Thanksgiving at Disney World

I have never been fortunate enough to go to Disney World during the Christmas holidays.  But, my niece was there over Thanksgiving and she said it was wonderful!!!  All the decorations were out.  The weather was great!!!   And her pic of the castle was to die for!!!!   Thanks to Sydney for keeping me in the Disney loop!!!!

New Restaurant Fantasyland

I have been so jealous about not being at Disney World recently that it has been hard to even blog!   For one, the Christmas lights and decorations are out in full force and from what I hear they are as enchanting as ever!    Another reason is that the new restaurant that everyone has been waiting for  Be Our Guest in Fantasyland (my fav land duh)  opens at 7am November 19th.   I cannot wait to hear the reviews!!   When we were at the Magic Kingdom in October you could just catch little glimpses of somethings over the tops of the construction walls.   I think the best parts of this restaurant are the seating capabilities (over 500) and it will be counter service for lunch and sit down reservations only for dinner.  Perfect!!   A choice is always welcome when it comes to dining in the World. 


So, I will be waiting impatiently for the "real" reviews and pics.  And if anyone gets there before I do please be my guest (hahaha get it?) and shoot some reviews my way!!! 

Military, Policemen, Firemen, etc.

My sweet baby  Cory who is actually 24yrs old and a Navy sailor txt'd me and said he might get to come home in February!!!   Big news for us!  We have not seen him in 1 1/2 years.  :(    His first words were "Do you want to go to Disney in February??"   I love him!   Hell to the yeah!   So, it got me thinking about military families and Disney.   I know all kinds of police, firefighters and other public servants get discounts to the "World".   We have met tons of people from up north like New Jersey, Connecticut, New York etc. who were affiliated in some way with either the military service or police, fire, etc. and they are all just wonderful.  

So, I thought I would pull up info for Cory's upcoming visit as well as any other families who might be curious.

I am having a hard time finding discounts for police and firemen. There were many discounts after 9/11 but it seems they have dried up. (which is a darn shame)  Checking with your local departments might offer insights not found on the Internet.   There is a discount for National Sheriffs Association that I did come across. 

As for military there is a window of time called Armed Forces Salute that runs from Oct 1,2012 to September 28,2013.    There are deep discounts on rooms as well as tickets during this time for Walt Disney World and Walt Disney Land in California.   The best site  I found for this info was Military Discount Tips.  Plus, the Disney site itself usually has military discounts posted.   Shades of Green is the only military resort on Disney World property.  Rates go by rank and pay.  I have also heard it books up quickly.   

I will defenitely do some more digging on the subject and if anyone has more details just let me know!  

 

Lost & Found

When we got back from Disney a few weeks ago my youngest son realized he didn't have his wallet.  So on day 3 of being back I had every intention of calling the Disney World lost and found.   But, to my surprise there was a card in the mail that day informing us that there had been some items found in our room during our stay. When I called the number on the card I was asked to identify the lost item.  Within a few days the wallet was returned and the cash inside was sent via check (USPS has guidelines about sending cash in mail).  There was even a broken pair of sunglasses that my other son had left.  

So, kudos to Disney yet again.  For having such an honest housekeeping staff and being prompt and organized with so many guests.  :)  

I want to go back

Aggghhh,   After coming home from vacay and getting through the last two weeks of school and chaos I want to go back.   You know,  like a do-over.    Since I've been home from Orlando I have thought of a million things that I didn't get to do or forgot.   

Must Do List for Disney World


Eat a giant Turkey Leg (or buy a t-shirt saying you did)
Wave at the monorail driver
Try more than one new food at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival
(See last post why I didn't, my boys were trying to kill me and wine was more enticing that night)  :)
Wear my tiara  more(yes, I have one)
Blow a kiss to Captain Jack Sparrow
Dance at more than one parade. 
Go more than once on Rock n Roller Coaster
Take another bad picture at Epcot of me "holding the world"  (Mine are always off)
Watch the fireworks from the monorail
See Tinkerbell come flying down from the Castle


These are just some of the things I have done in the past and didn't get to this time.    See, you can go every year and still not do everything or see everything.   So, if you have certain things you want to see or do there this year my suggestion is to make a list!!  

Port Orleans Riverside/Pop Century Review

This fall I was excited to stay at Disney's Port Orleans Resort.    While we have stayed at many of Disney's wonderful resorts in the past, the last few years we have stayed at one of the "value" resorts.  (read: crappy economy, increased ticket prices, and larger, hungrier kids!)  So this year I was glad to upgrade finally back to at least a "moderate" resort.  Online check-in made it a breeze.  (would recommend doing this prior to leaving!)Within 5 minutes of entering the registration area we had our package with info, room keys etc. in hand. 

