Back from Disney - recap included

[Ashley&Scott]

We were at Disney last week, we had fun but man it was hot & busier than we expected. 

ETA: I did not expect it to be so emotionally overwhelming or draining. M was asking to go back to the hotel pretty much immediately after entering the parks. I broke down & cried once we got back to our room on like the 2nd day. We won't be going back for at least a few years minimum, definitely not until we know M enjoys some of the more intense rides.

Here's my detailed recap:

Day 1 - Travel day
Arrived at airport just before 5am for 6am flight. M did SUPER traveling, DH & I were both really proud of him. I ended up having the stomach flu so I spent the flight willing myself not to get sick. Waited about 25 minutes to board Magical Express once we arrived in Orlando. Checked into the hotel at 2:30. I napped from 3-4:30 while DH took M exploring. They rode the monorail to MK & had ice cream while watching the afternoon parade. We ate dinner (QS- Contempo Cafe) at our hotel. Then went swimming, played on the beach & watched the fireworks from our balcony.

Day 2 - Animal Kingdom
Up at 6:45am, quick breakfast in room. Arrived at hotel bus stop at 8:25am, finally made it inside AK gates at 9:25am. I did not expect it to take this long & quickly learned I prefer the monorail over the bus. Used FP for the Safari, it was fun. Stopped at the drums & played for a while which M loved. The photographer there was GREAT, best photos of the entire trip. Met Baloo & King Louie, only waited 10 minutes. FP to meet Mickey & Minnie at Adventure Outpost, waited 15-20 minutes. M was shy, characters were great. 

Lunch at Tusker House, it was loud & very busy - our table was right in a main walkway & next to the buffet, which contributed to the noise. Character interaction was decent. Met Donald, Daisy & Goofy. Did not wait for Mickey since we had just met him before lunch. Food was good, M & I both loved the desserts. Carrot cake was a favorite. 

Had FP for Kali River Rapids, M loved this ride. We thought about riding again but we were all hot & tired, left at 2pm, M fell asleep on the bus ride. Rested in the room before dinner. Dinner at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella & her family. Food was good, M loved the desserts. Character interaction was great, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than Tusker House. M did not like meeting face characters so he hid under the table & a few tears were shed, I felt bad but we made the best of it. The characters were very accommodating/understanding. Grand Floridian hotel was beautiful. Took a few pictures in the carriage outside. Rode monorail back to CR. Rested in room.

Evening - went swimming & roasted marshmallows on the beach. Watched fireworks on balcony at 9pm.  Laid down at 9:30. M was too excited too sleep & neighbors were being loud. Finally went to sleep around 10:30. 

Day 3 - Magic Kingdom
Up at 7am. Ate quick breakfast in room, walked to MK. Arrived at 9am. Met Chip & Dale on our way to Frontierland. M wanted to ride a roller coaster, there was no wait for Big Thunder Mountain so we went in. M was scared after the first turn. Luckily the ride was short so I talked him through it & we were off in no time. Went to the train station & rode the steam train. He liked that much more. Got off the train at Main Street USA, went to meet Mickey at the Town Theater. Had FP, waited 10-15 min. M did not like that Mickey talked, he was very shy. I held him the entire time, he did not want to talk to Mickey or pose for the photos but we managed to get a few good shot.

Breakfast at Crystal Palace at 10:35am with Winnie the Pooh characters. Character interaction was great. M loved meeting Tiger, Piglet, Pooh & Eeyore. Food was great, breakfast was by far our favorite for buffets. Spent rest of the day in Tomorrowland. Rode the Tomorrowland Speedway twice, this was by far his favorite ride. Rode Dumbo & loved the waiting/play area. Rode Goofy's Barnstormer because M wanted to try a roller coaster that wasn't dark. He didn't like it. Proclaimed he doesn't like any roller coasters. Ended the day with the water play area near Dumbo, then rode the train back to the main gate. Monorail back to CR. Rested in room, went to Polynesian Resort for dinner at Captain Cooks. Had plans to swim at the Poly pool but it was gated. Ended up exploring the resort instead. Walked on the beach & rode the ferry over to MK. MK was packed for the Halloween party. Rode ferry to Grand Floridian & took the monorail back to our room.


Day 4 - Hollywood Studios & Epcot
Up at 6:30, quick snack in room. Left hotel at 8am, got inside the gates at HS at 8:45. Stopped for a few quick pictures, went to our 9am breakfast reservation at Hollywood & Vine. Hands down the best atmosphere of all the character meals we attended. They had a host/DJ on each side of the restaurant leading songs & dances for the kids to participate in. Food & character interaction were both good.

Went to Disney Jr. show, lasted about 20 minutes. It was fun & had interactions for the crowd. Walked through a history display about Walt Disney. Met Lightning McQueen, Mater, Phineas & Ferb, Daisy Duck & Pluto. Headed back to hotel at 12:30. Rested but did not nap.

Took monorail to Epcot at 3pm. Rode Spaceship Earth, M was not a fan. Went on the Finding Nemo ride. M loved the seagulls in front of the ride entrance that said “Mine, mine, mine”. Went inside the aquarium – saw dolphins & manatees, which M loved. Went to Turtle Talk with Crush, it was fun.Did not use any of the FPs we had planned. (Test Track, Character Spot) Walked around the World Showcase, at quick service at Liberty Inn (American Adventure) Went back to the hotel, bought a stuffed Pluto & went swimming.


Day 5 - Magic Kingdom
Up at 6:30, arrived at MK at 8:10am for EMH. Took a few pictures on our way down Main Street. Walked around the castle, rode the carousel & headed for Tomorrowland. DH & M rode the Tomorrowland Speedway while I tried to go get autographs. I quickly gave up after waiting in line for 10 minutes to meet Ariel, the line had barely moved. I tried to find Merida but the line was 50 people. Went back to find DH & M. Rode the Astro Orbiter. FP for Winnie the Pooh ride, bought M a Tigger hotwheel car in the gift shop. Rode the Mad Party Teacups. FP for the Tomorrowland Speedway. Ate lunch at Casey’s Corner. FP for It’s a Small World, M thought this was really neat. Stopped at the Christmas shop in Liberty Square & bought two ornaments. Rode the Magic Carpets & had Dole Whips before heading out at 2pm. Napped/rested in the room. Went to Chef Mickey's for dinner. Food was good, characters interaction was good. Restaurant was very busy. Went swimming after dinner.


Day 6 – Travel Day
Up at 6am. Finished packing, at last quick service meal at Contempo Café. Dropped off stroller at bell services & checked in our luggage. Boarded bus at 8:20am, arrived at airport at 9:35am. Flew home.
Arrived home at 4:30pm.


Other -

Kingdom Strollers - rented a City Mini, $80 for 5 nights including insurance. No issues, very nice stroller. It was a newer model with 4 wheels. Glad we had the stroller, we took it to the MK both days & to Epcot. We did not take it with us to AK or HS because we did not want to deal with it on the bus.

Garden Grocer - bought the minimum $40 worth of groceries. (2 jumbo cases (35ct) of water, 3 bananas, 8 fresh muffins, 8 yogurt cups, 8 fruit cups. Between this & the large assortment of snacks I had packed we had way too much food. Ended up giving away an entire case of water to another family staying at our hotel on our last day. Packed the fruit cups to go home. Half of the yogurt went bad when we didn't close the fridge door all the way one night.

Dining Plan - This ended up being worth it for us. With the free dining package it cost us about $620. I kept a tally of everything we ate, if we would have paid cash for the same food we would have spent $760. We used all of our table service credits for character meals. I'm not sure if we would have come out ahead if we hadn't had so many character meals, but it was a nice way to meet characters without waiting in lines. Also buffets, while probably not as tasty as traditional sit down restaurants are excellent for impatient kiddos & tired parents. We did have snacks left over at the end so I bought cookies & fudge to take home. I also didn't realize you would get drinks in addition to your refillable mug. If I had it to do again I would have added a case of water to our stroller rental & skipped the grocery delivery. I also would not have packed as many snacks, (granola bars, crackers, etc) we simply could not eat that much food. I packed it all back up in our suitcase to take home.

Memory Maker/Photo Pass - I think this was worth the $169. We ended up with about 125 photos of us plus the stock photos they give you. We could have obviously had more pictures taken but we got more tired & less into posing as the day went on. We got AWESOME pictures at AK at the drum, I need to find a way to compliment that photographer formerly with Disney. 

Contemporary Resort - the hotel was nice but it wasn't spectacular, certainly not what we expected from a "deluxe resort". There was no theme, which we knew going into it & thought we wouldn't mind. But there also wasn't any "magic" that you hear so much about. The staff was all nice & friendly, but no one seemed to be over the top like you see in the commercials. They forgot to clean our room one day, another day they didn't leave a garbage bag in our trashcan. They didn't really have an area for kids to play. The pool was fine & had a slide but definitely wasn't as cool at the pool we saw at the Polynesian Resort. The beach was nice but only had sand toys out once in the 5 nights we were there. The nightly outdoor movies were all geared toward the older kids/teens. It was nice to be able to watch the fireworks from our balcony. Overall I just don't think it was the best place to be with a 3.5yo, the hotel seemed geared towards convention attendees, couples & families with older kids. I loved being on the monorail & being able to walk to MK was great but I think the Polynesian would have been a much better fit for a family with younger kids. 

ETA 2: I will say since CR wasn't geared towards families it wasn't crazy busy, that part was nice. 

[Ashley&Scott]

Holy cow that was long!

[ssmjlm]

Glad you all had fun.

I will say, I agree the Contemporary doesn't really have a "theme" but we enjoyed our stay BLT. There was a splash pad out by the pool that E loved, not sure if you found that. We only found it waiting to check-in, since otherwise we were at BLT's pool.

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 28, 2015 15:58:47 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Glad you all had fun.

I will say, I agree the Contemporary doesn't really have a "theme" but we enjoyed our stay BLT. There was a splash pad out by the pool that E loved, not sure if you found that. We only found it waiting to check-in, since otherwise we were at BLT's pool.

We did find it & played in it some.  

But we were so envious of the pool at Poly when we ate there one night. It looked like so much fun.

[undecidedowl]

Sounds like a good and very full trip! Where you all just exhausted by the end?

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 28, 2015 16:17:11 GMT -5 undecidedowl said:

Sounds like a good and very full trip! Where you all just exhausted by the end?

Yes -  very, very exhausted. The best, most relaxing part of the whole trip was swimming every night after dinner. 

[mellymel]

Thanks for posting this review!

We are going in May 2016 and I am trying to predict how my kids will react based on M's age. Mine will be just turning 3 and just turning 5 at the time of our trip. I'm going to try not to overplan too much because of potential meltdowns. We are staying offsite in a house we rented, so it will be a bit harder for us to leave the parks. eek!

[curbsideprophet]

Glad you had a good trip! Thanks for the review.

[ribollita]

Sept 28, 2015 16:46:30 GMT -5 mellymel said:

I am trying to predict how my kids will react based on M's age. Mine will be just turning 3 and just turning 5 at the time of our trip.

It is really amazing to me how different trips with a 3.5yo can be! I'm hoping my nephew enjoys it half as much as my own kid did lol.

I agree about CR. I first stayed there as part of a convention and I like the style of the rooms, but I am pretty sure the next time we stay on the monorail we will choose the Poly. Our next stay is a split CR (bounce back deal)/AoA cars suite.

OP: I'm glad you had a good time!

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 28, 2015 16:46:30 GMT -5 mellymel said:

Thanks for posting this review!

We are going in May 2016 and I am trying to predict how my kids will react based on M's age. Mine will be just turning 3 and just turning 5 at the time of our trip. I'm going to try not to overplan too much because of potential meltdowns. We are staying offsite in a house we rented, so it will be a bit harder for us to leave the parks. eek!

I planned to leave the parks every day by 2pm which worked out well, then we rested in the room for a few hours each afternoon before dinner. 

Make sure you have a stroller, at least for your 3yo. Plan to stop for breaks & find shade when you can. It is HOT. The Dumbo ride has an air conditioned play area, we played there on both of our MK days but only ended up riding Dumbo once due to the long wait on our second day. 

If you plan to carry in a soft sided cooler or backpack give that to your DH to go through security, then you & the kids can walk straight through admissions & wait for YH on the other side. It's much better than having 4 people wait in the security line.

I've heard that some guests valet park at CR even if they're not staying at the hotel. Might be worth it to have your car a little closer. It's a 10 minute walk or a 2 minute monorail ride back to CR from MK. I have not idea how long it takes to get to the main parking lot though. Valet parking is $20 at CR, definitely check into it. It's also fun (& free) to take the monorail on a loop around to see the other resorts. The Grand Floridian is gorgeous, there was someone playing piano in the main lobby both evenings that we visited. 

Not sure if you're planning any character meals but breakfasts were my favorite, both for the food & for the fact that we were all still well rested & not hot/cranky yet.

[kittycatlove]

Sept 28, 2015 18:18:51 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Sept 28, 2015 16:46:30 GMT -5 mellymel said:

I am trying to predict how my kids will react based on M's age. Mine will be just turning 3 and just turning 5 at the time of our trip.

It is really amazing to me how different trips with a 3.5yo can be! I'm hoping my nephew enjoys it half as much as my own kid did lol.

I agree about CR. I first stayed there as part of a convention and I like the style of the rooms, but I am pretty sure the next time we stay on the monorail we will choose the Poly. Our next stay is a split CR (bounce back deal)/AoA cars suite.

OP: I'm glad you had a good time!

Agree with this. We went last year when DS was 3.5 and he loved the characters and couldn't get enough time meeting them. He was also a roller coaster junkie just like DH, LOL.

OP, overall sounds like a great trip.

[SJ]

The main thing that stands out to me is how EARLY you woke up each day. DH would never never go for that.

It sounds really fun, but I'm sorry you were sad/disappointed with a few things.

[mrshandy]

Thanks for the review! We're going in a month (holy moly!) and I'm excited, but nervous too!

We have a lot of character meals reservations for breakfasts so this is reassuring.

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 29, 2015 10:29:02 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

Sounds like a great trip! you guys got a lot done.

Could you see the fireworks from the beach at all?

We are thinking of the Contemporary for next winter and what you are describing is my big concern - that it doesn't seem like it has that same Disney feel compared to some of the other resorts. Hmmm.

mellymel my 3 year old had the time of his life. He only took a nap one day in the hotel but we made him have downtime with TV every afternoon lol. It seemed to make a big difference.

No the beach/pool on are the opposite side of the hotel so you can't see the fireworks at all. You'll either want to get a room with a MK view or plan to go outside to watch them. I was told you can see them from various public spaces in the hotel but we never wandered around at night to find out. We did watch them one evening standing near the parking lot though.

You would definitely be able to see them from the beach at Poly & GF. 

[cajunmom]

Sept 29, 2015 10:50:06 GMT -5 SJ said:

The main thing that stands out to me is how EARLY you woke up each day. DH would never never go for that.

It sounds really fun, but I'm sorry you were sad/disappointed with a few things.

My H is the one waking us up that early when we go! We're there for rope drop every single day.

[cajunmom]

Sept 29, 2015 10:29:02 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

Sounds like a great trip! you guys got a lot done.

Could you see the fireworks from the beach at all?

We are thinking of the Contemporary for next winter and what you are describing is my big concern - that it doesn't seem like it has that same Disney feel compared to some of the other resorts. Hmmm.

mellymel my 3 year old had the time of his life. He only took a nap one day in the hotel but we made him have downtime with TV every afternoon lol. It seemed to make a big difference.

On one of our trips DD2 was 3.5 and she had an awesome time, too. She loved everything. It was great. It's such a crapshoot with kids that age, though. We just got lucky.

[ribollita]

Sept 29, 2015 10:43:36 GMT -5 kittycatlove said:

Sept 28, 2015 18:18:51 GMT -5 ribollita said:

It is really amazing to me how different trips with a 3.5yo can be! I'm hoping my nephew enjoys it half as much as my own kid did lol.

