lake queen
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2006
Just back from a Wonderful Christmas trip. Was in the world Dec. 13-20.
Just a few thoughts
Magic Bands- We Loved them! They worked perfectly everywhere we went, was so nice to use them for all charges, park tickets and FP's. It never gets old seeing the Mickey head turn green!
FP+- We really liked it for the most part. It was great that we had our pre-selected FP for the headliners, and A&E. I cannot imagine the frustration of a day guest or even someone who has to wait until 30 days before. There is just not very much left on the day of. So, the main thing is to go in with a different mind set. Yes, we used to be able to do RNR 4 times in a day with legacy FP, but now that has changed into the new reality. We did not let it diminish our time there, we just tried to go with the flow, and we used the single rider line more than we ever had before. It is a great time saver, if your kids are old enough.
Crowds- Yes it was much more crowded than our previous trips in Oct. I was glad that we were experienced, and knew where we were going. If you saw a family walking single file and passing everyone up, that was us!! Since we were traveling with teens, we took advantage to the late nights= Sat. we were there until 2:00 am, it was a ghost town. Also watched the sunrise on Thurs. AM with the 7:00 AM opening. That was a first, but also a very magical time, we did a ton of rides in that first 2 hours.
Cast members, Guest and Bathroom attendants= had read so many negative things about each of these on this board, I was watching out for them. I am happy to report that we didn't encounter any rude guest or CM's, in fact I thought that everyone was much more friendly than ever! I also never went into a bathroom that didn't have an attendant in it!! They were everywhere, and sometimes had 2 people working in each bathroom!
Free Dining!! LOVE< LOVE== we came, we saw, we ate!! Had some great meals Teppan Edo with Candlelight Processional, O'Hana ( a family fave), LeCellier (awesome steaks), Akerhaus Breakfast (loved that we got a picture brought to our table, that was new since we last went there.), Beaches and Cream. Also really loved the gingerbread cupcake from Fairfax Fare in HS.
Christmas- Loved all the decorations, parades, shows. MVMCP, was such a magical time to go. Went to Osborne lights 2 nights, one night we went before 8:00 F!, it was shoulder to shoulder, we left and decided to go back after F! What a perfect time to go, the streets are practically deserted, and you can really see everything. We danced in the streets with some CM's, and had a great time. We also went back Friday night ( our last night) to ride our beloved RNR ( posted wait time was 90 min- we made it through in 30) and TOT (posted time 40 min- we made it in 20). We then finished off the night back on the streets of America from 9:00-10:00. So at HS, the closing time is really an hour later, and a great time to see the lights. Also the Photographers are still out, with no lines. Got some great pics!
Resort- Coronado Springs- Nice rooms, however, lots of condensation in the rooms, most windows were totally wet. I had brought some things to decorate with, but didn't use them they would have been soaking wet! Bus service was good, only waited 5-15 min for every bus, with the exception of our HS morning, where we waited 45 min. Yes, it messed up our am plan, but we were able to use all our FP, and pick up on our plan minus our first few rides, that we were going to do SB. We didn't get upset about it, after all we were in the happiest place on earth! Who could complain about that!!!
We had the best time, and can't wait until our next WDW vacation!
Just a few thoughts
Magic Bands- We Loved them! They worked perfectly everywhere we went, was so nice to use them for all charges, park tickets and FP's. It never gets old seeing the Mickey head turn green!
FP+- We really liked it for the most part. It was great that we had our pre-selected FP for the headliners, and A&E. I cannot imagine the frustration of a day guest or even someone who has to wait until 30 days before. There is just not very much left on the day of. So, the main thing is to go in with a different mind set. Yes, we used to be able to do RNR 4 times in a day with legacy FP, but now that has changed into the new reality. We did not let it diminish our time there, we just tried to go with the flow, and we used the single rider line more than we ever had before. It is a great time saver, if your kids are old enough.
Crowds- Yes it was much more crowded than our previous trips in Oct. I was glad that we were experienced, and knew where we were going. If you saw a family walking single file and passing everyone up, that was us!! Since we were traveling with teens, we took advantage to the late nights= Sat. we were there until 2:00 am, it was a ghost town. Also watched the sunrise on Thurs. AM with the 7:00 AM opening. That was a first, but also a very magical time, we did a ton of rides in that first 2 hours.
Cast members, Guest and Bathroom attendants= had read so many negative things about each of these on this board, I was watching out for them. I am happy to report that we didn't encounter any rude guest or CM's, in fact I thought that everyone was much more friendly than ever! I also never went into a bathroom that didn't have an attendant in it!! They were everywhere, and sometimes had 2 people working in each bathroom!
Free Dining!! LOVE< LOVE== we came, we saw, we ate!! Had some great meals Teppan Edo with Candlelight Processional, O'Hana ( a family fave), LeCellier (awesome steaks), Akerhaus Breakfast (loved that we got a picture brought to our table, that was new since we last went there.), Beaches and Cream. Also really loved the gingerbread cupcake from Fairfax Fare in HS.
Christmas- Loved all the decorations, parades, shows. MVMCP, was such a magical time to go. Went to Osborne lights 2 nights, one night we went before 8:00 F!, it was shoulder to shoulder, we left and decided to go back after F! What a perfect time to go, the streets are practically deserted, and you can really see everything. We danced in the streets with some CM's, and had a great time. We also went back Friday night ( our last night) to ride our beloved RNR ( posted wait time was 90 min- we made it through in 30) and TOT (posted time 40 min- we made it in 20). We then finished off the night back on the streets of America from 9:00-10:00. So at HS, the closing time is really an hour later, and a great time to see the lights. Also the Photographers are still out, with no lines. Got some great pics!
Resort- Coronado Springs- Nice rooms, however, lots of condensation in the rooms, most windows were totally wet. I had brought some things to decorate with, but didn't use them they would have been soaking wet! Bus service was good, only waited 5-15 min for every bus, with the exception of our HS morning, where we waited 45 min. Yes, it messed up our am plan, but we were able to use all our FP, and pick up on our plan minus our first few rides, that we were going to do SB. We didn't get upset about it, after all we were in the happiest place on earth! Who could complain about that!!!
We had the best time, and can't wait until our next WDW vacation!
