VWL Spring Break and pics...

[lenshanem]

VWL Spring Break 4/1 - 4/9/06

OK. I used to do these long trip reports, but I just have no motivation anymore. BUT, I don’t feel like a trip is complete until I do one along with scrapbook a couple pages. Sooo, I thought I’d do a quick review of some of the things we did. One thing I will admit to is we spent too much money on food. Going as often as we do now I think we’ll either need to add on the dining plan or do an ADR every other day instead of each day.

Here's the ADR reviews or you can skip down... :bored:

Liberty Tree Tavern -
Not worth the money. We’ve had better experiences here before. Characters were rushed and I got no good pics. The food was decent and the chef (My oldest has severe food allergies.) was helpful, but just not worth that huge price tag. Bummer.

Sci-Fi -
We had lunch here on a Sunday. I have never seen it so empty! This is a regular spot for us - go here each trip. Never been crazy about the food, but we love the atmosphere. Chef just wouldn’t come out! They sent my DD a bowl of plain penne noodles with not even butter on them! What?!? The mac isn’t safe for a peanut and tree nut allergy? Our waitress finally got her a bowl of mac and insisted it was safe, but after that we felt nervous. Don’t know why the chef wouldn’t come out, it was really slow in there. We’ll still be back, it is just one of our spots!

Garden Grill -
FANTASTIC! Chef was awesome, food was good and the characters were the BEST! I ended up asking for the manager so I could praise them on such a great time!

Hoop-Dee-Doo -
I think this is the fourth time we’ve been and as always it was a blast. We always seem to luck out here and get a great table. We were down in front and my girls laughed and laughed. Food is just mediocre, but who cares?!? We love Hoop-Dee-Doo!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique -
Here’s my review and a couple pics -
http://www.mouseowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2646
This is a big two thumbs up!

50s Prime Time -
Given we had been at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique earlier in the day my girls got plenty of attention here! This is another regular spot for us and we love the smores here - safe for my DD to eat! We got to met jnrrt here, too! She was so nice and her whole family is cute and friendly! Hey jnrrt! :howudoin:

Whispering Canyon Café -
Good food, chef was accommodating and my youngest DD fits in nicely here - loud and rambunctious! :tongue:

Camp Dolphin and bluezoo -
Combo deal here - eat and show receipt and you get two complimentary hours at Camp Dolphin. We had seen bluezoo’s chef Todd English on Iron Chef one night so we wanted to try this place out. Overly expensive, too upscale environment for me (I guess I’m more of a Whispering Canyon kind of gal.) and I felt totally uncomfortable with Camp Dolphin. There were only two people working and they must have had a million kids! Given I had to leave an EpiPen for my DD’s allergies I was a little hesitant, but my girls wanted to play. If you have kids who are shy I wouldn’t leave them there. JMHO Plus, we weren’t impressed with the Dolphin at all. We won’t be staying there.

CRT -
I always say this will be the last time and yet we still go back. A small fortune to eat breakfast and the characters are with you so fast it is a blur. They now have Cindy in the lobby and you get a picture package. Course, ours was a terrible picture! Oh, well. Chef came out and was very nice. Offered my DD some choices. Waiter came over and we told him she wanted pancakes and he said we don’t have those. Told him the chef just offered to make them for her and he HUFFED! Let’s see… how much was that pancake?!? You are paying for eating in the castle and that is about it. But, we just love getting an early ADR and getting those priceless pics standing in front of the castle without a soul around. GF's Park Fare is the way to go if you want Cindy. No doubt.

Ohana -
Lilo was missing and there was only Stitch and Pluto. Total bummer. Goofy was out in the entrance for about ten minutes. Talk about an expensive breakfast! But yet, it was the best character meal food we had all trip. I guess I’m just over paying these high prices to get a micro second with a character. Chef Mickey’s will always be the best bet in this arena.



AND NOW OTHER STUFF -

Wilderness Lodge is AWESOME! Just love that place! Got there shortly after noon and studio was ready, both requests (nonsmoking due to DD’s asthma and a bathtub) were met. We had a fab location! - right off the bus stop, never had to walk down long hallways or ride the elevator. We even had like our own little door that went right to our room. It was close to the WL lobby, I think it was room 1502? It was dedicated, clean and mousekeeping went off both times without a hitch. I question the check in cast member's opinion this was a great view, though! :idontgeti :laughing:

Got to be the Flag Family one morning, pretty fun but Ranger Stan was out cause he had to go to the dentist! I’m sorry we missed him. Rode those little boats around both lakes. Great fun! I was about to have a heart attack with all the lake traffic, though! Can’t beat that feeling of being on that small boat right out in front of the castle, though! Mean ole’ Poly wouldn’t let me ride them last spring break cause I’m one inch too short, but WL never questioned me! Found a letterbox at WL. That was fun! It is our new family hobby -
http://letterboxing.org/

Enjoyed the pools, ran into a couple people we knew from back home - just a great time! And pool hopping to the Poly is so easy from WL. I LOVE their pool! :loveisint We spent almost a half day there one day.

