Headed South.

[Silver88]

First vacation of the year, kids on Easter break. Time to get away. :banana:

There are 5 of us, so obviously the MJ is not making the trip( this time). We have friends in Melbourne,Fl. that we're going to stay with for awhile. Plan to go to the big Mouse House one day, Kennedy Space Center another, day at the beach( probably Cocoa), ect.

Headed down I-95 all the way, will spend Fri. night at Pedro's( South of the Border) and get there late Sat. afternoon.

Don't know if I'll be able to meet up with any other members along the way( Taz is close, being in Orlando), But if anybody wants a shout out, feel free to PM or e-mail me.

Everyone have a safe and Happy Easter! :cheers:

[Pete M]

Only one day in Disney? :ack: Talk about pressure. Been there before? How old are the kids? What were you contemplating attacking in that short time span?

[mjeff87]

Gimmie a holler on your way past Richmond if you want, I live literally 2 minutes off I95 (exit 58B).

 

Oh, and bring me and the wife some good Amish food. We're going up to Lancaster for a beef roast later this month, but I need a quick fix to get me by until then :D

 

Jeff

[Silver88]

Yea, Pete, I know that's not much time. I've been to the one in Ca., when I was stationed in the Mojave Desert, preferred Knotts more. Kennedy is pretty cool; the wife, myself, and the little one have been there before( but not at the same time). My kids are 17(son) and 12(daughter). The youngest, Olivia, is 4. It's alot to try and do in a few days( gotta save time for a few runs to Steak and Shake), but it's not like we can't go down again, unless they drive me crazy and I send them home on a Greyhound!

 

Jeff, I'll see what I can do. You like Chicken pie?

[Pete M]

As a general rule of thumb, I usually advise spending as much time on Mickey's property as possible. The weird roads, traffic, parking, and the rest of the transportation insanity can eat up most of your day if you let it. :ack: If you can give me an idea of your itinerary, I've got plenty of suggestions for eating on the cheap. :D The key to enjoying a stay at Disney is planning. The vast amount of choices available can be overwhelming to the novice.

[Silver88]

If by Mickey's property you mean the Magic Kingdom, that's where we are going. Plan on getting the fast pass for the rides, but other than that, we're just going to wing it. The wife wants to be there when they open and stay till the park closes!Of course that all depends on our legs holding out that long.

[Drahcir495]

It has been cold & windy the last two Nights/Days. I have no idea how the rest of the week will be for you, but enjoy your stay. I will try and catch you when you come back to see BUSH GARDENS

[Silver88]

This is my 5th trip to the Sunshine State in the last 3 years, and since we have friends down there, I'm sure we'll be back often. Next time it'll be their turn, especially if we buy this house we found. Getting all our ducks in a row right now, but it looks good.

[tallon2064]

Wave as as you go by :waving: :waving: :waving:

[Pete M]

Our family's favorite way to get to the Magic Kingdom is to park at the Wilderness Lodge and take the boat from there straight to the Kingdom. You get to walk through the awesome Lodge and don't have to fight the crowds at the Transportation and Ticket Center (There's no parking at the Magic Kingdom, everyone parks at the TTC and takes either the Monorail or the big Ferry). Be prepared that Disney frowns on this tactic (just think if everyone tried to do that!). Simply call the Wilderness Lodge asap and make a breakfast reservation for that morning. Tell the guard that as you arrive to the parking lot and he'll let you in. Then just don't go to the restaurant (there's no penalties for not showing up). Or, you can tell the guard that you're shopping or that you're doing a tour of the hotels. (every my family does a big hotel tour on our first day of vacation. most of the hotels are worth a visit unto themselves and it's totally free. :D )

 

Since you're driving, print up Disney's official road map. It's a life saver since many of the roads will do weird things for no apparent reason. http://www.disney.co.uk/usa-resorts/wal ... wdwmap.pdf

 

Favorite place to eat is Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland. It' sorta cafeteria style (good prices) and has an awesome singing alien in the main room. He does a great "lounge singer" shtick. :D Second favorite is the Liberty Tree Tavern near the Haunted Mansion. I do believe it's a reservation place, so call asap if you want to eat there (you don't have to wait til the day you arrive to make reservations).

 

When we first get to the park, we make a bee line for splash mountain and get fast-passes. Then go to big thunder mountain and ride it twice (or once if the place is long by the time we get through it once). Then we go ride splash. Be prepared that you might get wet or at least might end up sitting on a wet seat. Then we hit Pirates and the Haunted Mansion.

 

Good places for a breaks are the shows. The Tiki Birds and Country Bear Jamboree are nice. The hall of Presidents is closed for updates. Hmm, I think Space Mountain is closed too. Also, if you want some piece and quiet, you can ride the raft over to Tom Sayers Island. Fewer people there and there are places to sit in the shade and nap. They used to sell food on the island. Not sure if they still do so you might want to ask a cast member when you arrive.

 

If you want to do the Jungle Cruise, get fast passes for it instead and then go hit Splash and Big Thunder. The lines at the JC tends to fill up real fast and it can be a loooong wait. Don't attempt to stand in the regular line in the afternoon if it's hot out.

 

Notice that I didn't mention any of Fantasyland. We tend to avoid it like the plague. The rides are quite dated and the lines tend to be horrible (both in time and in the fact that the area around the line is boring. Newer rides tend to have things around you to provide a pleasant distraction while in line). One exception is the 3D movie called Mickey's PhilHarmagic. Good show. Boring wait though. Since you've got a little one in tow, you'll likely have to make a concession or 2. Maybe even split up the party so the bigger kids can skip the boring stuff.

 

And I'll PM you my phone number. Feel free to call anytime if you have a question about disney.

[Comanche County]

I agree with Pete, We've done Disney twice at the Wilderness Camp Grounds, much cheaper than the other Hotels in the area and the transit to the parks are free. There's a nightly outdoor movie with Chip and Dale that's free, the kids roast marshmellows, its all free. Turns it into an adventure for the kids.

[Silver88]

Back home 4/18. Have a cooling issue with the WJ. Computer

@ssed up now. Will give recap and post pics( I hope) when I figure

things out.

:help:

[Pete M]

No pictures from Disney? :dunno:

[Silver88]

I know, sorry Pete. Things have been really gonzo since we got back.

The computer is still @$$ed-up, only works in "safe mode", limits what I can do.

A lot of functions and peripherals won't work. The wife and I are buying a house.

We go to settlement 6/2.It has been very exasperating, all that money the banks

got from the Fed, and the put you through the wringer. It's not like we're buying

a half-million dollar McMansion.

So, once we get moved, and I figure out how to fix the PC( or replace it) I'll

try to get some pics up.

Hope you , and everyone else of course, have a safe and happy holiday. And remember those who gave all. :USAflag: :Canadaflag:

[Pete M]

I guess that's a decent excuse. :D

Hopefully your computer doesn't have the same problem as my laptop did, a bad spot on the harddrive. I could reboot it and it'd work fine, until it got to that spot again, then crash. :fs1: