Ima Princess
Former CM: Thank you for calling Disney Resort Re
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2003
I'm a regular reader, but not a regular poster, of DIS. After all the fantastic tips I got, I thought I'd share our trip report as my way of saying "Thanks!"
We had a 7:30pm flight on Southwest and I spent the afternoon just waiting to leave. Fortunately my DD (4) had preschool and I had a few things to do that morning or the day would've been unbearable! Our last trip to the airport resulted in traffic delays and lots of stress, so we left extra-early to compensate. We had plenty of time to check-in, have some dinner and dessert (it's vacation, right?) and watch planes arrive. Our flight was uneventful and pleasant and we arrived early as usual. Our bags arrived promptly but we had trouble figuring out how to get to the National lot in the MCO Orlando parking garage (and we weren't the only ones!). Emerald Club is designed to avoid hassle, but the signage didn't help me feel that way. Our choice of full-size cars was pitiful -- no variety whatsoever. We found the lone Camry and took off for our 5-minute ride to Amerisuites Northeast.
We were very pleased with Amerisuites -- the room was spacious and clean, the staff was friendly and the breakfast was fast. We were on our way to Disney by 9am. Yahoo!
We were on the land & sea DCL package, so our first stop was Port Orleans Riverside. The Front Desk was quick to check us in but our assigned room wasn't ready. No worries here because the location was great for us -- building 18. Close to a quiet pool and not too far from the main building. We were able to call later for our exact room number. Then over to the DCL desk, where we had to fill out a SARS questionnaire and they processed our documents. It was painless and fast and we were out the door at 10am!
We met some friends in MGM and spent the blisteringly hot day (98 degrees) trying to find some relief. Our day was a whirlwind of nothingness. We managed to see The Little Mermaid, Sorcerer Mickey, Muppets 3D, took the kids to the playground, met a few more characters (Jessie, Snow White, Pocahontas), ate ice cream, watched Beauty & The Beast and wandered around the shops waiting for the parade. Yes, it took us 7 hours to do that. The park was busy, and the lack of FastPasses didn't help, but neither did the lack of a plan. MGM is the park I'm least familiar with, and it showed.
Back to the story. We waited for the parade and found a shady spot toward the end of the parade route so we could make a quick escape after it was over. It turned out to be the perfect location and I would hunt down that spot for future parades in a heartbeat! As the parade cars turned the corner off Hollywood Blvd, we had a bulls-eye view. DD had a disposable camera and numerous characters posed for her! But the highlight of the day, and perhaps the whole trip, was seeing Jasmine. Not because she's a princess, and not because she posed for the camera. Jasmine looked right at my daughter and said, with hand motions and words, "I love your shades". My DD nearly fell the ground as her mouth dropped in amazement! I wish I had a photo of her reaction -- talk about priceless! (DD was wearing purple sunglasses with a tiny Jasmine on them) That was a *HUGE* dose of Disney Magic for us after a long hot day. It lifted our spirits and we left the park more bouncy than when we arrived! After a quick dip in the quiet pool and a fast dinner at the food court, DH put DD to bed. Then I was off to Goodings for some portable breakfast food and lots of water, and I picked up the now infamous DIS Stroller from the Front Desk.
We had a 7:30pm flight on Southwest and I spent the afternoon just waiting to leave. Fortunately my DD (4) had preschool and I had a few things to do that morning or the day would've been unbearable! Our last trip to the airport resulted in traffic delays and lots of stress, so we left extra-early to compensate. We had plenty of time to check-in, have some dinner and dessert (it's vacation, right?) and watch planes arrive. Our flight was uneventful and pleasant and we arrived early as usual. Our bags arrived promptly but we had trouble figuring out how to get to the National lot in the MCO Orlando parking garage (and we weren't the only ones!). Emerald Club is designed to avoid hassle, but the signage didn't help me feel that way. Our choice of full-size cars was pitiful -- no variety whatsoever. We found the lone Camry and took off for our 5-minute ride to Amerisuites Northeast.
We were very pleased with Amerisuites -- the room was spacious and clean, the staff was friendly and the breakfast was fast. We were on our way to Disney by 9am. Yahoo!
We were on the land & sea DCL package, so our first stop was Port Orleans Riverside. The Front Desk was quick to check us in but our assigned room wasn't ready. No worries here because the location was great for us -- building 18. Close to a quiet pool and not too far from the main building. We were able to call later for our exact room number. Then over to the DCL desk, where we had to fill out a SARS questionnaire and they processed our documents. It was painless and fast and we were out the door at 10am!
We met some friends in MGM and spent the blisteringly hot day (98 degrees) trying to find some relief. Our day was a whirlwind of nothingness. We managed to see The Little Mermaid, Sorcerer Mickey, Muppets 3D, took the kids to the playground, met a few more characters (Jessie, Snow White, Pocahontas), ate ice cream, watched Beauty & The Beast and wandered around the shops waiting for the parade. Yes, it took us 7 hours to do that. The park was busy, and the lack of FastPasses didn't help, but neither did the lack of a plan. MGM is the park I'm least familiar with, and it showed.
Back to the story. We waited for the parade and found a shady spot toward the end of the parade route so we could make a quick escape after it was over. It turned out to be the perfect location and I would hunt down that spot for future parades in a heartbeat! As the parade cars turned the corner off Hollywood Blvd, we had a bulls-eye view. DD had a disposable camera and numerous characters posed for her! But the highlight of the day, and perhaps the whole trip, was seeing Jasmine. Not because she's a princess, and not because she posed for the camera. Jasmine looked right at my daughter and said, with hand motions and words, "I love your shades". My DD nearly fell the ground as her mouth dropped in amazement! I wish I had a photo of her reaction -- talk about priceless! (DD was wearing purple sunglasses with a tiny Jasmine on them) That was a *HUGE* dose of Disney Magic for us after a long hot day. It lifted our spirits and we left the park more bouncy than when we arrived! After a quick dip in the quiet pool and a fast dinner at the food court, DH put DD to bed. Then I was off to Goodings for some portable breakfast food and lots of water, and I picked up the now infamous DIS Stroller from the Front Desk.
