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Old 16 Nov 18, 03:12 PM  
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minnie52
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Our 'one last time' trip - October 2018 Index

So, we are back from our 3 week trip and we had the most amazing time. Before we went I read endless trip reports which were so helpful in my planning so I’m hoping my ramblings may do the same for someone else. Plus, it’s a lovely way to relive our trip and is nice to have to look back on.

So, our trip was 5 nights at the Boardwalk, 10 nights in a condo, 5 nights on a RC cruise and 1 night at the Beach Club before flying home.

Pre-Trip Report
Day 0 – Travel Day - 21st October
Day 1 – BOG, Magic Kingdom, Pool & Epcot - 22nd October
Day 2 – Trattoria Al Forno, Shopping, Pool & Epcot - 23rd October
Day 3 – Animal Kingdom - 24th October
Day 4 – Hollywood Studios & Hollywood & Vine - 25th October
Day 5 – Magic Kingdom & 1900 Park Fare - 26th October
Day 6 – Blizzard Beach - 27th October
Day 7 – I-Drive Outlets & Pirates & Pals - 28th October
Day 8 – Wild Florida & I-Drive - 29th October
Day 9 – Magic Kingdom - 30th October
Day 10 – Halloween - Lake Buena Vista Outlets, Pool & Celebration
Day 11 – Typhoon Lagoon & Mini Golf - 1st November
Day 12 – Florida Mall & Disney Springs - 2nd November
Day 13 – Mini Golf & Animal Kingdom - 3rd November
Day 14 – Mini Golf & Magic Kingdom - 4th November
Day 15 – Cruise Day - 5th November
Day 16 – Day at Sea - 6th November
Day 17 – Nassau - Blue Lagoon Excursion - 7th November
Day 18 – Cococay - 8th November
Day 19 – Back to Disney - Hollywood Studios
Day 20 – Epcot & Home Time

It was the four of us, me, DH, DD1 (Leah – age 7) and DD2 (Ellie – age 5). In total we rode 68 rides, met 52 characters and saw 5 of the evening shows (Fantasmic, Illuminations, Rivers of Light, Jingle Bell Jingle Bam & a very rainy Happily Ever After – oh and we also saw Hallowishes from a boat!).

Highs

The Boardwalk – We had originally booked Animal Kingdom Lodge which is where we stayed for our honeymoon in 2016. We didn’t leave there with the must-stay on site attitude – hence the short booking this trip. It was mainly for the kids as they kept asking to go back and so we could do a few character meals. When we found out the pool was undergoing refurbishment, we were given a choice of Saratoga Springs, another hotel I can’t remember now and Boardwalk. I went with the Boardwalk because we had breakfast booked there on our second day and thought the convenience of popping downstairs for breakfast was at least a plus.

I’ve heard people say crescent lake is there favourite area – people said it to me while we were there and I’ve never got it. Magic Kingdom has always been our favourite park and I thought if I could stay anywhere it would be Bay Lake.

But the Boardwalk literally blew me away. I loved this hotel. Every aspect of it. The lobby was always quiet – no people hanging around for reservations (I guess this is because the restaurants are at the front there is literally no need for people to go into the hotel area.) The smell when you walk in the lobby. The pool was never particularly busy while we were there, I could see the kids from wherever we were sat. The room was spacious. We could see the HS fireworks from our balcony. Maybe my love for the hotel is also a result of falling in love with Epcot. Spending the evening in Epcot with dinner and a drink is my new favourite and the boardwalk makes it so easy. It didn’t feel like a chore getting in the car, parking, tram rides, you could literally take the 5 minute stroll to dinner, neither of us had to drive. Writing this makes me fall in love with it even more! So yes, this was a massive high for all of us.

Dining Plan – I booked when free dining was on so booked hotel and tickets together. The total price for the hotel was £1,280 (I originally booked AKL so I know Boardwalk would have been more expensive). On totalling it all up we would have spent £1,323.76 on the food we ate. This is without parking saved, the gift card, memory maker and our magic bands. Although we would have eaten out less (less snacks etc.) had we not been on the dining plan the table service meals were ones I would have paid out of pocket for and it was nice to have the opportunity to have a meal and drink in Epcot of an evening. For future trips, evenings in Epcot are definitely a must do!

Service – we received some excellent service from CM this trip. The servers at 1900 Park Fare and Hollywood & Vine were excellent.

Kids – They were older this trip (having previously visited when they were 1 and 3 and 3 and 5) and at 7 and 5 it was like a different trip. We could do longer days and later nights meaning we got so much more done. They were up for so many more rides too, meaning Dan got to ride with us as a family instead of going by himself which made it more enjoyable for him.

Crowds – It wasn’t as busy as I thought it was going to be. I used the DIBB busy day guide and there were no 3 hour ques for Peter Pan like we saw towards the end of our 2016 trip!

Cruise – The service we received on this was outstanding. Our waiters in the main dining room were fantastic and our room attendant made sure we had everything we needed. The Bahamas were stunning. It was fascinating to see the sea life in the area (although Dan may disagree after coming face to face with a lemon shark). Our stateroom was also much bigger than I expected with plenty of storage and I didn’t find it too cramped at all.

Lows

Disappointing Service – The service seems to be inconsistent across the restaurants at WDW. We had a disappointing server at Cape May Café which is a shame because we really enjoy the food and character interaction there.

Rude Guests – I noticed this trip the amount of people generally having no consideration for others. I know it's Disney World – I know people get over excited or tired or hot but at least try.

Fireworks – Don’t leave these until your last night! I know this – I don’t know why I planned it like this! I guess I thought it would be the perfect end to the first part of our trip. It absolutely bucketed it down when we went to watch Happily Ever After. We had to watch it sheltering under Tomorrowland and didn’t get the full effect at all. I was in tears knowing that we’d missed our chance.

Cruise – The room décor was disappointing and when we first walked in, I wished we hadn’t of left Disney. It’s a shame because we had a wonderful time, but first impressions count, and I really think they need to make an effort to improve some of the rooms. The cost of essentials was also extortionate on the cruise. We were charged 16 dollars for two bottles of water and 7 dollars for a standard size tube of toothpaste. If I’d have known, I’d have stopped at target on the way!

Despite this, our highs definitely out weighed the lows and the only thing I would do differently is watch HEA a different night!

Edited at 01:24 PM. Reason: adding a day
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Old 18 Nov 18, 11:36 AM  
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Old 20 Nov 18, 11:09 AM  
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Old 25 Nov 18, 10:29 AM  
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Old 1 Dec 18, 11:26 AM  
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Old 18 Dec 18, 12:18 PM  
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Forgot to update but 8, 9 and 10 are up
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Old 4 Jan 19, 10:41 AM  
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Old 6 Jan 19, 10:02 PM  
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Old 7 Jan 19, 04:22 PM  
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Old 8 Jan 19, 02:57 PM  
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