Gabe's WDW trip April 18-21 2013

[Gabe]

I recently returned from a long weekend at WDW to celebrate my 40th bday. While I took lots of pics, I won't post them here, as you've all seen pictures of everything at one point or another.

April 18 (birthday) arrived in Orlando at 10:30 AM. Was picked up at teh airport by my girlfriend and we headed to Port Orleans French Quarter. We did online check in, but it wasn't necssary, since for the first time in ages, there wasn't a huge line to check in! (maybe 2-3 people ahead of us). We ate lunch at the Sassagoula Food Factory (food court) while waiting for our room. We were assigned a king room in bldg 3. just a 2 min walk from the main bldg. (side note--this resort is the best, in my mind, of all the Disney moderates--close to 3 of 4 parks (AK is a bit of a hike on their bus), its small (6 bldgs, only 2 bus stops ten feet apart) and very well themed. During the morning rush (1 hr before park open-2 hours after park open) the bus goes directly from French Quarter to the park. After that, it circles around to the Riverside part of the hotel before going over).

We first went to the Studios, and got there about 1:30. We got a fp for Toy Story (for 7 PM) and did all the other stuff..Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, Star Tours (where I was the rebel spy Vader wanted!) etc. The crowds were about a 5/10. I was able to get a few fps on Rock n Roller Coaster and then did it sev more times in the Singles line (Oh how I miss that on Diamondback!) Surprisngly, FPs were available on Toy Story until about 4:30 PM. (On busy days, those are all gone for the whole day by noon). Also was able to ride TOT a couple times w FP then a couple times in standby line (10 min wait both times) (I should note my GF doesnt do big rides!).

We had a reservation at Mama Melrose at the studios for dinner at 7:15 and it turned out to be very good! service was great, food was good and well priced (we didn;t do the dining plan and unless you have ravenously hungry kids, I'd suggest not buying it, though sometimes they throw it in for free, but only if you book a room at the non discounted rate).

After that we went to Downtoen Disney to the Marketplace side, walked around, went into the World of Disney and all the other shops in that part of the complex, then back to the hotel.

Also, a nice Disney touch is the fact that I had a 'Happy Birthday' button on the whole time and I had about 30 cast members wish me a happy birthday. That was neat.

April 19-Epcot. (or the park that is still trying to get out of the 80s!)

Again, crowd sizes were about a 4-5 the whole day. We got there at 9:15 and managed to do Soarin 3x in the first hour (with fps and then a 5 min standby line) then living with the land boat tour. (oooo, hydroponic cucumbers lol) Even at the busiest point in the day, the wait never got above 60 min for soarin. From there we did Spaceship Earth (still good), then I did Test Track myself in the singles line and fp a few times. I am mixed on TT 2.0. the new design center is very cool, but then once you get to the track, they dont really make you feel like you're in your 'sim' car aside from a few signs displaying how your car stacks up against the others. The best part is still the last 30 seconds when you zoom outside and around the bldg.

From there we went to Mexico to grab a quick bite then walked around the world showcase. I rode the Grand Fiesta Tour (which is now horrible with the retheme to the 3 cabeleors), then the Maelstrom a few times (still a fun ride), followed by a nice stroll around the rest of the world showcase (I've been to Disney numerous times and did the College Program there as well, so with the low crowds, we decided to make a more leisurely day of it and not hustle everywhere.)

We had dinner reservations at Teppan Edo in Japan (benihana type place), which we've eaten in before. The food was delicious, priced about the same as benihana (29 for steak and chicken) but with better chefs who, aside from the traditional stuff like making a volcano, did other tricks as well.

From there I rosde Mission Space Twice (while I miss Horizons, at least they kept the scent of oranges and put it on Soarin)my girlfriend was tired so she went back to the hotel. I decided I'd like to play a bit more, so I took the monorail to the MK and spent the last 2.5 hours of the park day up there doing all the big rides--space mountain few times with FP, buzz lightyear spin, Splash mtn. When I got to Thunder about a half hour before park close a train had just missed a block so the ride had e-stopped.

