We've been back home and back in our routine for almost two weeks now. Our vacation seems so surreal, almost like we were never there. The groundhog’s prediction seems to be holding as we are still having cold weather, but the days are getting longer and I heard a few tree frogs chirping the other day so spring won’t be too much longer in coming.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATE! One thing I forgot to mention in all the write up about our vacation was Nate's birthday. He got to celebrate his eleventh birthday in the Magic Kingdom! He said it was both a good and a bad day: good because he was at Disney World on his birthday, bad that it was our last day there.
At Disney World you get to wear a special button on your birthday and Nate was wished a happy birthday by every cast member who noticed it. He also got a birthday cupcake which he carried around all afternoon until he finally ate it. We told Nate we'd celebrate as a family after we got home but we’ve been so busy we haven't made his cake yet.
A BUSY WEEKEND. Nate had an 8:00 game Saturday morning, and boy, was it a good game! It was back and forth by one point almost the whole time. All the kids on both teams played well. We were down by one with nine seconds to go and we had the ball. One of our kids drove the length of the court and made a three point shot on the buzzer. You can imagine the reaction in the gym.
That evening we had a chili supper fund raiser for the Boy Scouts. The boys had the late shift and worked the tail end of the supper and cleaned up.
The next morning our Haiti mission team gave a report on their trip at church. They were in Haiti while we were at Disney World. They got to meet the kids at the orphanage we are supporting as well as see the new facility where they are living. The team related so many neat details about their trip but the one that stands out in my mind was the gratitude expressed by the pastor and his wife who run the orphanage. They had given up hope that they could continue and were afraid they would have to close and turn the kids out on the street. The kids were getting one meal a day of rice or noodles and their old building was about to be condemned. Now they are in new buildings and the kids get three meals a day as well as juice! Jenna is so looking forward to her trip in May.
Our church service was followed by a chili/soup fund raiser lunch. It was good but I think I'm about done with chili for a while.
By this time we knew Been was really sick. He had complained of a sore throat on Saturday and didn't make it to church. Vicki took him to the doctor. Sure enough: strep. He missed school Monday and when Jenna, Nate, and I came home that evening we noted two vultures perched in the tree by the security light. We asked Ben if he was sicker than we realized. (He’s feeling fine now.)
ACCOMPLISHMENTS. Our Scout troop held their winter Court of Honor Tuesday night. Ben is now a Second Class Scout and Nate has earned his Scout rank.
I need to mention two big scouting accomplishments in our family. First, I think I failed to recognize my nephew, Cameron, on becoming an Eagle Scout back in the fall. Cameron actually has the distinction of becoming an Eagle Scout and a Knight of Columbus on the same day. We got to look at Cameron’s Eagle Scout project book when we visited last. He cleaned up a cemetery at his church and really had his work cut out for him. I think the project wound up being more involved that he originally planned, which in my opinion is a great dose of reality.
The second person I need to recognize is my cousin, Alex, who is now an Eagle Scout as well. Alex chose to repair a handrail/porch rail on an old building at his church. This, too, was an impressive project in its scope and turned out really well.
Congratulations to both Eagle Scouts. We are proud of you.
Joe
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Return to Walt Disney World, Part 4
You can save a lot of money and time at Walt Disney World by bringing in sandwiches and snacks, but in doing so you miss out on dining in the cool themed restaurants. We decided we would splurge in this area and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I need to go on a diet. Here's a run down of the table service restaurants where we ate.
SAN ANGEL INN, MEXICO, EPCOT. This is the one restaurant that was a repeat. Vicki and I enjoyed a romantic dinner here back in 1994 when we were down for Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda's 40th wedding anniversary and we wanted to revisit this with the kids.
The majority of the Mexican pavilion is indoors and perpetually at twilight. You walk through the marketplace to get to the restaurant which overlooks the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride and a large scale diorama of a Aztec pyramid and volcano beyond.
YAK AND YETI, ASIA, ANIMAL KINGDOM. This restaurant serves a mixture of Asian and American cuisine. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was neat. It was here that Vicki coined a new phrase after watching the boys eat saying they were "un-etiqu-ated."
