Musings & Mutterings on a WDW visit

Originally Posted By danyoung

Part 1 of 3

Well, it’s a quiet day at work, so I can take some time to organize my thoughts on this past WDW trip of 5 days. I’m not going to do a traditional trip report (“…and then I rode this, and then I ate here, and then I stopped to sit on a bench for 7 minutesâ€, etc.), but rather a collection of thoughts, highlights and a few lowlights on the big trip. Enjoy.

I’ve been enjoying flying with Airtran as of late from Dallas to Orlando. Not only are their frequent flyer tickets easy to buy with my American Express miles, but they have XM radio at each seat – very very cool!

I rented a midsize car from Alamo, onsite at the Orlando airport. I so enjoy the convenience of zipping across the street and just getting my car without having to do another shuttle bus. They gave me a Pontiac G6 – great car! I may have to buy one of these in a year or so – it really was a plush vehicle for a midsize!

I checked in to the Coronado Springs Resort at noon, and my room was ready (yippee!). Course, I was on the 3rd floor, and not too close to an elevator. But the room, and the resort, were both excellent.

Of course I wanted to hit all of the new things, or things that have changed since my last visit over a year ago. One of these was the Nemo ride going into The Seas. I thought they did a great job on the queue, and the ride itself was interesting and fun. About halfway through the ride I thought what is it about us regular park stormers that we seem to require AA figures to tell a story? This attraction did a great job with film segments surrounded by lush scenic settings. I don’t think it all would have had the same impact if they’d done all the key fish up as AA’s. Really nice job on this one, Disney. Now, if they could just get the rest of the pavilion up to speed. The water is still WAY too murky, and a lot of the displays have been there forever. The manatee area was completely closed down – perhaps something new going in there?

I took my first ride on the new Mexico ride (sorry, the name won’t come to me right now) – fun, no big deal, but still fun. And the lines were the longest I’ve ever seen for this ride. Still only 5 minutes long or so, but much more activity than before, indicating that people do indeed enjoy these kind of small updates.

Dinner my first night was at the San Angel Inn – and this’ll be my last time there for a while. I love the Blue Bayou-ish atmosphere, but the food was simply unacceptable. Tostitos & bland salsa were followed by a Mexican combo that featured a totally bland steak – no seasoning, no sauce, just a piece of overcooked meat. They were making a big deal out of people filling out a survey card at end of each meal, so perhaps they’re getting ready to acknowledge that they have some problems. I know I unloaded on them bigtime!

I want to make a quick mention of my only real problem on this trip - lack of sleep. For whatever reason, I’ve been having a hard time sleeping off and on over the past few months. And sadly, the entire time at WDW it was an on time. Even with the obligatory old-guy afternoon nap, I still zombied around a lot more than I would have liked. This first night, as much as I love the drinking at the Rose & Crown and the watching of IllumiNations, I blew them off after dinner and headed back to my room to try to catch up on some sleep. No luck, but at least I tried.

I really enjoyed doing Extra Magic Hours at the MK the next morning. Even well into the morning there were just no long lines anywhere. A great morning!

This was my first time to see the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. I thought it was fun, but maybe didn’t hold that much repetitive value. I wanted to see it again later in the trip just to compare, but never made it back.

Overall the weather this trip was spectacular. It was actually sweater weather for the first couple days, then nice with shorts & tshirt for the day, jeans and golf shirt for evenings. Great weather!

I’ve done this many times before, but I can’t say enough about Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café – a really good burger w/sautéed mushrooms & grilled onions from the fixin’s bar, and a great time just sitting and listening to Sonny Eclipse and the Stars of the Milky Way!
continued . . .

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

Part 2 of 3

I’ve long been a staunch supporter of the Coral Reef restaurant. But sadly, this time was not so great. There were only seven items on menu, and only three of them were fish. The signature item on the menu – steak. From looking at others’ plates, it looked like a good steak. But c’mon, a steak feature at a seafood restaurant? The cod cake appetizer served with some green leafy junk on a drizzle of sauce that was basically mayo – yuck. The first really bad item I’ve ever had here. The mahi mahi was pretty tasty, but they’ve done better. This restaurant still has great atmosphere, and I had ok service. But it was really disappointing for me, as I’d had so much better in the past. Perhaps it’s time for a new chef who understands seafood?

