 |
| Me and the Amazing Matt and Wil – soon to be 15 and so much fun! |
We just returned from a 5 day trip to Walt Disney World! This time it was just me and the twins and we had an amazing, if really hot and humid, time and did a few things for the first time! Which shows that even those of use that have been a ton get new experiences – there’s so much to see that even after 7 years of multiple trips a year, we haven’t seen and done it all.
 |
| My Magic Band complete with slider that came with them – not sure if they’ll continue to do this but was a fun surprise! |
I’ll go through and grade each experience and hopefully it will help you as you plan for your upcoming trip! Or help you with your dreaming for that upcoming trip, either way. Also, if you want complete descriptions with pictures of all of the resorts, including BWV, my favorite website is All Ears. Great for planning and for dreaming!
Boardwalk Villas – A
 |
| Image from TripAdvisor |
We LOVE this resort. After last year’s unexpected upgrade to the Tower at the Contemporary, I was concerned that this year would be a disappointment for the twins but they really enjoyed it. The studio villa, although very similar to the inn rooms, have a sleeper sofa and a queen bed. The twins said the pull out was very comfortable (actually they didn’t say that, but they didn’t complain and they slept great so I’m assuming;). With the 3 of us sharing one bathroom, I really liked that the sink area is outside the toilet/shower area AND that there’s a small kitchenette with a separate sink, mini fridge and microwave. Made having breakfasts in the room a breeze.
 |
| View from our room |
We were in room 4136 which is VERY FAR from the lobby if you walk inside, but if you go outside and go around it’s not bad and we were very close to the bus stops that way. Also, the walk to Hollywood Studios from this location was less than 10 minutes. In fact, both Epcot and DHS were within a 15 minute walk which is why we love this part of the world so much!
FastPass Plus – B
Since my first post about this last year, it has improved considerably. My favorite part is not having to criss-cross the parks to procure paper fastpasses. However, because this was such a busy time of year, once we used our initial 3 choices and tried to get more, there just wasn’t much left.
PLEASE do your research about the best use of your FP+ if you’re going for the first time. We saw a family, I kid you not, use their first FP of the day for . . . Captain EO. Um, yeah, just no. Disney has added a whole bunch of things to the FP system that don’t EVER justify it just so folks don’t feel like they’re getting “nothing”.
Also, the day we were at MK and the entire FP+ system went down at every park? Folks were FREAKING OUT. Seriously, it was super hot, super crowded, super humid and people weren’t getting what they had paid for. I get why they were upset. And it’s a great reminder to take a screen shot or bring a print out of your FP+ reservations with you to the park. The My Disney Experience app is great when it works, but a lot of the time it doesn’t and the last thing you want to be doing on vacation is sitting there staring at your phone for hours.
 |
| Original image from People Magazine |
We only it rode it once and it was at night which was truly great. We had a FP and thank goodness we did as the stand-by line was 90 minutes. It’s a very sweet, fun, sentimental ride and it’s very well done. But it’s very short and certainly not worth an hour or more in line. So if you can get a FP great, but if you can’t, don’t worry if you miss it.
Biergarten – A+!
We are not foodies so if you are REALLY into German food, you might disagree with me here but for me, this place never disappoints. I like the band, I like the food, I like the singing, I like sitting with other families and I like the adorable German people who work there. We will always be back. And yes, even a vegetarian can eat so much there that she is truly sick while watching the Frozen fireworks. That happened to a friend of mine. I’m must kidding. It was me. It happened to me. At 44 you’d think I would stop eating myself sick like a Basset Hound. Oh well.
The Top of the World Lounge – A+++
It’s a little unfair of me to review this as you can’t go unless you’re a DVC member, but it was our first time there and it’s just lovely. We went before our dinner reservation at The Wave just for drinks and appetizers and I love it up there. There were MAYBE 12 other people there. The twins loved that they have to escort you up to a special floor and they felt very special. I kept thinking they’re ridiculously spoiled but they seem to still be grateful so I’ll let it go. Truly a lovely bar with unbelievable views and a great respite from the crowds and the heat. If you are a DVC member, promise me you’ll make the effort and go. Oh, and our waiter Eduardo told us that as long as you get there by 9pm, you can usually get a seat for Wishes. They do cap at 170 people I think, though, so if you show up at 9:45 you’re most likely out of luck. (sidenote: if you are considering purchasing DVC, PLEASE consider the resale market. We used The Timeshare Store and were very happy with our experience. You can save literally thousands of dollars.)
In the words of Wil Lefforge, age 14, “I think I’ve found my new favorite restaurant.” The food was amazing, fresh and different (they both had the beef tenderloin, I had the grilled tofu) and the service was friendly and efficient. The restaurant is quiet and just lovely. Sometimes at Disney you can feel like you’re eating the same food at every meal with different names – the Wave is NOT like that. It’s pricey but in my opinion, well worth it.
Tokyo Dining – B
This would have received an A but for the first time, our service here was not great. In their defense, the place was EXTREMELY busy and we ate rather late (7:20). We usually go right when they open and it feels much more peaceful. It was an absolute zoo in there. Also, family at table with screaming baby? Are you serious? This baby wasn’t just talking or crying, this baby was SCREAMING off and on for the entire time we ate there and it was bothering everyone. Really not OK.
Having said that, we really do love the food here, and the Vegetarian tempura and roll platter is delicious.
 |
| original image from allears.net |
This gets a bad rap, but we have always had a great experience. The bus was there and ready for us right when we walked up, the drivers were freindly and efficient, and it was FREE. We spent our last night at the Hyatt Regency at the Orlando Airport (which we love by the way) and when I called and asked if we could get ME without flight info, she said “absolutely no problem. We do it all the time. Would 9:45pm work for you?” Um, YES. So we had an entire park day and were the only ones on the ME bus at 9:45. Seriously they picked us up and we headed straight to the airport. Lovely experience and a great perk of staying on property.
This post had ended up being way longer than I intended, and I’m sure a lost alot of you about half way through, but if you made it to the end please comment and tell me if you agree or disagree with my grades! I’ll be back at Disney World in November for the Wine and Dine Half with my sweetheart and can’t wait! Thanks for reading!