For anyone not familiar with how that ride works, the track is built really tight around the mountain, and the ride ops have very tight windows in which to dispatch trains. If not, the ride e-stops and takes a good 15 min or so to restart (and this is even after the 9 month rehab that was finished this past fall). So, with Thunder down the rest of th enight, I went to Jungle Cruise (great female skipper..yes, a lot of the lines are striaght out of 1955, but hey, Walt wrote the script, so it still gets used), then to Pirates 2.0 Cant say im a huge fan of the insertion of Jack Sparrow, though it works obviously for the ride and I am a fan of the movies. If only those male pirates still chased the wenches lol), then the park had closed, so I went back.

April 20--MK

Got to the park about 845 just before rope drop and got in quickly about 850 (they opened up right after the pre-opening celebration outside in the entrance plaza). Again, crowds were a 4-5 the whole day--using FPS strategicaly we managed to do lots of rides sev times over..this is my favorite park, so we spent the whole day and night here. We got the new Fantasyland stuff done first--5 min wait for Peter pan (yes, it still gets hr plus waits even on slow days), walk on for small world and FP for little mermaid and pooh, then goofy and dumbo. The Little mermaid ride is housed in the castle of Prince Eric and basically tells the abridged story of the movie. animatronics are great and its a great ride for kids.

We had lunch at Pecos Bill in Frontierland and then did Haunted Mansion (prob my fav non coaster ride in all of WDW) and then to the new 'quiet area' in the corner of the park btwn Liberty square and Fantasyland. It has been newly redone and is themed to Rapunzel. The best part though--multiple charging stations for your electronics! Cedar Fair--take note!).

We had 6 Pm dinner reservations for Be Our Guest. I must say that while the experience was amazing, the food was a bit underwhelming and a bit overpriced. I wont spoil the fun, but they do stay very true to the movie in how you enter the castle. While the Grand Ballroom is spectacular, we sat in the smaller west wing, (featuring an animated rose losing its petals). Its got a darker vibe to it, since it often thunders and lightnings when the petals fall off..and pay attention to the portrait of the Prince for another neat surprise!) During dinner The Beast appears sev times (the walk around character) and invites you to have your pic taken with him on your way out. we did that, which was fun. (a side note--unless you're lucky, dinner reservations are very hard to get here. When we asked, we were told that they are now booked up every night until November) In fact, you cant even make them online anymore. you must call 407 wdw dine in order to inquire. They do accept standbys but on a first come basis..so, you could get there at 5 and hope that someone doesnt show for a reservation, or you can wait around all night). Lunch is open to everyone and is open seating..it is a hybrid quick service. You order, then sit anywhere in the ballroom or west wing and they serve you the food.

After dinner my girlfriend went back and I marathoned the mountains and rerode my favs (Mansion, Mermaid, Pirates) until the park closed at 11. I've seen both the daytime 'Celebrate a Dream Come True' Parade and the Electrial Parade at night so I didnt stick around for that, but did watch wishes from the top of the swiss family treehouse, which is my fav vantasge point in the park).

April 21--got to Animal KIngdom about 9:30 and rode Everest 6x btwn FP and singles line, then did the safari ride, which was cool..two giraffes were literaly 2 feet from our jeep on either side, then Dinosaur two times (what Test Track should be!), followed by a quick ride on Primevil World (a very rough crazy Mouse coaster), then lunch at the Rainforest Cafe at the entrance. After that, it was tiem to head back to the hotel and then to the airport.

All in all I had a great time! for low crowds, the best times to go are in early Jan (except Marathon and MLK wknds) through late March, then again in mid April-Mem day (after easter and spring break seasons). Once more in mid Sept-mid November (excedpt Columbus Day). I know they say the wk btwn xmas-new years is low, but not really anymore. summer is a bear--weather is hot, crowds are high and waits are long. With low crowds like we had, the FP windows were rarely more than 45 min after the current time we got them.