I had to take my oldest DD to the Celebration ER in the middle of one night for a monster ear infection and they were super nice! They took her right in (Told me to keep it quiet since the waiting room was full!) and she was back in bed asleep within an hour and a half!

Epcot - Did some new things there this time. Let the girls pick an oyster to find a pearl in Japan (Oh, my! They accidentally kept DH’s change from a hundred dollar bill! We went back right before IllumiNations when he realized he was missing money and they counted down the drawer for us. ), made a robot in Innoventions and got the free photo deal with our Disney Visa.

Loved Expedition Everest, so glad our bus driver one morning told us to avoid AK the day before and after the grand opening. I had no clue the ride was gonna be shut down for press and such! (I saw an angry man at Guest Services at WL!) Plus thanks to this site, DH completed the online game beforehand and we got the free Expedition Everest ride photo!

My daughters literally introduced themselves to everyone we came across. We met so many nice people, but there is no doubt my girls like to talk. I highly recommend getting those cute Disney nametags for your kids - this was our second trip with my girls wearing them and they got so much attention from all the cast members!

Weather was beautiful, this must be the absolute best time to go. We went last year this same week and are hooked! Maybe some crowds, but everyone seems in such good moods with all that beautiful weather shining down on them!

OK, here's some pics -

http://home.comcast.net/~shanthompson/VWLflagfamily.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~shanthompson/VWLcastle.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~shanthompson/VWL50s.JPG

[Ginger]

Looks like a great time was had by all. Thanks for sharing. You have a lovely family.

[jnrrt]

We had a great time meeting your family!

I'm jealous of your time at the WL - before we left on Friday, we went and had lunch at WCC, and asked to see a room there. It was so beautiful! We're definitely trying to get in there next time. I love trying all the different resorts - there's something I've found to love about each of them!.

I'm so glad you had a great trip, and that you're dd's ear were fine.

Thanks for the report!

[Muushka]

Thank you for sharing your vacation with us! I cannot get enough of VWL.

[CRSNDSNY]

Great report -- AS USUAL! PLEASE don't stop writing them...we all enjoy them too much!

[PoohsPal]

Great report SHan! Thanks for the pix!

[AmyBeth68]

Thanks for the report!!!

Can I ask you....how far in advance did you make HDDR ressies? We've always been fortunate to get a good table too.....but I made them a little later for our upcoming trip and was wondering if that is a factor!

How were the crowds...long waits at all? We were there this week last year and it wasn't too bad at all! I want to go back to Florida next Spring break (we just returned from a fabulous trip to Arizona). But I do miss my WDW! :slyasafox

[Rozzie]

thanks for the report!!! Sounds like a great trip! :goodvibes

[withdisneyspirit]

I really enjoyed your trip report; I hope you always tell us about your trips:fingerscr

I, personally, am glad for the Bluezoo assessment because I am a WCC kinda gal too:goodvibes I've wondered about Shula's and Yachtsman too for the same reason...

[jiggerj]

What a fantastic report! loved the pics too! :)

What is the letterboxing? I have never heard of it before?

[matysgranma]

I just loved your trip report. This is the first I've ever heard of Letterboxing. It sounds way too interesting! Did you grab your clues before you left for your trip? I'm just curious as to how this all works.

[bavaria]

Thanks for the report and the cute photos! Looked like you had a great trip!!!! and I always like hearing other peoples impressions of restaurants.

[PolyColleen]

What a wonderful report. Thanks for letting me know you had posted it :) I was thinking of all of you while you were down there. Glad you had a great trip and the ear infection didn't ruin too much time.

LOVE the girls' hairdos! And of course we also love the Lodge. We were on the same hallway last spring break, in a 2-bedroom on the 2nd floor. Loved that location. Every night at bedtime I would look out the patio door and say goodnight to Topiary Mickey. Seeing his little green hedge butt was a good enough view for me! We love the Lodge. I also did the Lodge tour one morning with Ian but Stan was missing then, too. The young man who filled in was very sweet, but I wanted the celebrity!

I just made reservations for Whispering Canyon when we go in July. Haven't been in a while and it sure is fun. I am already thinking of returning to the Hoop Dee Doo. In March we had a great table right behind the piano player, and Rob our waiter was the best. My kids ate like crazy! The show has not changed since I was a teenager :)

And finally, Shan, I have got to say that you guys are just about the cutest family I have ever seen! LOVED the photos. :)

[jaysue]

Thanks for the report Shan - glad to hear you and the family had a wonderful time on the trip and you continue to have a love affair with the WL - it is a very nice resort - Sue and I finally ate at Artists Point last trip and really liked it - we thought the place would be on the stuffy side but we thought it was just the right balance between nice and casual.

