Originally Posted By irishfan Just back from 9 days at the world, and overall it was a great trip. I’m not going to write a trip report, so I just thought I’d share some thoughts, observations and photos. We spent the first four days at the Grand Floridian, and due to a stuff up with the tour operator the remaining nights were spent at the Contemporary resort. We treated ourselves to concierge level at both resorts. Our stay at the Grand Floridian was wonderful, the only drawback was it was very busy, and public areas were often very crowded. Our rooms were in tip top shape, as was the hotel in general. My only gripe with the hotel was the amount of blown bulbs on the exterior buildings at night, bad show! On the other hand the Contemporary seemed far quiter, and our stay there seemed more relaxing than at the Grand. We were on the 12th Floor Concierge and definetly made the most of it. I was looking forward to seeing the newly renovated rooms which I had heard so much of, and they were very nice. I’m guessing though that the tower rooms were renovated at least a year or two ago? One wall in particular could have done with a fresh lick of paint, and it looked like a previous guest had attacked the leather stool with a black marker. Other than that the room was beautiful. A quick mention about housekeeping, I didn’t notice in the Grand, but at the Contemporary the maids did have vacum cleaners(and yes, they did have to plug them in), on two occasions I walked into our room when the maid was using the said vacum on our carpets, not sure if we were lucky(we had the same maid do our room pretty much the entire time and we spoke to her quite a bit), or if they are changing policy etc.
Originally Posted By irishfan This surprised me, but we actually spent more time at the MK than any of the other parks. Because it was so convenient to walk over, I found myself heading to the MK most mornings, just to soak up the atmosphere on Main Street. I was impressed with the entertainment that’s on the street now, I loved the walk around face characters that were there most mornings, I developed a soft spot for three turn of the century ladies, they were always good fun, and they use to call me the Pap, as in Paparazzi. The family parade was a nice little addition, as was this other little show which had a cast of dancers on the horse drawn street car. This little show included the track “I’m walking right down the middle of Main Street USAâ€, which pleased me no end. So all these little shows, plus the Dapper Dans and the Magic Kingdom band brought a lot of life to Main Street. Crowds were big, but we managed to enjoy all the attractions we wanted to, minimising waiting time by arriving early, and using Fast Pass. I loved Philharmagic, my new favourite Disney 3D show, and was also very impressed with Wishes. The sooner Space goes down the better, not that I didn’t enjoy the ride, but it did seem to be down more often than before on this visit. We had the best Jungle Cruise skipper ever, he was hillarious, and my two sisters developed a big soft spot for him. We seemed to be in luck regarding Audio at the mansion, never had a problem with it, looking forward to seeing this get some TLC though. The park considering the crowds was very clean, lots of sweepers, and never really saw a “bad show†moment. Saying that, by the end of the night some of the queue lines left a lot to be desired, Pirates and Splash in particular could have done with a sweep.
Originally Posted By irishfan It’s amazing what a roller coaster can do to a theme park. I’ve never seen Animal Kingdom so busy! I absolutley loved Expedition Everest, surprisingly intense in places, but so much fun, and the actual yeti is amazing. The queue is very impressive, one of WDW’s best IMHO, and I had to laugh remembering an old Jim Hill article from a few years ago explaining how budgets have been cut drastically and the queue line will be switch backs with TV screens. My only negative would be on the lift hill, the amount of chewing gum stuck to the side of the mountain is disgusting, bad show. Overall AK was great, enjoyed three excellent Safari trips, and had some wonderful encounters with the gorrilas on the Panagai Trail. Kali River Rapids is such a wasted oppourtunity though, great potential but fails to deliver. You can also be forgiven for thinking your at Typhoon lagoon, the dress code is pretty much thrown out the window in that corner of the park. It was good to see cast members asking individuals to put a t-shirt on once they leave the area though.
Originally Posted By irishfan Spent very little time at the Studios, one morning and one EMH evening. I love the look of the studios, but for me it’s all style over substance. We rode the Twilight Zone Tower, R’N’R, The Great Movie Ride, and the Little Mermaid. I was very impressed with One Mans Dream, a great display, shame very few people seem bothered to hang around for the movie as it is wonderful. Lunch at the Sci Fi was great, and was a huge hit with all of us. Here’s hoping the new Toy Story Madness will give the Studios the kick it needs. I’ve always loved Epcot, my sisters though were never really too pushed. That all changed on this trip. There’s a whole new vitality in Future World now, had lots of fun running from Soaring to Test Track to Mission Space to Nemo. Mission Space was new to me, very impressive, but I did come off feeling a little light headed. I really enjoyed it, the blast off was amazing, very intense. Nemo was fun, a very nice addition. Illuminations was as great as I remember. Food in general was very good on this trip, dined at the Californain Grill twice, Sci Fi Dine In, Mexico, and at the UK among others. Merchandise was pretty much what I expected….weak. Every shop sold the same old stuff, and I hated seeing Pirates of the Carribean merchandise in places such as Tomorrowland. I did like the WDW 35th anniversary selection though, I picked up some nice pieces. I’ll end this regarding the “Year of a million dreams†campaign, but how do I put his bluntly……what a dud! Didn’t see a single “dreamgiver†all week! Cant thing of anything else right now, so here’s some pictures: <a href="http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4453238&a=32496456&f=" target="_blank">http://albums.photo.epson.com/ j/AlbumIndex?u=4453238&a=32496456&f=</a>
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Very unique and interesting photo's. A completely different perspective than I have ever seen before. I really enjoyed them.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Great to see and hear that you had a great time. You really have a great eye for taking pictures. You even managed to make the wand and hat look good. I really liked the shots of things that most people don't even notice, like the blossoming tree by TTA and the rooster and fish sign. I don't think I've seen WDW sparkle like that in years, so it looks like you had a great trip, great weather and a great place to be.
Originally Posted By irishfan Glad you liked the photos. Having visited WDW numerous times over the years I decided to go down a different track and avoid the usual "postcard" shots. >>You even managed to make the wand and hat look good<< That wasn't easy! One other positve I forgot to mention about the trip was the EMH at the Magic Kingdom. Walking down a deserted Main Street at 2.10am was one of the highlights of my entire trip!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>I found myself heading to the MK most mornings, just to soak up the atmosphere on Main Street<< There is atmosphere on that particular Mains Street still?????
Originally Posted By irishfan >>There is atmosphere on that particular Mains Street still????<< I was surprised too! But in the mornings, Main Street at the MK was a lot of fun.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Glad you had a good time Irishfan. I enjoyed your take on it all and I was glad to hear there was stillstreetmousphere at the MK!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Very cool pictures, especially the nightime shots. Thanks for sharing. Also glad to see Pluto at the studios working again.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>I was surprised too!<< Me three. I can't find any charm or atmosphere anywhere in the MK. That park has lost it for me. I do however, enjoy the walkways around the gardens surrounding the hub, but that's about it.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN BTW... very lovely photos you got there. I like the Poseidon Adventure imitation one in the beginning, and great evening shots.
Originally Posted By irishfan >>Me three. I can't find any charm or atmosphere anywhere in the MK. That park has lost it for me. I do however, enjoy the walkways around the gardens surrounding the hub, but that's about it.<< I still enjoy Main Street, the Hub, Liberty Square and Frontierland. Fantasyland is a disaster, an absolute shocker, and Adventureland has gone down in my view after they put a great big Spinner in the middle of it (I'm just relieved that they put this into the Studios at DLP and not into the main park!). I also love the entrance of Tomorrowland, but once you walk down the Avenue the whole area just turns into big open mess.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Fantasyland is a disaster, an absolute shocker, and Adventureland has gone down in my view after they put a great big Spinner in the middle of it (I'm just relieved that they put this into the Studios at DLP and not into the main park!). I also love the entrance of Tomorrowland, but once you walk down the Avenue the whole area just turns into big open mess.<< Doesn't sound like a charming park at all, does it? I just wish the MK could offer some of the same qualities in showmanship and themes that it's sister parks have...especially Paris and Hong Kong.
Originally Posted By Labuda Glad you had such a great trip, Irish! And, fabulous photos! You've inspired me to try to capture some unique views on my trip that starts in 2 weeks! Wooot! 14 days from right now, I'll be In Epcot! Yeah, baby, yeah!
Originally Posted By Labuda I will gladly do so if we manage to meet up. Hey, wanna have dinner with the Spirit and me on April 12th? I can call the Bistro de Paris and add one to our ADR...
Originally Posted By irishfan >>Doesn't sound like a charming park at all, does it? << Maybe I was a little harsh on Fantasyland, around the castle and the walkway towards Liberty Square is pretty and charming, and I thought they did a fine job of renovating It's a Small World. Walking towards Tomorrowland, it's just a wide barren corridor, totally charmless, and I'm not going to even mention the Pooh Playgournd