BE OUR GUEST, FANTASYLAND, MAGIC KINGDOM. We were here for lunch during its quick service (fast food) mode and reservations weren't necessary. There was a long line to get in, but it was worth the wait. This restaurant is themed from Beauty and the Beast and has three unique dining rooms. We ate in the largest room where you could look outside and see snow falling. One of the other dining room featured a storm outside while the third had Beauty and Beast dancing in the middle of the room.
50'S PRIME TIME CAFE, ECHO LAKE, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS. This place was a hoot. As the name suggests you step back to the 1950s for this one. The food was great but the servers are what makes it so fun. Do not put your elbows on the table here, or talk with your mouth full, or leave you napkin on the table. If you fail to practice good manners your server will get on to you--loudly. I told one man who sat down as we were leaving that h was in for a very long meal.
Our server called Vicki and me Mom and Pops. Jenna was Princess and the boys were nicknamed Scooter and Sparky.
WHISPERING CANYON CAFE, WILDERNESS LODGE. This was probably the favorite of everyone except Ben. The resort and restaurant just struck us as one of the coolest places to eat and the food was really good. (I have no idea how we managed to stuff down our treats from Ghirardelli Soda Fountain after this.)
The serving staff are what makes this place extra special. You never know when they will break out into song making the guests sing with them among other things. Our server, Jenny, decided to flirt with Ben, calling him her boyfriend, asking if he wanted to meet up at the Magic Kingdom later, and even calling her "Pa" over for an introduction. Vicki and I loved it, but poor Ben could have crawled under the table.
CONCLUSION. As much as I hate to commit our trip to history it is time to wrap this up and move on. I will end with four quotes from the boys. Be warned, I am not going to provide any context for their words, I’m leaving all that to your imagination.
Ben: “That didn't happen.”
Nate: “I wouldn't do that, but I would slap his belly.”
Ben: “What is suey sauce?”
Nate: “Well, there it goes. Those people just don't know how to sneak up on a bird.”
Joe
SAN ANGEL INN, MEXICO, EPCOT. This is the one restaurant that was a repeat. Vicki and I enjoyed a romantic dinner here back in 1994 when we were down for Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda's 40th wedding anniversary and we wanted to revisit this with the kids.
The majority of the Mexican pavilion is indoors and perpetually at twilight. You walk through the marketplace to get to the restaurant which overlooks the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride and a large scale diorama of a Aztec pyramid and volcano beyond.
YAK AND YETI, ASIA, ANIMAL KINGDOM. This restaurant serves a mixture of Asian and American cuisine. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was neat. It was here that Vicki coined a new phrase after watching the boys eat saying they were "un-etiqu-ated."
BE OUR GUEST, FANTASYLAND, MAGIC KINGDOM. We were here for lunch during its quick service (fast food) mode and reservations weren't necessary. There was a long line to get in, but it was worth the wait. This restaurant is themed from Beauty and the Beast and has three unique dining rooms. We ate in the largest room where you could look outside and see snow falling. One of the other dining room featured a storm outside while the third had Beauty and Beast dancing in the middle of the room.
50'S PRIME TIME CAFE, ECHO LAKE, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS. This place was a hoot. As the name suggests you step back to the 1950s for this one. The food was great but the servers are what makes it so fun. Do not put your elbows on the table here, or talk with your mouth full, or leave you napkin on the table. If you fail to practice good manners your server will get on to you--loudly. I told one man who sat down as we were leaving that h was in for a very long meal.
Our server called Vicki and me Mom and Pops. Jenna was Princess and the boys were nicknamed Scooter and Sparky.
WHISPERING CANYON CAFE, WILDERNESS LODGE. This was probably the favorite of everyone except Ben. The resort and restaurant just struck us as one of the coolest places to eat and the food was really good. (I have no idea how we managed to stuff down our treats from Ghirardelli Soda Fountain after this.)
The serving staff are what makes this place extra special. You never know when they will break out into song making the guests sing with them among other things. Our server, Jenny, decided to flirt with Ben, calling him her boyfriend, asking if he wanted to meet up at the Magic Kingdom later, and even calling her "Pa" over for an introduction. Vicki and I loved it, but poor Ben could have crawled under the table.
CONCLUSION. As much as I hate to commit our trip to history it is time to wrap this up and move on. I will end with four quotes from the boys. Be warned, I am not going to provide any context for their words, I’m leaving all that to your imagination.