Funny in the Dolphin and Blue Zoo thing - it is more of a business/convention hotel as opposed to a family resort - I would only stay there free on starwood points

Great that you were the flag family - awesome!!! :worship:

The view from 1502 - too funny that they told you it was a great view - the CM had probably had trouble placing the room before and was trying to sell you on it :laughing:

Glad to hear you met another board member - awesome stuff

Can't wait for our next trip!

cheers
jaysue

[nono]

Thanks for taking the time to write up your report! I love reading about the World in between trips! :bluebloun

[lenshanem]

Thanks everyone for all the nice comments! :)

Amy - I think I made the Hoop ADR when I made the others - 180+ days out. I've heard you get seated by when you booked, BUT once I made a LAST minute ressie (literally an hour or so before the show) and we also had a table down front. Maybe we just got someone's cancellation?!?
DH and I have decided every spring break is a go, EXCEPT for when it hits those two weeks surrounding Easter. Too high in points and I think the crowds would be insane. It was busy when we went, but we never waited too long. Just got fastpasses for the more popular rides. UNFORTUNATELY, next year our spring break hits at Easter. :crymeariv

jiggerj and matysgranma - We just started doing letterboxing. Someone told me about it and I thought it sounded neat. If you go to that website I mentioned you can type in your zip code and find boxes near where you live. Basically, people hide boxes (usually in parks, etc.) and you print out the clues to find it - kinda like a scavenger hunt. Inside the box they'll have a notebook and a rubber stamp. You stamp their book with a stamp (You'll need to buy one.) and then take their stamp and stamp your own notebook. I bought a Mickey and Minnie stamp to represent our family. :) The WL box was quite easy to find and it was cool to see all the other people's stamps. Most people also write where they are from so you'll need to take a pen, too.

Colleen, you cracked me up! "little green hedge butt" :hahahaha:

[AmyBeth68]

Did I see your girls in crocs in one of those pics? How did they work for the parks? I always try to figure out the best shoes for the girls to wear. Especially for our August trip when they get wet each day. Were they comfy? I've never worn crocs but know they are HUGE right now. All the kids were wearing them at the resort we went to in Scottsdale. I didn't ask how comfy they were though LOL.

Just curious! TIA

[lenshanem]

Amy, we've become huge Crocs fans. I wear them almost everyday and so do my girls. They are very comfy and none of us got any blisters while at WDW. They were the only pair of shoes I took for them! We saw LOTS of families with them on there, too.

Only problem I had was their feet got so dirty! I guess no different than if they had on sandals. I used to buy them the Lands End action sandals for our WDW trips and I recommend them, too.

Cool thing with the Crocs is I took an extra dish sponge and I'd clean them off every night in the sink with some dish soap. I dunno, maybe they aren't washing down the pavement as much as they used to cause I don't recall our shoes getting so black before???

Here's a website I order our Crocs from (They are very nice and helpful about returns.)
http://www.taylorshoes.com
The Crocs run really big so order a size down. My Mom bought the new Athens Crocs flip flops and really likes them, they are supposed to come out with those in kid sizes next month. I order the girls the Cayman and I have both the Beach and Nile styles.

I wouldn't buy the fake ones at Target and places like that. I checked them out and they're a different material - more like hard plastic and the Crocs are like a foam of some sort.

[athenna]

Thanks for the advice about the Crocs, Shan. I am actually wearing the imitation one's now..lol..They are comfy now, but I'm just sitting here:computerg When I have worn them to WDW, I've gotten blisters. I know I wore them 1 whole day at Epcot in March and my feet were killing me. Maybe if I had the real version, they'd be more comfy??
Hey, ya get what ya pay for, they were on clearance for $5..lol

[lenshanem]

Uh. I dunno? I am prone to blisters and I didn't get any this trip. I also spray down my feet with spray deodorant, too. Maybe that helps?

The Crocs are expensive, but my girls wore them thru the entire school year and they held up. My oldest can go thru a pair of sneakers in less than a week. They seem to wash up nice. They have been worth every penny. I bought them new pairs for the trip cause the treads on their other pair was starting to wear off and I didn't want them slipping if it rained.

A nurse told me she puts her Crocs in the dishwasher and I tried it out yesterday. It worked nicely.

I will be very sad when they go out of style. I really love them. When we first got ours we never saw any of them around where we live, now we see them often. That means we'll maybe get about another year before people say they are yesterday? :ROTFL:

[AmyBeth68]

Thanks Shan,

We always use the action sandals from LE too....but they got dirty sooo quickly. At WDW last year they came home totally discolored. I'm hoping the crocks will clean up nicer :).

I really appreciate the info! I think we'll give them a try for this summer!

[idratherbeinwdw]

Great report and great pics Shan! I love the photo of your girls hugging inside the castle.

[dgaston]

Fun report!

[granny]

Shan...thanks for the great report on your VWL stay! Glad to see the old place is holding up well! :)

I also like the picture of your daughters hugging in the castle. Can't get much more magical than that! :)

[mssparrrow]

Shan,

Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to go!!!

[RweTHEREyet]

I just wanted to share that I love my crocs, too. I was able to buy several pair at my local Hallmark store. I have also seen them at REI and at Journeys, if you have those stores i your area.

I have been wearing mine for about a year now, and they are the most comfortable things I have ever had on my feet. I did wear them at Disney last summer and was never even aware of my feet, if you know what I mean. In my New Balance, my feet would eventually get tired, but not in my crocs. I highly recommend them for big people as well as little people.

[Stimpy]

Thanks for the report, great job! I'm glad I'm not missing anything by skipping BlueZoo...seemed a little too much for us on vacation. Love the pics! Your family looks so happy.