I made it to the Rose & Crown on my second night, and Pam Brody, the pearlie piano lady, recognized me right away and twisted my arm to get me to sing my famous Oh Danny Boy. Yeah, she really had to twist hard. Very fun, and a great way to make new friends who appreciate a quality Irish tenor when they hear one!

Breakfast the next morning was at the Tusker House in DAK, 45 minutes before park opening. While I enjoyed the walk through a mostly empty park, I didn’t enjoy arriving at the restaurant to find over 60 people already waiting to be seated. And I later saw that it wasn’t for lack of seating available – they just didn’t have the greeters to get people in faster. I had to wait 35 minutes just to get into the restaurant! The buffet was ok, but the long wait screwed up my plans to be done with breakfast and ready to hit the park right at opening. Bad form, and something they really need to get fixed!

I did something I’ve never done before – rode Everest 3 times in a row. The line was less than 5 minutes long, so I just hadta. I did the same thing a couple days later, for a total of 6 rides this trip – LOVE that coaster!

I was really looking forward to the Nemo musical, and was not disappointed. This show is simply the best! It’s a little odd figuring out where to look, what with the live performer on stage holding a puppet. The performers were so skilled that I started looking at them more and more, and using the puppet as just a mental reference as to which character was talking or singing. The young lady who performed Nemo was simply breathtaking! Wonderful voice, really emotional acting, a true star of the show!

The California Grill was wonderful as always. I had a new appetizer called the spicy sushi sensation. It was crab and avocado with a spicy sauce that had a very nice kick to it. Then of course it was the beef tenderloin, as usual. They’re now saying that it’s teriyaki marinated as opposed to tamarind bbq marinated, but it tasted the same to me – delicious! I wanted to finish the night at Downtown Disney, but I forgot that it was a Friday night. After spending 5 minutes looking for parking place, I gave up and went back to Epcot, where I discovered something important – I DON’T LIKE EMH evenings at Epcot! I’m used to having the place to myself after the fireworks, but this night there were about 50 times too many people. Who did they think they were, hanging out in MY World Showcase after dark? I’ll steer clear in the future.

I enjoyed the changes in the Haunted Mansion. I thought the new sound in the elevator was cool – nothing trickier than panning the voice around the room as opposed to switching it between sentences, but still nicely done. The stairs were great, and so much better than the old spiders, which bothered me the very first time I saw them back in 1978. I think they also changed the lap bar in the doombuggy – it was way too tight for me.

Saturday night - a rare night for me, as I had no sit down dining planned. I had a late lunch at the Earl of Sanwich (great club sandwich, nice to eat out by the water), then munched through the MK. I watched the early show of Spectro Magic, then the 9pm Wishes. Then I experienced unbelievable gridlock on exit, as a fairly large crowd waiting for the 10pm Spectro collided with the really large crowd trying to leave. It took me a full 45 minutes to get from mid-Tomorrowland bridge over to Coke Corner. A fellow gridlockee was also a CM, who said estimate was for 20 to 30 thousand, and then later upped to 57 thousand. Amazing that they didn’t open the backside of Main Street for the large crowd mass exodus. Thousands of people were waiting for boats and monorail, with both crowds overfilling their canopies, so I walked to the Contemporary & hopped on monorail there. Probably saved about half an hour at least, at the cost of 10 minutes of extra walking.
continued . . .

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

Part 3 of 3

Sunday was my last full day. I started in DAK at opening for a few more rides on Everest, then over to Epcot and lunch on the patio of the R&C. The meal was terrific, but was marred by really annoying static coming from the speakers out in the planters. They said they were calling and getting someone to work on it, but you know how that kind of thing can be at Disney.

Dinner was at the wonderful Bistro de Paris, the upstairs restaurant. For those who were wondering about a nice restaurant with few kids, this is the place. There were some children there, but they were very well behaved. The atmosphere here is very upscale, with dim lighting, French waiters in tuxes, and wonderful food! I had to follow this up with one more night of drinking at the pub and one more viewing of IllumiNations.

I got the word over the web that Spaceship Earth was doing soft openings, so I spent my last morning in the World hanging out near SSE, hoping to get lucky. Alas, it was not to be this trip.

