actually feel like you’re in these Disney films experiencing the magic along with the characters. This show is what Disney is all about.
That night we decided to ride Peter Pan right before the fireworks; there was no line. After Peter Pan we decided to walk around the park while Wishes (the fireworks show) was being preformed. That was an experience. Usually we just stay in front of the castle for the fireworks, but walking around and watching the entire sky ablaze was something I’ll never forget.
During our entire stay we only rode “Pirates of The Caribbean” twice. Unlike last year, there were literally no lines for this ride. We walked right on twice. I hate to say it but the Pirates Mania seems to be over. Now if there was a Hannah Montana/Jonas Brothers ride (both of whom I love) I guarantee you the lines would go on for hours. The second time we rode pirates it was a lot darker and all the effects were really working. It was the best experience I’ve ever had on the ride. We actually got soaked going down the waterfall (believe me this never happens). I’m not going to lie it was a lot scarier. I guess darkening the lights a little more and adding more fog can really change an experience. We also Big Thunder Mountain on this day, and didn’t do it again for the rest of the trip. I guess we just got to pre-occupied.
On Monday, the storm started bringing pockets of rain, and we decided to ride Splash Mountain. We rode it like 6 times in the pouring rain, it was one of the greatest (and coldest) experiences I’ve ever had at Disney. We just kept getting off and walking back on. I guess because of all the rain people decided to skip the rides, and flee for the resorts. We figured we were soaked already so it couldn’t get worse.
“Dream Along With Mickey” is the Magic Kingdom’s current castle stage show, in front of Cinderella’s castle. WE were able to see a special night performance of it. That was a lot of fun. It’s a wonderful show (my favorite castle stage show yet) but it looked even better at night. It really glowed. We also saw a special “inclement weather” presentation of the show. That was cool, and I assume rare. It was funny to see the castle, because Disney already has the Christmas lights installed! It’s August, and they have the Christmas lights up already, lol.
Aurora & Belle – and some other Characters too
During one of the rainier days we decided to meet Aurora and Belle inside the Character Tent at Mickey’s Toontown Faire. My mother knows that I HAVE to see Aurora or no trip is complete. I’ll admit I have an unhealthy love for Aurora, lol. I loved her since I was a baby, and there is just something about her that makes me giddy, lol. What I like about the Character Tent is that you really have private time with the characters. You are taken in one party at a time and interact with the characters.
As we walked in Belle waved to us and smiled. It was so cute. The first character was Aurora, you should of seen how my face lit up. I have such a crush on her (I like blondes =p) I told her that she was my favorite Disney character and I’ve always loved. She told me that was so sweet and one day I’ll be a lovely prince to a very lucky princesses. I was honored, lol. She also said I looked her friend Aladdin, lol. She started talking to us about the storm, and how Phillip wanted to go out riding on Sampson, but she had to say no because she worried he would get hurt or lost in the rain. She lives him so much and wants to keep him safe. It was very cute. After we took our pictures and got our autographs it was time to meet belle, who overheard our conversation with Aurora. Belle said “Oh I hear Aurora is your favorite. That is so see. Her story is my favorite fairytale” I told belle that I’ve always liked her as well and that she had the best dress out of all the princesses. Belle asked where we were from. When we said we were from New York, she was like “What a long journey, I’m not sure if Philliepe could make it. Perhaps papa could invent something so I could visit New York faster” then she laughed. It was very cute. I do feel guilty though. Belle was so sweet and so nice and I forgot to get her autograph after she saw me ask Aurora for hers. I feel guilty, lol. Both princesses were very sweet. If anyone knows the ladies please thank them for me.
We also meet Donald, Goofy, and Pluto inside the character tent. They were a lot of fun. Donald got scared when he saw my Maleficent pen (by the way Aurora signed with her own pen, so she did not see Maleficent). I said don’t worry you stood up her in Dream Along With Mickey, that’s how brave you are. He gave me a high five. It was cute.
Also in the tent were Cinderella’s step family, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizelle. I absolutely LOVE them, they were amazing. No one was there because of the rain so we spent a lot of time with them. They asked if I had a pin of them, when I said no Lady Tremaine told me to go get one quickly, and that there needs to be more merchandise of them not that Cinderella girl, lol. Anastasia (who was very pretty) kept flirting with me. It was a lot of fun. We took a sweet picture with Anastasia resting her head on my. I loved it, lol. After the picture Lady Tremaine asked if I was single. I told her I was taken. She yelled at my mother “I see, you just dangle your son around my daughters knowing nothing can happeb. I see your trickery.” It was so cute, lol. The Tremaine’s have become very, very popular in the parks. Their featured in a character dinner and they usually have huge Meet and Greet lines. A little girl went up to Anastasia hugged her and said “I wish I could dress like you”. It was the sweetest thing. I don’t think Disney realizes how popular these characters are. I see a lot of great marketing possabilities.