We stayed in the Alligator Bayou area overlooking one of the smaller pools.  If it wasn't for the palm trees I could have believed I was in Louisiana.   The resort as a whole is large and sprawling.  Very relaxing with all the meandering paths, thick foliage and winding river. My guys didn't think I was very funny when I kept trying to catch tiny lizards (they were so cute)!   Alligator Bayou has only 2 levels to it's buildings and the rooms have been updated with Queen beds (super comfy) and trundle beds that come out from the wall. (sort of like a sideways Murphy bed) So for our family of 4 it was perfect since there was always someone who didn't want to sleep with Mom, Dad or a brother.  The room is comfortable and equipped with a mini frig and coffee maker (yay!!)   Also, Disney has finally gotten on board with free wi-fi.   These 3 things have been sorely missed by our family in past years. 

In the afternoons and evenings there was entertainment around the main pool area as well as an outdoor movie and bonfire.  There was also a fishing hole and marina where your could rent poles and catch fish or rent a boat and go out for a spin in the water.  And even though the parks seemed full we rarely heard anyone around our room (it was seriously that quiet).

I actually found it hard to get up and go go go to the parks at this resort. It was just so relaxing and tranquil!  I just wanted to lounge by the pool and read. :)  But, after 4 days here my boys were ready to pack it up and head to Pop Century for a little more excitement  (both resorts offer the same entertainment but Pop is more condensed and a lot of people rushing around heading to and from parks)

I love Pop Century with all the nostalgic posters of the 70's, 80's & 90's.  Upbeat music is always playing inside and out.  The rooms are smaller and the beds are downsized to 2 doubles. (Hubs and me wrestled with bedding and space every night!)  Unfortunately, they don't offer the coffee maker.  Not sure if they think that guests saving a buck don't drink coffee??   I paid my guys $5 to go get me coffee at the food court every morning.  I'm not pretty without it.    But, there was a mini frig and spotty wi-fi coverage.    In fact the Hubs caught me outside on curb with my laptop trying to get a good signal........  lol  Hey! I can't live without Internet for a whole week!  While Riverside has different bus stops throughout the resort as well as boat service Pop has all the park stops in the front of the main bldg.   

Both resorts food courts are great with a decent variety.  Port Orleans has a little more in the themed selection such as Muffalattas.  (fair)  and a sit down restaurant Boatwrights (yum)  while Pop Century sticks to more  basics such as burgers, chicken as well as pasta and nachos. 

If your debating on either of these two resorts I love both. For quiet, peace and a little tranquility go for Riverside,  If you don't mind sleeping on a double with no coffee and like to dance in the food court Pop is your better bet!!!

Just when you think you know it all......

Well I'm back from another fabulous Disney World vaca!!   And for all my know everything about Disney vacationing I have to eat some of my words!!   First off,  even though  this was my 22nd visit with most of those being in the fall, mother nature in Florida surprised me.   The first four days were hot (no biggie) and humid (BIGGIE).  Now, slight humidity can be expected this time of year  but,  this was the muggy, entire body covered in sweat at 9 am , don't touch me kind of humidity.  Add that to the  busiest Fall Break crowd we have ever experienced and your zippity doo dah attitude can head south (more south) quickly.    Torrential (yes, torrential) rain storms complete with lightning that could rival the fireworks display the first two afternoons and evenings topped off the first few days like a big ole cherry on top. 

The large fall crowd seemed to be a combination of Florida residents, Overseas visitors, ( I heard the phrase "where is the loo" a lot!) and events out the whazoo.  There were tons of kids in competitions of all kinds.   Fast passes for favs were gone by mid morning and average wait times for popular rides were 65-75 minutes.  Yikes.   We have been spoiled.  If we have to wait longer than 5-10 we normally pass it up!!

With all that being said we still made it fun.  The rain was warm and  ponchos were out of the question (too muggy).   If it wasn't lightning we swam in the rain.   Hung out at Downtown Disney, took advantage of our Free Disney Dining Plan, and generally relaxed.  It actually worked out since we were well rested by the time the weather changed for the better!   Day 4 of 8 brought sunshine, low humidity and we were on our way.  The crowds stayed the same while we were there but with a park hopper if one park was just too busy we would hop on over to another.  This year was our first year to try the water parks and Disney Quest.   It was fabulous!  Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are phenomenal and Disney Quest was great for my teenage boys while I shopped nearby.  And we got to catch the Not So Scary Halloween party on one of our last nights!!   

So, to everyone that I have blabbed endlessly about vacationing at Disney World in the fall,  it still is a great time to visit.  Just be prepared for anything!!