Overall, other than my problems sleeping, this was an excellent trip. I was afraid the Pop Warner and cheerleading crowds would be huge, but I really didn’t notice much of an increase. Like always I left wishing I had just another day to finish doing the things I wanted to do, but then that’s why there’s a next time, isn’t it? I saw no bad behavior from cast members, and even guests were pretty well behaved, with the exception of a few freaking out kids and their freaking out parents. It was really nice to see Disney kicking in some cash on some well needed upgrades and new events. Here’s hoping the trend continues!

 

Originally Posted By jonvn

" There were only seven items on menu, "

Higher end restaurants tend to have fewer items on the menu.

 

Originally Posted By fkurucz

<<And I later saw that it wasn’t for lack of seating available – they just didn’t have the greeters to get people in faster. I had to wait 35 minutes just to get into the restaurant! >>

This for me is unforgiveable. I boycott Anaheim's DtD for this very reason: tons of empty tables and you have to wait half an hour to be seated. Forget that!

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<Well, it’s a quiet day at work, so I can take some time to organize my thoughts on this past WDW trip of 5 days. I’m not going to do a traditional trip report (“…and then I rode this, and then I ate here, and then I stopped to sit on a bench for 7 minutesâ€, etc.),>>

Oh, gosh darn it, I love 'dem.

Nothing like hearing about Britney needing a bathroom while the family is halfway through the 45 minute queue for Pooh or how Dad made a mad dash for Space Mountain FastPasses at rope drop or how you met people who knew your pastor's cousin's wife while waiting in line at Casey's.

I live for those reports!


<<I’ve been enjoying flying with Airtran as of late from Dallas to Orlando. Not only are their frequent flyer tickets easy to buy with my American Express miles, but they have XM radio at each seat – very very cool!>>

I don't fly discount airlines myself, but I know AirTran is huge in O-Town.

<<They gave me a Pontiac G6 – great car! I may have to buy one of these in a year or so – it really was a plush vehicle for a midsize!>>

Don't!!! I have had G6's as rentals and they're nice ... as rentals. That's what most American autos are good for. That's why I have Mercedes and Honda and am looking at Nissan's now.

You can't let 5 days of almost no driving at WDW compare with actually owning a vehicle.

Besides, aren't you at the age where they'll be taking your license away soon?


<<Now, if they could just get the rest of the pavilion up to speed. The water is still WAY too murky, and a lot of the displays have been there forever. The manatee area was completely closed down – perhaps something new going in there?>>

You didn't read my last trip observations did you, Danny? I remarked how the walls were rotting away at the seams in the manatee tanks. MAJOR repair work is needed ... and the only reason is pure abject neglect for many years. Much of the Seas is like that. A Nemo overlay on the sea cabs can't hide the fact that since 1996 when United Technologies sponsorship ended, next to nothing was done to the pavilion except a redo of the Coral Reef in 1998, until recently.


<<Dinner my first night was at the San Angel Inn – and this’ll be my last time there for a while. I love the Blue Bayou-ish atmosphere, but the food was simply unacceptable. Tostitos & bland salsa were followed by a Mexican combo that featured a totally bland steak – no seasoning, no sauce, just a piece of overcooked meat. They were making a big deal out of people filling out a survey card at end of each meal, so perhaps they’re getting ready to acknowledge that they have some problems. I know I unloaded on them bigtime!>>

You got what you had coming. You knew the place was serving Tostitos and jar salsa that you can get at WalMart. You could have done far, far better elsewhere.

<<I want to make a quick mention of my only real problem on this trip - lack of sleep. For whatever reason, I’ve been having a hard time sleeping off and on over the past few months. And sadly, the entire time at WDW it was an on time. Even with the obligatory old-guy afternoon nap, I still zombied around a lot more than I would have liked. This first night, as much as I love the drinking at the Rose & Crown and the watching of IllumiNations, I blew them off after dinner and headed back to my room to try to catch up on some sleep. No luck, but at least I tried. >>

Likely old age ... sleep apnea ... who knows? Maybe you were just too excited to sleep?

Interesting observations, Danny ... too bad you weren't able to meet up with the Spirit. That would have made your trip magical.

BTW, did you even go to Disney-MGM? I don't see one mention of it. Not that I'd blame you if I didn't.