Epcot
We decided to visit Epcot during the rain on Wednesday. One of the only things we were able to do was “Soarin’’. We waited on the hour long line, but it was worth it- the attraction is another magical thing that only Disney could do. I just love the feeling I get while on that ride. Then we went on “Spaceship Earth” which was recently re-done. It’s a really cute ride now. They take your picture and show you your life in the future after you answer a few questions; it’s really cool. After that we left Epcot. I was little upset, but we really could not walk around World Showcase or go on other rides because of the rain. We’re the type of family that does all the parks in one day. We run around more times than any one person should. But we make sure we get to everything and have fun in the process. However, because of the rain we did like one or two parks a day. Unfortunately we never returned to Epcot.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
This is my favorite park. I love the old Hollywood theme. This year there was a new section to the park, along with the parks new name (formerly “Disney-MGM Studios”). The new section was “Pixar Place”. It’s a really cute themed area, and I can see that a major section of the park will continue to become Pixar oriented. The new ride was “Toy Story Midway Mania”. It is an interactive ride featuring all the characters from Toy Story. The ride queue was so well themed with oversized toys from Andy’s room. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately the Mr. Potato head animatronic wasn’t working. I was looking forward to seeing it. We only rode this attraction once because the lines were always so long. This ride offers fast passes but they were all sold out, for the entire day, every day within hours of the parks opening. WE had to wait on a 70 minute line. The line moved though because the queue was so interesting. It was a fun ride but nothing special. I definitely would not put it on my “to do” list.
Of course we rode the Tower of Terror (TOT) several times during the trip. On Monday night the park offered extra magic hours. So we were able to ride the TOT at night. That was cool. After we got off TOT one day, there was a character at the ride exit. She was a “famous Hollywood movie star. She was absolutely hysterical. Of course I got her autograph! She told me “Whenever you get lonely take this autograph and hold it close to your heart. It will warm you up!” It was hysterical. She was a great character. I included a picture of her, if anyone knows her please tell her she made my entire trip, lol.
We saved the Rockin’ Roller Coaster for Wednesday. We opted to wait on line, because all the fatpasses were sold out. Now I’m a roller coaster junkie, so of course this is a must do ride for me. On Tuesday night we saw “Fantasmic!”; my favorite show, mainly because it’s entirely centered around Villains. This was the first time in two years that I did not with this show while trying to tape it. I was taken away with how great of a show it really is. You really loose the experience when watching it through your camera screen while trying to tape it =/. It’s a wonderful show, and a definite must do for anyone visiting WDW. Speaking of Villains, I have to talk about the Villain store, Beverly Sunset. Beverly Sunset is a building that contains two stores that connect into each other “Sweet Spells”, a Villain themed candy store, and “Villains In Vogue”, a merchandise store. In its heyday (1998-2002) this store used to have a ton of Disney Villains merchandise. Everything you could think of from desk supplies to kitchen accessories, to clothes and everything in-between. Now the store has been overwhelmed with Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise. It’s ridiculous. Nightmare is not Villains, and I hate all the nightmare merchandise in the store. The villains are literally reduced to shelf in their own store. I would give anything to see this store the way it was intended, but that’s Disney marketing for you =(.
Speaking of Villains I was able to meet a few at the Studios. At 5:00 in front of the Sorcerers’ hat a bunch of characters came out for 10minutes to do meet and greets. Unfortunately they were not signing autographs. We ran straight to the Villains. I love my family; they know my Disney obsession, lol. We all split up before the characters came out so we could be the first on line wherever they went. All the villains grouped together. There was The Evil Queen, Foulfellow, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Jafar, and the Queen of Hearts. I ran right for Grimhilde. No offense but I like her more than the rest of the group that was there. She was admiring my Villain pins, and saw herself. She said, “See he has me on his shirt, he doesn’t have you! As it should be”. She was very funny. We had a great conversation about my love for villains. She was really into her character and was very sweet. As we were leaving my sister said to her “I have you on my shoe”. You see my sister has Evil Queen shoelaces that she bought at the store Hot Topic. Now we were walking away when my sister said this. A little girl was next in line and she went up to the Evil queen. Grimhilde stuck her hand out at the girl and screamed “WAIT!”. Then very elegantly walked over to my sister and said “Where did you get those, I must have them”. My sister told her where to buy them. The Queen then stood in the center, pointed to my sister and yelled, “You see EVERYONE should have me on their shoes.” Then she flapped her cape and walked away. It was hysterical, and the experience was worth more to me than gold. Your majesty if you’re reading this Thank you so much!