Ben: “That didn't happen.”
Nate: “I wouldn't do that, but I would slap his belly.”
Ben: “What is suey sauce?”
Nate: “Well, there it goes. Those people just don't know how to sneak up on a bird.”
Joe
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Return to Walt Disney World, Part 3
The last time we went to Walt Disney World two of the parks were completely new to us and our goal was to see as much as we could possibly fit in. This time we had our list of favorite things to do and wanted to slow down the pace to simply enjoy ourselves. This didn't always work out due to FastPass times, showtimes, and dinner reservations, but we still enjoyed ourselves.
Nate was the least able to remember things from our last trip--he was five then--but once he saw a ride or show it all started coming back for him. He was apprehensive about some of the roller coasters, but Vicki got him to ride several and his favorite is Space Mountain.
MAGIC KINGDOM. I think this is the favorite park for all of us though Epcot runs a very close second. There are so many things here that we all enjoy that we made it a point to spend two days here. I won't run down all our favorites, but I will share two cool aspects of this park for this trip.
First is that Fantasyland has been expanded. They have reclaimed the space once occupied from the old 20,000 Leagues ride to create this new area which features a restaurant (more on that next time) and the Under the Sea ride as well as shops and things to do for younger children. Early on we had hoped the Seven Dwarves Mine Train ride would be operational but it was still under construction and should open soon. This area will fit in with the original area nicely once construction is finished.
The other neat thing to tell is that we signed up for a Youth Education Program class which saved us $250 on our tickets. The particular class we took was Physics: Waves and Energy. It's not every day that you get to take a class with a theme park as your classroom and we really enjoyed it. This particular course was an introduction to sound and light waves and took us on three attractions (Stitch's Great Escape, Mickey's Philharmagic, and Haunted Mansion) as examples of how they use these concepts to create Disney magic. The coolest part of the course was getting to go back stage in the Haunted Mansion to see how the Pepper's Ghost illusion is used to create the ballroom scene. (This is the largest example of this illusion in the world.) We got to stand below the Doom Buggy track and see the actual ghost animatronic figures as they danced around, ate at the banquet table, and played the organ. (We got another chance to go back stage when a short cut to Tomorrowland was opened behind Main Street USA during a parade. Nate was surprised that the back sides of the buildings don’t have the same decorative facade as the front.)
EPCOT. We devoted two days to this park as well, and as I said above, it runs a close second to Magic Kingdom for us. There are a lot of fun things to do here, Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space, and Spaceship Earth being among our favorites.
One neat attraction I should mention here is Turtle Talk with Crush. In this show a digitally animated Crush swims up to the screen and interacts with the audience (especially the kids). Crush is essentially a computer generated puppet and I'd love to see how the puppeteer makes him work. They do the same sort of thing in Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor over in Magic Kingdom.
One thing I've always wanted to do is slowly meander around all the countries in World Showcase. This has never worked out due to time constraints or the attention span of young children, until now. It took the better part of two afternoons but we got to poke around and get a feel for each country that is represented.
ANIMAL KINGDOM. We enjoyed this park a lot more this visit. Looking back Vicki and I think it was because the last time we were at this park it wound up being a hot day which shut both of us down. This time it was pleasant enough that we enjoyed observing all the animals. I think our favorite was watching the hippo swim by at an incredible rate of speed and grace for an animal that size. Another animal that sticks out in my minds are bats that are larger than footballs sleeping from tree limbs. Then there were all the other animals you'd expect to see from Africa or Asia.
Vicki and the kids rode Expedition Everest several times (thanks to the single rider line) and the boys got on Kali River Rapids once. We also saw the Finding Nemo and Birds of Wonder shows which are favorites, but the Lion King show was closed because that area of the park is getting a complete overhaul.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS. We enjoyed this park but were worn out by the time we got there (our fifth day). Vicki and the kids rode the Rockin' Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror early in the day while I went for FastPasses.
Unfortunately all the FastPasses for Toy Story Mania! were gone within 15 minutes of the park opening (I learned two large tour groups got most of them). This is our favorite ride in all the parks so the boys and I braved the hour wait in the standby line. Unfortunately, Vicki and Jenna never got to ride this. After checking the app several times over the last few days we were lucky to only wait an hour for this ride. I think they could build another one and not serve all their guests. We also rode Star Tours a couple of times which is a motion simulated Star Wars flight. I learned that there are 52 scenarios for this ride so it is unlikely anyone would have the same experience twice.
Vicki and Jenna took in some shows while the boys and I were in line for Toy Story Mania! When we hooked back up we saw the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular; MuppetVision 3D; Lights, Motors, Action!; and Fantasmic! which was the best by far.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY--or as Jenna who was having a BBC/PBS moment called it, Downton Disney--is Disney's shopping area. We treated ourselves at Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop while there and then browsed in the Lego and Disney stores.
The kids, especially Nate, had enjoyed pin trading all week, but the Disney pin store here was their capstone experience in trading. Both boys got some pins they were looking for and I think one of the next projects out in my shop will be to help them make shadow boxes for their pins as well as their Cub Scout things.
This is a good place to stop for now. I'll finish up next time with the restaurants where we ate and a few loose ends. Then it will be back to life here in Tennessee.
Joe
Nate was the least able to remember things from our last trip--he was five then--but once he saw a ride or show it all started coming back for him. He was apprehensive about some of the roller coasters, but Vicki got him to ride several and his favorite is Space Mountain.
MAGIC KINGDOM. I think this is the favorite park for all of us though Epcot runs a very close second. There are so many things here that we all enjoy that we made it a point to spend two days here. I won't run down all our favorites, but I will share two cool aspects of this park for this trip.
First is that Fantasyland has been expanded. They have reclaimed the space once occupied from the old 20,000 Leagues ride to create this new area which features a restaurant (more on that next time) and the Under the Sea ride as well as shops and things to do for younger children. Early on we had hoped the Seven Dwarves Mine Train ride would be operational but it was still under construction and should open soon. This area will fit in with the original area nicely once construction is finished.
The other neat thing to tell is that we signed up for a Youth Education Program class which saved us $250 on our tickets. The particular class we took was Physics: Waves and Energy. It's not every day that you get to take a class with a theme park as your classroom and we really enjoyed it. This particular course was an introduction to sound and light waves and took us on three attractions (Stitch's Great Escape, Mickey's Philharmagic, and Haunted Mansion) as examples of how they use these concepts to create Disney magic. The coolest part of the course was getting to go back stage in the Haunted Mansion to see how the Pepper's Ghost illusion is used to create the ballroom scene. (This is the largest example of this illusion in the world.) We got to stand below the Doom Buggy track and see the actual ghost animatronic figures as they danced around, ate at the banquet table, and played the organ. (We got another chance to go back stage when a short cut to Tomorrowland was opened behind Main Street USA during a parade. Nate was surprised that the back sides of the buildings don’t have the same decorative facade as the front.)
EPCOT. We devoted two days to this park as well, and as I said above, it runs a close second to Magic Kingdom for us. There are a lot of fun things to do here, Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space, and Spaceship Earth being among our favorites.
One neat attraction I should mention here is Turtle Talk with Crush. In this show a digitally animated Crush swims up to the screen and interacts with the audience (especially the kids). Crush is essentially a computer generated puppet and I'd love to see how the puppeteer makes him work. They do the same sort of thing in Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor over in Magic Kingdom.
One thing I've always wanted to do is slowly meander around all the countries in World Showcase. This has never worked out due to time constraints or the attention span of young children, until now. It took the better part of two afternoons but we got to poke around and get a feel for each country that is represented.
ANIMAL KINGDOM. We enjoyed this park a lot more this visit. Looking back Vicki and I think it was because the last time we were at this park it wound up being a hot day which shut both of us down. This time it was pleasant enough that we enjoyed observing all the animals. I think our favorite was watching the hippo swim by at an incredible rate of speed and grace for an animal that size. Another animal that sticks out in my minds are bats that are larger than footballs sleeping from tree limbs. Then there were all the other animals you'd expect to see from Africa or Asia.
Vicki and the kids rode Expedition Everest several times (thanks to the single rider line) and the boys got on Kali River Rapids once. We also saw the Finding Nemo and Birds of Wonder shows which are favorites, but the Lion King show was closed because that area of the park is getting a complete overhaul.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS. We enjoyed this park but were worn out by the time we got there (our fifth day). Vicki and the kids rode the Rockin' Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror early in the day while I went for FastPasses.
Unfortunately all the FastPasses for Toy Story Mania! were gone within 15 minutes of the park opening (I learned two large tour groups got most of them). This is our favorite ride in all the parks so the boys and I braved the hour wait in the standby line. Unfortunately, Vicki and Jenna never got to ride this. After checking the app several times over the last few days we were lucky to only wait an hour for this ride. I think they could build another one and not serve all their guests. We also rode Star Tours a couple of times which is a motion simulated Star Wars flight. I learned that there are 52 scenarios for this ride so it is unlikely anyone would have the same experience twice.
Vicki and Jenna took in some shows while the boys and I were in line for Toy Story Mania! When we hooked back up we saw the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular; MuppetVision 3D; Lights, Motors, Action!; and Fantasmic! which was the best by far.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY--or as Jenna who was having a BBC/PBS moment called it, Downton Disney--is Disney's shopping area. We treated ourselves at Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop while there and then browsed in the Lego and Disney stores.
The kids, especially Nate, had enjoyed pin trading all week, but the Disney pin store here was their capstone experience in trading. Both boys got some pins they were looking for and I think one of the next projects out in my shop will be to help them make shadow boxes for their pins as well as their Cub Scout things.
This is a good place to stop for now. I'll finish up next time with the restaurants where we ate and a few loose ends. Then it will be back to life here in Tennessee.
Joe
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Return to Walt Disney World, Part 2
Since I ended the last time mentioning comparisons to our previous trip I'll just pick up with that theme here.
WHY FEBRUARY? The last time we went to Walt Disney World was during our fall break. This time we pulled the kids out of school. There were several reasons for that. It had originally been our plan to return this past fall break but between the cruise we took last year and all our schedules February seemed to work best.
We also knew we were taking a risk with the winter weather, especially in what has turned out to be an abnormally cold winter for the US (Atlanta got hammered a second time with ice and snow while we were in Florida), but as neither Vicki nor I are fans of hot weather this worked out very well for us. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were warm enough for us to wear shorts. Rain moved in late Wednesday as were we leaving Epcot bringing a cold snap along with it. Thursday was by far the coldest day while we were there. Others may not agree, but we couldn't have asked for better weather.
This time of year also meant fewer crowds. There were only a few times that we were in a large press of people, unlike peak seasons. All but the most popular rides had short wait times.
One thing that will always stand out in my mind is the large group of teenage girls from Argentina visiting the parks. We saw them the days we were at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. They walked through the parks singing, cheering, and generally having the time of their lives.
WHERE WE STAYED. When we planned our trip back in 2008 I told Vicki it had been a long time dream of mine to stay on property. We did that then (we stayed at All Star Music) and it made our trip wonderful. This time we booked a condo at Polynesian Isle Resort in Kissimmee. This was probably the nicest condo we've ever stayed in. We wound up having far more room for much less money staying here.
We had about a 15 minute commute to get to the parks each day. Of course, the last time we parked our van and caught a Disney bus to wherever we needed to go. As close as we were staying we really didn't lose any time driving in.
TICKETS. The last time we were here we added the park hopper option to our passes. This time we did not.
This is sort of a toss up to me. I think we enjoyed park hopping when we had it last time yet didn't miss it this time. As good as Disney transportation is you wind up losing time in your day moving between parks. Of course, this can be a nice time to take a forced rest from all the walking you have to do.
I think the disadvantage to park hopping for us this time would have been that had we used Disney transportation to change parks our van would have been where we left it. When we were staying at All Star Music we could catch a bus from anywhere back there.
THE DINING PLAN. Last time we got the Disney dining plan. This was not an option for us this time since we were not resort guests. We just planned ahead and saved our credit card reward points, converting them to Disney gift cards, for the last few years for this occasion. Basically we paid for our meals but our budget never noticed it as our gift cards covered that, our parking, and our souvenirs. We did eat ate some wonderful restaurants, but I'll write about those later.
THE APP. One thing that is new, and very fitting for Disney, is the smart phone app. This app displays a map of all the parks complete with wait times for all the rides. We checked that frequently. The app also has all the times and menus for all the restaurants. Vicki was even able to use the app to make changes to our reservations. It is simply a wealth of information.