One more note--to the poster who mentioned the Toy Story characters falling down when you say Andy's coming--management has no longer allowed that to happen. we saw people trying but to no avail. sometimes the characters will cover their eyes or pretend to be surprised, but that's it. Hope you enjoyed this long TR and Thanks for reading!

[Original]

port Orleans French Quarter.

How funny we stayed there too a couple weeks ago. I hope you can read my wdw tpr sometime. Sounds like you had fun!

[Original]

We had 6 Pm dinner reservations for Be Our Guest. I must say that while the experience was amazing, the food was a bit underwhelming and a bit overpriced. I wont spoil the fun, but they do stay very true to the movie in how you enter the castle. While the Grand Ballroom is spectacular, we sat in the smaller west wing, (featuring an animated rose losing its petals). Its got a darker vibe to it, since it often thunders and lightnings when the petals fall off..and pay attention to the portrait of the Prince for another neat surprise!) During dinner The Beast appears sev times (the walk around character) and invites you to have your pic taken with him on your way out. we did that, which was fun. (a side note--unless you're lucky, dinner reservations are very hard to get here. When we asked, we were told that they are now booked up every night until November) In fact, you cant even make them online anymore. you must call 407 wdw dine in order to inquire. They do accept standbys but on a first come basis..so, you could get there at 5 and hope that someone doesnt show for a reservation, or you can wait around all night). Lunch is open to everyone and is open seating..it is a hybrid quick service. You order, then sit anywhere in the ballroom or west wing and they serve you the food.

Sorry double post. We were going to do that but we were to late to make our reservations. Nice to know what it was like!

[RD Reynolds]

port Orleans French Quarter.

How funny we stayed there too a couple weeks ago. I hope you can read my wdw tpr sometime. Sounds like you had fun!

We're actually thinking about staying there in October. We stayed at PO Riverside before and really liked it. I think PO is one of the best resorts in all of WDW. Prefer Beach Club, but PO is like half the price, so it is a VERY nice place. Curious to see how FQ compares to Riverside...have you stayed at both?

[Gabe]

I have not stayed at RS,but I can tell you that, on the whole, the buildings looked to be a smidge nicer and I'm told the rooms are a smidge nicer as well (though the room sizes are the same). The only downside is that it is the bigger side of the resort..it features 4 bus stops, so you'd have to allow a bit of extra time to/from the parks on their busses. Their restaurants are nicer as well I'm told. I just don't like having a great distance to our room from a bus stop, esp after hours of walking in the park, so the compactness of french quarter is more appealling. @ original--I did read your report and enjoyed it! I really enjoy the whole resort and look forward to bringing my kids back there this fall (I brought my daughter last year); this was an adults trip). Weather was great--low-mid 80s, low humidity all days.

[Gabe]

I should also add that during the evening rush-1 hr after close, the busses go straight from FQ to the parks and vice versa--no stopping at riverside. The last bus leavesd appx 1 hr after the park closes so keep that in mind as you're browsing through the Emporium!

[RD Reynolds]

I have not stayed at RS,but I can tell you that, on the whole, the buildings looked to be a smidge nicer and I'm told the rooms are a smidge nicer as well (though the room sizes are the same). The only downside is that it is the bigger side of the resort..it features 4 bus stops, so you'd have to allow a bit of extra time to/from the parks on their busses. Their restaurants are nicer as well I'm told. I just don't like having a great distance to our room from a bus stop, esp after hours of walking in the park, so the compactness of french quarter is more appealling. @ original--I did read your report and enjoyed it! I really enjoy the whole resort and look forward to bringing my kids back there this fall (I brought my daughter last year); this was an adults trip). Weather was great--low-mid 80s, low humidity all days.

Cool, thanks for the info. One thing I really liked is the restaurant at Riverside, where you could have them make your own pasta. Sounds silly and insignificant, but I remember that being quite good.