We then waited on line to see Snow White and Belle. They were both doing meet and greets together and Belle was in her peasant outfit. It was a win-win situation. They were both so sweet. Snow White saw my Evil Queen pin and said “Oh my, you like her?” AS I tried to explain to Snow White that I’m also a huge princess fanatic she stopped me and said “Aw, don’t worry. We are all entitled to our opinions”. I thanked her. It was very sweet. Snow White and Belle did sign autographs. Belle saw my Maleficent pen and I was like “Hey, it’s not Gaston” she laughed and said “It’s all right Sleeping Beauty is my favorite story to read”, I told her it was my favorite story too. They were both very sweet. After that we met Mary Poppins and a Penguin. The penguin kept playing with my sister, while Mary Poppins started talking to me. She saw my pins and pen and said, “Oh my I assume you have quite the evil streak”. I told her “don’t worry I’ve always loved you” she replied “As you should”. It was hysterical. I LOVE interacting with the characters. As we left she told my mother “Look out for this one”, referring to me.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
We visited this park on Thursday. We walked in fast passed Expedition Everest and decided to take the train to “Rafiki’s Planet Watch” and see if we could meet Pocahontas. We never visited Rafiki’s Planet Watch before, so it was something different. Now I must make something clear…My mother, sister, and myself are not outdoors people. We’re not animal people and we rather stay in a luxury hotel then be outside, lol. Rafiki’s Planet watch is all about animals. My sister was freaking out, especially when she saw all the spiders. She literally started crying “Meet Pocahontas and get out of here!!”, lol.
We did meet Pocahontas. She was very, very sweet. She asked if we went out in our canoe’s today since there was so much water around (referring to the storm). She was very pretty as well, and I got her autograph. I was thrilled, lol. We also met Jiminy Cricket there! We’ve never so that was a treat. After that character experience we went back and rode Everest. That is such a cool ride! That Yeti is scary real; it’s just an amazing ride. After that we watched “Festival of The Lion King”, an amazing show, and “Pocahontas and her Forest Friends”. I’m a big Pocahontas fan, and the show is closing at the end of September. Therefore we made the Pocahontas show a must do. The actress playing Pocahontas looked just like the animated character. It was scary! She was very, very talented and I enjoyed the show. After that we left the Animal Kingdom.
1900 Park Faire, Cinderella and her “loving” family
1900 Park Faire is a restaurant inside the Grand Floridian Resort. We ate there for dinner one night. It was a character dinner featuring Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Treamine, Anastasia, and Drizella. This dinner was a lot of fun, because all the characters were interacting with everyone. There was one pint when a child dropped her bread on the floor and Drizella screamed “Cinderella!!! Come clean this up” Cinderella walked over put her hands on her hips and just gave Drizella this look, lol. It was funny. Anastasia was the first to come to our table, wjen she saw my Maleficent pen she yelled “Mother!!! Look it’s our old babysitter Maleifffy!! Oh, she was a great babysitter, her and mother go way back”. It was hysterical. When Lady Tremaine came over she saw my pen and said “Ah you met my daughters babysitter. She is so good with kids” Lady Tremaine asked where we were staying, I told her here at the Floridian. She went “ahh do you have money?” I laughed. She said “I guess that means no then” I said “we do come here every year” she said “and do you usually stay here” I nodded. She then went “you may marry into the family anytime. Please don’t let the unfortunate deaths of my last two husbands drive you away. They were accidental you know”. It was very funny. Drizella came over and asked if I was single, it was cute. She requested a picture only with me, lol. Prince Charming didn’t say much, he did shake my hand though and posed for a picture with my mom and sister. Cinderella was the last to visit. She was very sweet. I had to apologize about my pen, she told me not to worry but she said the villains scared her. She asked who my favorite villain was. I told her Cruella, she said “Cruella, oh! She’s simply terrifying”. It was cute. We had a fun dinner.
- We also ate at 1900 Park Faire one morning for breakfast. For breakfast the characters were Pooh, Tigger, Alice, the Mad Hatter, and Mary Poppins. The Mad Hatter was crazy. He sat down next to us looked at pen and said “whoa she’s scary! Are you attracted to her? What about the Queen of Hearts. I mean she’s a looker and that mole on her cheek is Hot!!! It was very funny. When Alice came over she told me “You know Maleficent is misunderstood. I mean she wasn’t invited to a party. She should have just showed up, like I always do. It would have been a lot easier. You know you don’t have to be invited to a party to go”. When Mary Poppins came over she told me Maleficent might be evil but she has great manners for the most part. It was funny.
The California Grill
- This is a restaurant at the to if Disney’s Contemporary Resort. It is surrounded in glass and has a wonderful view of the fireworks show, Wishes. During Wishes they turn off the lights and play the soundtrack while you watch the fireworks. It is a very beautiful, classy restaurant- we had to dress nicely. The food was amazing, it was all fine cuisine. We had a table right in front of the window and a perfect view of Cinderella’s Castle. Unfortunately Wishes was cancelled due to the storm. We were disappointed, but now we know where to dine for our next trip. It was just a beautiful place.
Well that’s my Disney Vacation Trip Report. I apologize for taking so long, lol. If you read the entire thing, Thanks, it took a very long time to type. Please excuse any spelling or grammar errors. If you have any questions or want me to go into more detail about something just ask. Please note that I am going to post this on WDWmagic.com. A lot of Disney cast members are on that site and may be friends with the characters I interacted with. That is why I thanked a lot of the characters.
Video will be uploaded to YouTube within the next two days.
Pictures:http://picasaweb.google.com/disneyvault ... _zhWYcY3iQ
Video: (will be updated all week)
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... 68DF82988C
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