FASTPASS+. Disney introduced FastPass quite a few years ago allowing guests to reserve a time slot for a particular ride so they can do other things while "standing in line." This was a big part of our experience five years ago.
Thanks to WiFi technology and iPads Disney has streamlined the process. The new system is called FastPass+. Currently each ticket holder can FastPass three attractions per park per day, and you can take care of all of this from FastPass+ kiosks at various locations. The strategy for the guest is to evaluate the wait times because if you don't use a FastPass for a ride you can go back and change it. It also forces you to evaluate what you want to reserve for a FastPass as shows are now included in the FastPass system guaranteeing the FastPass holder a seat at showtime.
Speaking of passes, we noticed resort guests now have wrist bands (they can opt for the card if they wish). We were issued credit card style cards. We understand the wrist bands will become standard for all guests. Either way, your pass and your fingerprint gets you in the gate.
These were just a few of the things that were part of our overall Disney experience. I'll write about our favorite things from the parks next.
Joe
WHY FEBRUARY? The last time we went to Walt Disney World was during our fall break. This time we pulled the kids out of school. There were several reasons for that. It had originally been our plan to return this past fall break but between the cruise we took last year and all our schedules February seemed to work best.
We also knew we were taking a risk with the winter weather, especially in what has turned out to be an abnormally cold winter for the US (Atlanta got hammered a second time with ice and snow while we were in Florida), but as neither Vicki nor I are fans of hot weather this worked out very well for us. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were warm enough for us to wear shorts. Rain moved in late Wednesday as were we leaving Epcot bringing a cold snap along with it. Thursday was by far the coldest day while we were there. Others may not agree, but we couldn't have asked for better weather.
This time of year also meant fewer crowds. There were only a few times that we were in a large press of people, unlike peak seasons. All but the most popular rides had short wait times.
One thing that will always stand out in my mind is the large group of teenage girls from Argentina visiting the parks. We saw them the days we were at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. They walked through the parks singing, cheering, and generally having the time of their lives.
WHERE WE STAYED. When we planned our trip back in 2008 I told Vicki it had been a long time dream of mine to stay on property. We did that then (we stayed at All Star Music) and it made our trip wonderful. This time we booked a condo at Polynesian Isle Resort in Kissimmee. This was probably the nicest condo we've ever stayed in. We wound up having far more room for much less money staying here.
We had about a 15 minute commute to get to the parks each day. Of course, the last time we parked our van and caught a Disney bus to wherever we needed to go. As close as we were staying we really didn't lose any time driving in.
TICKETS. The last time we were here we added the park hopper option to our passes. This time we did not.
This is sort of a toss up to me. I think we enjoyed park hopping when we had it last time yet didn't miss it this time. As good as Disney transportation is you wind up losing time in your day moving between parks. Of course, this can be a nice time to take a forced rest from all the walking you have to do.
I think the disadvantage to park hopping for us this time would have been that had we used Disney transportation to change parks our van would have been where we left it. When we were staying at All Star Music we could catch a bus from anywhere back there.
THE DINING PLAN. Last time we got the Disney dining plan. This was not an option for us this time since we were not resort guests. We just planned ahead and saved our credit card reward points, converting them to Disney gift cards, for the last few years for this occasion. Basically we paid for our meals but our budget never noticed it as our gift cards covered that, our parking, and our souvenirs. We did eat ate some wonderful restaurants, but I'll write about those later.
THE APP. One thing that is new, and very fitting for Disney, is the smart phone app. This app displays a map of all the parks complete with wait times for all the rides. We checked that frequently. The app also has all the times and menus for all the restaurants. Vicki was even able to use the app to make changes to our reservations. It is simply a wealth of information.
FASTPASS+. Disney introduced FastPass quite a few years ago allowing guests to reserve a time slot for a particular ride so they can do other things while "standing in line." This was a big part of our experience five years ago.
Thanks to WiFi technology and iPads Disney has streamlined the process. The new system is called FastPass+. Currently each ticket holder can FastPass three attractions per park per day, and you can take care of all of this from FastPass+ kiosks at various locations. The strategy for the guest is to evaluate the wait times because if you don't use a FastPass for a ride you can go back and change it. It also forces you to evaluate what you want to reserve for a FastPass as shows are now included in the FastPass system guaranteeing the FastPass holder a seat at showtime.