I agree about CR. I first stayed there as part of a convention and I like the style of the rooms, but I am pretty sure the next time we stay on the monorail we will choose the Poly. Our next stay is a split CR (bounce back deal)/AoA cars suite.

OP: I'm glad you had a good time!

Agree with this. We went last year when DS was 3.5 and he loved the characters and couldn't get enough time meeting them. He was also a roller coaster junkie just like DH, LOL.

OP, overall sounds like a great trip.

Yeah, I wish you knew how your 3.5 year old would act BEFORE you go and book FP and such. I would have booked only roller coasters for my Space Mountain - loving kid. I thought he'd be terrified of the ride since it's pitch black!

It will be very interesting to see how DD is similar to/different from her brother as she gets older. She definitely seems like a dare devil. One thing I do know is she won't be tall enough to ride Space Mountain at 3.5!

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 29, 2015 10:58:58 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Thanks for the review! We're going in a month (holy moly!) and I'm excited, but nervous too!

We have a lot of character meals reservations for breakfasts so this is reassuring.

Where are you staying? What meals do you have booked? I really liked the character meals, it was an easy way to meet characters!

[ribollita]

Sept 29, 2015 10:50:06 GMT -5 SJ said:

The main thing that stands out to me is how EARLY you woke up each day. DH would never never go for that.

It sounds really fun, but I'm sorry you were sad/disappointed with a few things.

Our household is a very early-rising household anyway, but one thing that keeps my DH moving early is that the crowds are much lower in the early AM. It's worth it to go early and then get out when things get crowded.

[mrshandy]

Sept 29, 2015 11:12:23 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

Sept 29, 2015 10:58:58 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Thanks for the review! We're going in a month (holy moly!) and I'm excited, but nervous too!

We have a lot of character meals reservations for breakfasts so this is reassuring.

Where are you staying? What meals do you have booked? I really liked the character meals, it was an easy way to meet characters!

We're staying at Art of Animation. We have Cinderella's Royal Table, Hollywood & Vine, Chez Mickey and California Grill (date night for H and I while grandparents watch the kids).

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 29, 2015 10:50:06 GMT -5 SJ said:

The main thing that stands out to me is how EARLY you woke up each day. DH would never never go for that.

It sounds really fun, but I'm sorry you were sad/disappointed with a few things.

M is naturally an early riser & always wakes up by 6:30/7am anyway so it's our normal. We made it our goal to be up & out the door by 8am knowing that it was the only way to beat the heat & ensure that M would nap later.

I've been looking through our pictures & videos today (all 1,000 of them!) and I'm feeling much less sad/disappointed. Yes, there were things that could have been better/different but the look on M's face in so many of these pictures OMG,  the sheer joy & excitement when he was hugging characters & driving the car at the speedway - absolutely priceless. I'll be sure to AW some of them after I sort through them all

For anyone that's wondering - total photo count for the trip:
DSLR- 735 pics, 5 videos
iPod - 180 pics, 21 videos
Memory Maker - 127 pics of us (plus 79 stock photos)

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 29, 2015 11:23:56 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Sept 29, 2015 11:12:23 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

Where are you staying? What meals do you have booked? I really liked the character meals, it was an easy way to meet characters!

We're staying at Art of Animation. We have Cinderella's Royal Table, Hollywood & Vine, Chez Mickey and California Grill (date night for H and I while grandparents watch the kids).

Did you get the dining plan? If so you'll get your money's worth with these meals. 

[ribollita]

Sept 29, 2015 11:23:56 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Sept 29, 2015 11:12:23 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

Where are you staying? What meals do you have booked? I really liked the character meals, it was an easy way to meet characters!

We're staying at Art of Animation. We have Cinderella's Royal Table, Hollywood & Vine, Chez Mickey and California Grill (date night for H and I while grandparents watch the kids).

Fun! Are you going to post a TR?!

