|
General Chat This forum is for general topics and chat type threads. |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
11 Jun 19, 09:25 PM |
#1
|
|
slightly serious Dibber
|
Back just over a week - Highs and not so highs
We've been back now just over a week after a split stay on site and in a villa. Firstly I just want to say a ginormous thank you to everyone on here who gave advice and helped me plan. It really did make all the difference.
Accomodation choices We loved staying on site the first week for the ease of getting around, restaurants, customer service etc. But we also adored the second week in our villa as it was so chilled and the kids spent so much time just playing and splashing in the pool. Utilising fastpasses Thanks to advice on the dibb and touring plans we really made the most of fast passes and didn't have to queue much at all. I did have a 'no queue longer than 45 minutes' rule and we managed to stick to that! Virign Atlantic I was really impressed with Virign, we really enjoyed the V Room, it was so much more relaxed than being in the main airport and made the start of the holiday relaxing. Sitting in the bubble was brilliant and the staff were so attentive. The kids were good on the flight too. The flight home wasn't as hellish as previous night flights I've had! Character meals We did LOTS of character meals in a variety of places and every single one was excellent. The children interacted well with the characters and it was amazing to see my 7 year old being as enthralled with all the characters as our younger child. It was so special. Fell in love with the Poly though when we went to Ohana so will have to start saving for the next trip! Night time shows We saw Fantasmic, Illuminations and Happily Ever After and loved them all. We watched Happily Ever After on our last night from the train station and I will remember it forever, so magical. Weather and time management It was HOT HOT HOT and we didn't have any rain for the whole 2 weeks. I'll let you decide whether that is a good thing or not! For us it meant we didn't spend as long in the parks but it was fine. We just went with the flow and I was quite proud of myself for allowing myself to change plans at the drop of a hat! The children A bit cheesy this but I am honestly so proud of my children. We had very few grumpy moments but they both grew in confidence so much. My eldest needed literally manhandling onto Splash Mountain on day 1 as he was so scared and by the end of the holiday he said Tower of Terror was his favourite! He can be very nervous and has really overcome that on this holiday. My youngest turned out to be a total adrenaline junkie as we suspected and had a few tired days (she's 4 and we refused to take a buggy!) but overall she was amazing. She is so fun loving and was so positive the whole time. It was great to see. Villa issues When we turned up to our villa there was another family in it! There had been an error with the booking which led to a rather stressful 15 minutes whilst we sorted it out and had visions of driving around looking for a hotel room! It was soon sorted though so after 1 night in a different villa we were in our own. Lost things I lost my favourite jumper. Pretty sure I left it on the plane but it never turned up. Bought a spirit Jersey to get over it. My son also lost his favourite teddy but he seems to be OK about it. Missed rides We didn't get in Flights of Passage. I couldn't get a fast pass at a reasonable time even 60 days out and we weren't willing to queue. Some people have said I was stupid not to do it but at the end of the day the children took priority and the youngest was too young to ride so it would not be fair on her to make her queue to not get on. We also didn't get on Kali which ws a shame as we had fast passes on 2 days and it was down both times! My son was really looking forward to this so it was disappointing. We also wish we had spent longer at Blizzard Beach. Universal I did 1 day at universal on my own and I'm so glad we didn't take the children. It is nothing like the universal I know and love and I was easily done with everything by mid afternoon. I LOVED Harry Potter but felt everywhere else just wasn't on a par with Disney and it worth doing if you're not into 3D rides. I know lots of people will disagree with this though! So that's my initial thoughts, I have written pretty detailed notes for every day so I might do a full trip report but I'm not sure how I feel about sharing photos on a public forum so I'll see. Hope you enjoyed reading and sorry for any typos, writing this on my phone! 😊 Edited at 09:36 PM. |
|
|
11 Jun 19, 09:29 PM |
#2
|
|
Imagineer
|
Great report and sounds like you had a great time with beautiful weather! Don’t worry about missing FOP - it’s only a ride and it will still be there when you next visit - which you definitely will👍
|
|
|
11 Jun 19, 09:34 PM |
#3
|
|
Imagineer
|
Sounds like a great trip, my kids were the same age as yours when we first took them and nothing beats those first interactions with the characters, absolutely magical. Villa sounds a bit dodgy, but glad you got it sorted
__________________
|
|
|
11 Jun 19, 09:44 PM |
#4
|
|
VIP Dibber
|
Sounds like a great trip . You can still do a report without any photos of family , it gives people help and ideas with your experiences especially with young children in tow . Well done managing without a buggy as well.
__________________
LBV Spa resort October 2013 Bahama bay October/Nov 2015, Disney contemporary oct 2015, Loews rpr Nov 2015 Bahama bay October /Nov 2017, Disney contemporary oct 17 , AKL , GF Yacht club / Bahama bay oct/Nov 2019 , poly Nov 2022 boulder ridge, Polynesian , AOA and Bahama bay Sept 24 POFQ |
|
|
11 Jun 19, 09:52 PM |
#5
|
|
Imagineer
|
We had a similar experience with FOP this time last year - no FPs at 60 days and the queue was huge even though we had early morning EMH. We decided we weren't wasting hours queuing and never regretted it
Sounds like a great trip overall
__________________
Steve and Kath. |
|
|
11 Jun 19, 09:53 PM |
#6
|
|
Imagineer
Join Date: Jul 10
Location: Reading
|
Sounds like a magical family holiday
__________________
|
|
|
11 Jun 19, 11:01 PM |
#7
|
|
Serious Dibber
|
Another family in the villa?! That'd freak me out. Why were they there? Did they get shifted or were they at the end of their stay?
I wouldn't feel like it was fresh and ready for me afterwards, lol |
|
|
12 Jun 19, 07:17 AM |
#8
|
|
Thread Starter
slightly serious Dibber
|
They were due to leave on the Sunday and we were due in on the Saturday! Apparently our bookings were through 2 different websites and the 26th written on their booking looked like it said 25th?! It was fine though, they stayed until the 26th, moved out in the morning, cleaners went in as usual and we moved in during the afternoon. Our temporary villa was fine too, it was just annoying not being able to unpack and settle in properly. The owner was mortified and both her and the management company were excellent, it wouldn't put us off booking with them again.
|
|
|
12 Jun 19, 07:18 AM |
#9
|
|
Thread Starter
slightly serious Dibber
|
|
|
|
12 Jun 19, 07:25 AM |
#10
|
Imagineer
Join Date: Oct 16
|
It was so hot wasn’t it !
Sounds like you had a great time. |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
DIBB Savings |
AttractionTickets.com
Get £10 off each Disney Ticket with the code ATDIBB10 Get up to £50 off per room at Disney or Universal with the code DIBBHOTELS |
theDIBB Blog |
The iconic 1900 Park Fare restaurant is opening its doors once again at Disney’s Grand... Read More »
One of the the five worlds found in Epic Universe, How to Train Your Dragon... Read More »
Disney announced that a new nighttime show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at... Read More »
|
theDIBB Menu |
Exchange Rates |
US Dollar Rates
Euro Rates |
DIBB Premium Membership |
Did you know you can help support theDIBB with Premium Membership? Check out this link for more information and benefits, such as... "No adverts on theDIBB Forums" Upgrade Now |