Speaking of passes, we noticed resort guests now have wrist bands (they can opt for the card if they wish). We were issued credit card style cards. We understand the wrist bands will become standard for all guests. Either way, your pass and your fingerprint gets you in the gate.
These were just a few of the things that were part of our overall Disney experience. I'll write about our favorite things from the parks next.
Joe
Monday, February 17, 2014
Return to Walt Disney World, Part 1
We have just returned from the most magical place on earth and what fun we had! We promised our kids after we went to Walt Disney World back in October 2008 that we would return in five years and now we've made good on our promise.
THE ITINERARY. We pulled the kids out of school a week ago Friday (the 7th), loaded the van, said our goodbyes to Mom, and were on the road by 3:00. We made it to Cordele, Georgia, where we spent the night. The next day we traveled the remaining five hours to Orlando.
We stayed in a condo in Kissimmee this time, and after checking in and doing a little grocery shopping we headed out to Tatantinos, a local Italian restaurant, where we met all the Cotters. Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda treated all of us to supper. We enjoyed a nice visit around the table and then moved the conversation back to our condo so we could visit for a few more hours.
That brief visit was the only time we saw the Cotters while we were in the area. Unlike our last trip to Disney World they did not visit the parks with us. We had six day passes to the parks and our adventures began bright and early Sunday morning (the 9th). We visited the parks in this order:
Sunday - Epcot
Monday - Animal Kingdom
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom
Wednesday - Epcot
Thursday - Hollywood Studios
Friday - Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney
We were really sad to see Saturday come, but by then we were also very tired and it was time to head back home. We made the trip in one day, stopping in Kennesaw, Georgia, where we met the Jones family at Saporito's Pizza for supper. Maggie was very glad to see us when we got home, and now we're trying to tame the mountain of laundry that spilled out of our suitcases.
At least we had the President's Day holiday today to give us one more day before getting back into the routine, though there were always reminders. One day Melinda at my office sent a picture of my chair at work and said, "Your roller coaster awaits! Get ready for the ride of your life—The Holy Terror." (This was in response to the occasional "look at what we're doing now" picture I would send to her and Sherri.)
We did make a lot of comparisons between this trip and our last visit to Disney World five years ago and I will be writing from that perspective to some degree. (My report on our 2008 trip can be found in the archives of the Swann Family News blog if you are interested.) Of course, the kids' perspectives—especially Nate’s—are different because they are five years older. Since this is part one I will stop with this overview for now and save the details for the upcoming parts.
Joe
THE ITINERARY. We pulled the kids out of school a week ago Friday (the 7th), loaded the van, said our goodbyes to Mom, and were on the road by 3:00. We made it to Cordele, Georgia, where we spent the night. The next day we traveled the remaining five hours to Orlando.
We stayed in a condo in Kissimmee this time, and after checking in and doing a little grocery shopping we headed out to Tatantinos, a local Italian restaurant, where we met all the Cotters. Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda treated all of us to supper. We enjoyed a nice visit around the table and then moved the conversation back to our condo so we could visit for a few more hours.
That brief visit was the only time we saw the Cotters while we were in the area. Unlike our last trip to Disney World they did not visit the parks with us. We had six day passes to the parks and our adventures began bright and early Sunday morning (the 9th). We visited the parks in this order:
Sunday - Epcot
Monday - Animal Kingdom
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom
Wednesday - Epcot
Thursday - Hollywood Studios
Friday - Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney
We were really sad to see Saturday come, but by then we were also very tired and it was time to head back home. We made the trip in one day, stopping in Kennesaw, Georgia, where we met the Jones family at Saporito's Pizza for supper. Maggie was very glad to see us when we got home, and now we're trying to tame the mountain of laundry that spilled out of our suitcases.
At least we had the President's Day holiday today to give us one more day before getting back into the routine, though there were always reminders. One day Melinda at my office sent a picture of my chair at work and said, "Your roller coaster awaits! Get ready for the ride of your life—The Holy Terror." (This was in response to the occasional "look at what we're doing now" picture I would send to her and Sherri.)
