Toarin' - August 2015. Final Thoughts

[Scruffette]

Final Thoughts/ Future plans

And so another adventure is over. We’ve been back 9.5 months, so it certainly feels a long time ago! I’ve tried to remember as many details as possible - I only had notes for about a quarter of the days, so it was a challenge at times!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading along. It’s nice to know that some people are enjoying what you’re writing, or at least finding some of the information vaguely useful!

I always find it difficult to pick out highs and lows, so this will be more of a ‘final thoughts’ section.

Flights-

This was our first time flying indirect. US Airways/ American Airlines operated the flights and I was impressed with the service. Flying indirect was a simple and easy process. It broke up the travel day, although we did end up arriving in Orlando a bit later. Going in school holidays, indirect is a real money saver.



We won’t be travelling in school holidays in future, so direct flights will be more of an option. However, if there was a saving I would definitely consider indirect again.

Accommodation –

We hopped around a bit this trip. We didn’t really unpack until our longer Disney stay, which made it logistically easier. It was a quick process moving rooms.

Rosen Plaza –



Having never stayed on Idrive before, I didn’t really know what to expect. The location of this hotel was perfect. It was right by an Itrolley stop and close to lots of restaurants. Having ridden the Itrolley further north, this seemed the preferable part of Idrive to stay in. The room was comfortable and clean. The price was really reasonable (around £40 a night). Although staying on site would always be my preference as you’re ‘in the magic’, staying here suited us.

Royal Pacific Resort –



Having stayed one night in 2013, we decided to stay 2 nights this time. This was a much better length of stay. It meant we actually got to go in the pool and have a rest in the middle of the day. The FOLPs and early opening are massive benefits and really mean you can get so much out of a two night stay. We weren’t in a refurbished room, which was looking a little tired.

We originally booked direct with Universal, but cancelled when a good deal came up on the BA site two months before. It made it about £60 a night cheaper, so a big saving.

The bed was massive and sooo comfy!

Saratoga Springs –



It was our first time staying here, and we had been umm-ing and ahh-ing whether to stay here or at our favourite French Quarter.
Check in wasn’t amazing, but the manager made up for it with a very Disney touch.

I liked the layout of the room. The sofa bad made for a lot more space in the room and the kitchenette came in useful. I’m sure the balcony was nice, however we didn’t make the most out of it.
However, this resort wasn’t for us. Having been spoilt by French Quarter’s compactness, Saratoga seemed so spread out. It meant the buses made several stops and would take a long time to actually leave the resort. My pet hate was walking through car parks to get to our building. I know this seems like a small thing, but it made it feel more like a cheap hotel rather than a Disney hotel.

The food court had a lot less choice and as it was further away we didn’t get much use of our refillable mugs.

Wilderness Lodge –



With only one night here, we barely saw the resort. Renting DVC points went really well, particularly when the exchange rate was more favourable than it is now. The room was the same layout as Saratoga Springs, so felt fairly spacious. The lobby is beautiful.

Cruise-



In a word – amazing. I loved so much about the cruise. It deserves it’s own post – see here for the cruise forums. It was unexpectedly one of the best parts of the trip.

Disney Dining Plan –

I think people either love or hate the dining plan. I’m in the love category. Again we finished every credit. I love not worrying about how much something costs while I’m on holiday and ordering what I want off a menu without worrying. I’m a big fan of Disney food and this time found so many different options to eat. I didn’t have a Disney burger until the penultimate day!









However, between the dining plan and the cruise, I put on over a stone in weight. Good job we were on the go all day and walking lots – I hate to think what would have happened otherwise!

Weather –

Going in August, it was very hot. There was a lot more rain than in our 2013 trip. It reminded me of 2009. It would rain most afternoons, but was still raining when we headed out to dinner. It then stayed pretty grey for the evening. It didn’t affect our plans too much, it just meant we carried ponchos around all the time and wore them into some nice restaurants. Fireworks were delayed a few times, but never cancelled.