[ribollita]

Sept 29, 2015 11:27:14 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

I've been looking through our pictures & videos today (all 1,000 of them!) and I'm feeling much less sad/disappointed. Yes, there were things that could have been better/different but the look on M's face in so many of these pictures OMG,  the sheer joy & excitement when he was hugging characters & driving the car at the speedway - absolutely priceless. 

This makes me happy for you. :-)

What is that with the Speedway?! It's preschooler crack. 

How much of your stress was due to the heat, do you think? We went in January this year and I remember a couple of the days were HOT. Miserably hot. I am hoping we have better luck in November.

[mrshandy]

Sept 29, 2015 11:35:47 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

Sept 29, 2015 11:23:56 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

We're staying at Art of Animation. We have Cinderella's Royal Table, Hollywood & Vine, Chez Mickey and California Grill (date night for H and I while grandparents watch the kids).

Did you get the dining plan? If so you'll get your money's worth with these meals. 

Yep.

[mrshandy]

Sept 29, 2015 11:41:03 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Sept 29, 2015 11:23:56 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

We're staying at Art of Animation. We have Cinderella's Royal Table, Hollywood & Vine, Chez Mickey and California Grill (date night for H and I while grandparents watch the kids).

Fun! Are you going to post a TR?!

Sure.

[Ashley&Scott]

Sept 29, 2015 11:47:42 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Sept 29, 2015 11:27:14 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

I've been looking through our pictures & videos today (all 1,000 of them!) and I'm feeling much less sad/disappointed. Yes, there were things that could have been better/different but the look on M's face in so many of these pictures OMG,  the sheer joy & excitement when he was hugging characters & driving the car at the speedway - absolutely priceless. 

This makes me happy for you. :-)

What is that with the Speedway?! It's preschooler crack. 

How much of your stress was due to the heat, do you think? We went in January this year and I remember a couple of the days were HOT. Miserably hot. I am hoping we have better luck in November.

I'll be honest the heat sucked & was a big part of it. It was about as hot as it gets where we're from & at home we avoid the heat when we can so we just weren't used to it.

But I also was not prepared for the crowds. The wait times for the rides we did actually weren't bad. But we also didn't stay all day - we used our FPs & a handful of other things then left. I think we waited less than 20 minutes for everything, but we weren't really targeting the high demand rides either.  Just being around that many people was completely overwhelming & really caught me off guard. 

The Speedway was really fun, we rode it 4 times! M loved being able to drive. I loved the I could just push the pedal & not really worry about him hitting anything.

[mellymel]

Sept 29, 2015 9:41:09 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

Sept 28, 2015 16:46:30 GMT -5 mellymel said:

Thanks for posting this review!

We are going in May 2016 and I am trying to predict how my kids will react based on M's age. Mine will be just turning 3 and just turning 5 at the time of our trip. I'm going to try not to overplan too much because of potential meltdowns. We are staying offsite in a house we rented, so it will be a bit harder for us to leave the parks. eek!

I planned to leave the parks every day by 2pm which worked out well, then we rested in the room for a few hours each afternoon before dinner. 

Make sure you have a stroller, at least for your 3yo. Plan to stop for breaks & find shade when you can. It is HOT. The Dumbo ride has an air conditioned play area, we played there on both of our MK days but only ended up riding Dumbo once due to the long wait on our second day. 

If you plan to carry in a soft sided cooler or backpack give that to your DH to go through security, then you & the kids can walk straight through admissions & wait for YH on the other side. It's much better than having 4 people wait in the security line.

I've heard that some guests valet park at CR even if they're not staying at the hotel. Might be worth it to have your car a little closer. It's a 10 minute walk or a 2 minute monorail ride back to CR from MK. I have not idea how long it takes to get to the main parking lot though. Valet parking is $20 at CR, definitely check into it. It's also fun (& free) to take the monorail on a loop around to see the other resorts. The Grand Floridian is gorgeous, there was someone playing piano in the main lobby both evenings that we visited. 

Not sure if you're planning any character meals but breakfasts were my favorite, both for the food & for the fact that we were all still well rested & not hot/cranky yet.

Thanks for all the tips! These are great!