We did make a lot of comparisons between this trip and our last visit to Disney World five years ago and I will be writing from that perspective to some degree. (My report on our 2008 trip can be found in the archives of the Swann Family News blog if you are interested.) Of course, the kids' perspectives—especially Nate’s—are different because they are five years older. Since this is part one I will stop with this overview for now and save the details for the upcoming parts.
Joe
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Living in the Shadow
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Sunday morning so I guess we’re in for six more weeks of winter weather. We were out of school yesterday for potentially hazardous back roads.
SKI TRIP. The Scout troop had a ski trip to Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, Indiana last weekend, and Ben had signed up to go. We scrambled to get enough clothes for him to stay warm only for him to go skiing on what was one of the warmest days of the winter.
Ben seemed a bit apprehensive about skiing for the first time, but when he got back home he was unusually talkative about the day's adventures. He started his day with ski lessons but he had skied six of the nine slopes by the end of the day. It was a long day for him (3:30 am to 10:45 pm) but he's ready to go back and try it again!
LUNCHROOM ECONOMY. As Ben was packing his lunch the other day he mentioned to Vicki that the Special K Pastry Crisps are a "high value item." Kids have been trading food from their lunches at schools for years and years, but apparently an entire economy has sprung up since my school days. From the sound of it Ben often has a lot of swapping power and has even scored someone else's homemade brownie and chicken nuggets.
Funny how lunch never seemed that exciting to me when I was in school. Aunt Ruth used to work in the school cafeteria and would see my tray when I returned it to be washed. She would often comment to Mom, "I worry about Joe. He don't eat nothin' at school."
SHOE SHOPPING. Jenna and Ben both needed shoes so Vicki took them shopping Monday afternoon. She told them to pick out anything under $50 and that if they wanted something more expensive they would have to pay the difference.
Vicki was Ben’s personal shopping assistant. I don't know how many pairs of shoes Ben tried on but eventually the selections were made. Vicki was putting boxes of shoes back on the shelf when she overheard Ben saying to Jenna, "Next time we go shoe shopping YOU can have her."
Vicki laughed and shot back, “Hey now, HER is paying for your $49 shoes.”
CREATURES OF HABIT. The kitchen table brings a smile to my face every morning when I get up, at least on school mornings. I walk in and two places are set for breakfast. If cereal is on the menu then everything but the milk is sitting out ready to go. It would be awesome if we could get the boys to prepare ahead in other areas of their lives, but this is a step in the right direction.
Joe
SKI TRIP. The Scout troop had a ski trip to Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, Indiana last weekend, and Ben had signed up to go. We scrambled to get enough clothes for him to stay warm only for him to go skiing on what was one of the warmest days of the winter.
Ben seemed a bit apprehensive about skiing for the first time, but when he got back home he was unusually talkative about the day's adventures. He started his day with ski lessons but he had skied six of the nine slopes by the end of the day. It was a long day for him (3:30 am to 10:45 pm) but he's ready to go back and try it again!
LUNCHROOM ECONOMY. As Ben was packing his lunch the other day he mentioned to Vicki that the Special K Pastry Crisps are a "high value item." Kids have been trading food from their lunches at schools for years and years, but apparently an entire economy has sprung up since my school days. From the sound of it Ben often has a lot of swapping power and has even scored someone else's homemade brownie and chicken nuggets.
Funny how lunch never seemed that exciting to me when I was in school. Aunt Ruth used to work in the school cafeteria and would see my tray when I returned it to be washed. She would often comment to Mom, "I worry about Joe. He don't eat nothin' at school."
SHOE SHOPPING. Jenna and Ben both needed shoes so Vicki took them shopping Monday afternoon. She told them to pick out anything under $50 and that if they wanted something more expensive they would have to pay the difference.
Vicki was Ben’s personal shopping assistant. I don't know how many pairs of shoes Ben tried on but eventually the selections were made. Vicki was putting boxes of shoes back on the shelf when she overheard Ben saying to Jenna, "Next time we go shoe shopping YOU can have her."
Vicki laughed and shot back, “Hey now, HER is paying for your $49 shoes.”
CREATURES OF HABIT. The kitchen table brings a smile to my face every morning when I get up, at least on school mornings. I walk in and two places are set for breakfast. If cereal is on the menu then everything but the milk is sitting out ready to go. It would be awesome if we could get the boys to prepare ahead in other areas of their lives, but this is a step in the right direction.
Joe
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