FP+ -

This was our first time using FP+, and I am a total convert. Pre booking means that even turning up to a park in the afternoon or evening, we could still get on a headliner like Toy Story Midway Mania or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with little wait. Some days we just used the three, on our first day at MK we used 6 by 3pm.



Parks –

The Disney parks are always the main draw for me. I love the atmosphere and the magic. One slight downside was the amount of visible construction going on. There has been a lot of talk about Hollywood Studios, but we found plenty to fill our time and it still has some of our favourite rides.



We had an extra day at Universal, and found 3 days to be the perfect amount of time. The new Diagon Alley area has been so well done. I’m a big fan of the Hogwarts Express to go from park to park. I find IOA a little bit lacking when you take out the HP stuff.



Busch Gardens was a first for Ollie. He loved all ‘proper coasters’. For me, there isn’t a massive amount there in terms of rides. Even so, I managed to fill a day quite happily.

We also visited Sea World, as Ollie’s first visit and my first in a number of years. We’d be in no rush to return I think. The real draw of Sea World now is the coasters.

Future plans-

Within a week of getting back, we’d booked our next Disney Cruise! Originally we’d planned something low key in Europe this year, but changed this to a Disney Med cruise in August! This is getting very close now, so some serious planning is happening. (A pre-trip for this has appeared over in the cruise forum). We’re adding on a few days before at PortAdventura and Barcelona – we can’t do a holiday without a theme park!

And as if one trip in the making wasn’t enough, we’re also planning a west coast trip in 2017! Rough itinery at the moment includes San Fransisco-Yosemite-Anaheim- LA. Obviously the thing I’m most looking forward to is Disneyland.

I may be one of those greedy people who has several trip reports on the go at once!

With these other exciting trips happening, we don’t have plans to return to Florida for a few years. While I am definitely going to miss it, there are lots of other places to see (all with a bit of Disney thrown in). It also gives Disney World a chance to finish some of the construction and actually open something for when we go back!

And so this ends another report. Thanks again for reading along and for some lovely comments

Join us shortly in the cruise forum for our next adventure

[waiting4disney]

A great summary. I have enjoyed your reports.
Not tried the ddp but we love FPs.

[sandshal]

Thank you for sharing your lovely holiday with us, sorry I haven't posted much but I've enjoyed your trip every step of the way.

Look forward to hearing all about your next cruise and your West Coast trip xx

Sharon

[DisneyDreamer81]

Thanks so much for writing your report - really enjoyed it! Enjoy your cruise, can't wait to read all about it! x

[Redrach1903]

Thanks for sharing! Exciting plans ahead!

[Scruffette]

Originally Posted by waiting4disney

A great summary. I have enjoyed your reports.
Not tried the ddp but we love FPs.

See more...

Thanks for reading along We're definitely DDP fans!

Originally Posted by sandshal

Thank you for sharing your lovely holiday with us, sorry I haven't posted much but I've enjoyed your trip every step of the way.

Look forward to hearing all about your next cruise and your West Coast trip xx

Sharon

See more...

Thank you for reading along A cruise pre-trip is currently being written and will be appearing soon!

[Scruffette]

Originally Posted by DisneyDreamer81

Thanks so much for writing your report - really enjoyed it! Enjoy your cruise, can't wait to read all about it! x

See more...

That's so lovely, thank you I can't believe how close the cruise is now! 2 months and counting!

Originally Posted by Redrach1903

Thanks for sharing! Exciting plans ahead!

See more...

Thanks for your lovely comments on each day Rach We are so lucky to have two amazing trips in the pipeline!

[JK's Mummy]

Fabulous summary of your trip... off to find the full report now!

[helenlovesdestr]

Really enjoyed ur trip report, especially the cruise bits. Looking forward to ur next report!

[Scruffette]

Originally Posted by JK's Mummy

Fabulous summary of your trip... off to find the full report now!

See more...

Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest of it

Originally Posted by helenlovesdestr

Really enjoyed ur trip report, especially the cruise bits. Looking forward to ur next report!

See more...

Thank you so much for reading The pre trip has officially been started!