I've often been up there for a week and never set foot in that park.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<I’ve long been a staunch supporter of the Coral Reef restaurant. But sadly, this time was not so great. There were only seven items on menu, and only three of them were fish. The signature item on the menu – steak. From looking at others’ plates, it looked like a good steak. But c’mon, a steak feature at a seafood restaurant? >>

I'm sorry to hear that. I dined there in October and the menu had been plussed to more than seven entrees, I'd say closer to 14. And over half were seafood and including humungous crab legs.

But I actually had the steak, and it was delicious.

It seems like they dumbed down the menu again in time for the holidays!



<<Perhaps it’s time for a new chef who understands seafood?>>

Perhaps, it's time for a new head of food and beverage for all of WDW!

<<I made it to the Rose & Crown on my second night, and Pam Brody, the pearlie piano lady, recognized me right away and twisted my arm to get me to sing my famous Oh Danny Boy.>>

I would suggest you visit casting. Disney is always looking for entertainment ... that comes cheap!

<<The California Grill was wonderful as always.>>

The one constant on the WDW dining scene since 1995. I can't believe they haven't screwed this one up, but with three changes in head chefs in 12 years, it is still an amazing culinary experience.

<<I had a new appetizer called the spicy sushi sensation. It was crab and avocado with a spicy sauce that had a very nice kick to it. Then of course it was the beef tenderloin, as usual. They’re now saying that it’s teriyaki marinated as opposed to tamarind bbq marinated, but it tasted the same to me – delicious!>>

I think it's probably because most of their diners have no idea what tamarind is. I noticed the change when I was there.

<<I gave up and went back to Epcot, where I discovered something important – I DON’T LIKE EMH evenings at Epcot! I’m used to having the place to myself after the fireworks, but this night there were about 50 times too many people. Who did they think they were, hanging out in MY World Showcase after dark? I’ll steer clear in the future.>>

Poor, Danny!

I really (don't) feel for you. EPCOT nights are something that used to be regular and for everyone. I still can't fathom how they close the park with all the dining, drinking and shopping down at 9 or 9:30 for all but 2-3 nights a year. I do know the idiots who started it to improve their bottom lines on labor, but no one's going to convince me they aren't passing up large sums of money by shutting early.

And, had you stayed, you'd have noticed that World Showcase still empties out within 70-90 minutes of park closing, so you'd still have a near exclusive feel.

<<I enjoyed the changes in the Haunted Mansion. I thought the new sound in the elevator was cool – nothing trickier than panning the voice around the room as opposed to switching it between sentences, but still nicely done. The stairs were great, and so much better than the old spiders, which bothered me the very first time I saw them back in 1978. I think they also changed the lap bar in the doombuggy – it was way too tight for me. >>

Oh, man, do I take the layup here and take the very open shot at Danny's girth? Nah, I'll be a nice spirit and just say that the doombuggies are new. At least most, as they all are being replaced.

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

Great review Dan, glad you had a good time. I was hoping you would get a chance to catch SSE, reviews really seemed mixed right now. I know what you mean about dining at the San Angel Inn, I scratched it off my list a couple of years ago. It sure would be nice if they brought it back up to a quality experience. The atmosphere there is great, but the food, and service has become one big joke. Did your body go into shock at Epcot when you didn't indulge in your late night cigar, and adult beverage while on a peaceful stroll around the World Showcase?
Funny the upscale restaurants here seem to offer more than 7 entres.

<a href="http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/media/Sample" target="_blank">http://www.mccormickandschmick
s.com/media/Sample</a>%20Dinner%20Menu_updated.pdf

<a href="http://www.reefhouston.com/pdfs/REEF" target="_blank">http://www.reefhouston.com/pdf
s/REEF</a>%20dinner%20menu.pdf

Pesce is about as upscale as a normal person here in Houston gets when it comes to seafood.

<a href="http://www.pescehouston.com/mainmenu.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pescehouston.com/ma
inmenu.htm</a>

 

Originally Posted By Sport Goofy

^^
Is it really possible for restaurants that are part of a corporate chain to be "upscale?"

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

>> Don't!!! I have had G6's as rentals and they're nice ... as rentals. That's what most American autos are good for. That's why I have Mercedes and Honda and am looking at Nissan's now. <<

My bro-in-law is very pleased with his new Maxima.

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

>> Is it really possible for restaurants that are part of a corporate chain to be "upscale?" <<

McCormick and Schmick is listed as an upscale restaurant. It might not be consider so by a person of your discerning taste however. I'm quite sure Pesce would meet your definition of upscale.

 

Originally Posted By Sport Goofy

<< I really (don't) feel for you. EPCOT nights are something that used to be regular and for everyone. I still can't fathom how they close the park with all the dining, drinking and shopping down at 9 or 9:30 for all but 2-3 nights a year. >>

Really? They only do EMH at EPCOT for 2-3 nights a year now? I thought they ran the park late for EMH at least twice a week.

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

Before I forget to clarify Goofy, I'm a Texas Redneck. A MacFish sandwich with extra tartar sauce is upscale for me. However my lovely wife has much better taste, except for when it comes to picking a mate!

 

Originally Posted By Sport Goofy

^^
I don't do upscale dining at all. But if I were to classify a place as "upscale," it would probably be defined by the fact that I wouldn't even be admitted in the first place. Mall/Shopping Center based restaurants that serve overpriced food to anyone that asks for a reservation or cares to wait in line for a table is not what I would consider upscale.

 

Originally Posted By Sport Goofy

By that definition, there aren't really any upscale dining experiences at WDW either. It's all pretty pedestrian stuff.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<Really? They only do EMH at EPCOT for 2-3 nights a year now? I thought they ran the park late for EMH at least twice a week. >>

Wasn't referring to EMH's ... talking in general. EPCOT extends to 10 p.m. on July 4th and usually 1 a.m. (WHOO-HOO!) on NYE. That's about it.

The park used to regularly have 10, 11, and midnight closings depending on time of year.

As for EMH's, EPCOT (like all the parks) has only one a week (Fridays usually) for most of the year. It gets two for summer and the two weeks around Christmas and Easter.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<By that definition, there aren't really any upscale dining experiences at WDW either. It's all pretty pedestrian stuff.>>

I wouldn't call Victoria and Alberts pedestrian. It is a 5-star restuarant that lives up to its billing. I wouldn't define places like Jiko, California Grill, Bluezoo, Narcoosee's and Artist Point as anything but upscale.

I think your definitions are a bit off.

 

Originally Posted By Sport Goofy

<< The park used to regularly have 10, 11, and midnight closings depending on time of year. >>

During EMH, the park still does. The restaurants stay open later with seating until after 10 PM on EMH nights, too. I don't see where this is really any different. It impacts the day visitor who can't do the attractions after 9PM, but the restaurants are generally open to anyone that has the foresight to get a reservation that late and the park isn't driving people out to close everything down until the EMH is over.

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

>Higher end restaurants tend to have fewer items on the menu.<

Yes, I've seen this. But never at a Disney restaurant until now. And a seafood restaurant definitely needs more than 3 selections of seafood!

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

>Nothing like hearing about Britney needing a bathroom while the family is halfway through the 45 minute queue for Pooh or how Dad made a mad dash for Space Mountain FastPasses at rope drop or how you met people who knew your pastor's cousin's wife while waiting in line at Casey's.<

Yup, you understand my point perfectly!

>You knew the place was serving Tostitos and jar salsa that you can get at WalMart.<

I was prepared for the Tostitos, but I didn't remember the salsa being so BLAND. It was like runny tomato paste - no flavor, no bite. But other than the chips, I've had pretty good meals here in the past. Sadly, not this time.


>BTW, did you even go to Disney-MGM? I don't see one mention of it.<

I should have mentioned that I went there later in the day to see the spectacular Osborne Lights. While waiting for the sun to go down I did The Great Movie Ride (not so great anymore) and the last show of the day for Indy. It was fun having a packed crowd for Indy, most of whom hadn't seen the show before. There was some serious gasping when the ball rolled over the guy - you just don't hear that very often any more. This show could use some updating as well, but was still pretty enjoyable. Other than that, there just wasn't anything in the Studios that I had to see. I'm too much of a big wuss to do the Tower or the Coaster, and I can do Star Tours and Muppets at DL. There just always seemed to be stuff in the other parks that I needed to see more than anything else in the Studios.

>And, had you stayed, you'd have noticed that World Showcase still empties out within 70-90 minutes of park closing, so you'd still have a near exclusive feel.<

Yeah, but I'm used to having that exclusive feel IMMEDIATELY, or rather within 10 minutes or so after the end of the show, when the bulk of the folks have left for the day. But I'm with you in that there's money to be made by keeping the parks open later.