Random Thoughts From Marybeth

Stuff I Left Out

Some short notes about our recent trip to Disney World that didn't fit into my earlier posts:

For most of us, taking off our shoes before going through airport security is, at best, an annoyance. For Emma it was one of the best parts of being in the airport. ("Yea! We get to take off our shoes!") Although now that I think about it, taking off my shoes for a bit after all the walking and standing in line may have been one of the better parts of the "airport experience".

Even though I researched and planned where we were going to stay myself I had AAA book the hotel and park tickets. This turned out to be a very good thing. When you book a Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Moments Package with AAA you get "Diamond Parking" preferred parking. The Diamond Parking lots are next to the handicapped parking area (close to the entrances of the parks).

I didn't use the Diamond Parking on the day we arrived and went to EPCOT. I wasn't sure yet where the Diamond lot was but we were still able to park fairly close to the entrance. I made a mental note of the section and row in which we parked. I should have written it down. I had the right section but wasn't sure of the row and we wandered around for a while before we found the rental car (which looked like 90% of the other vehicles in the lot, especially after dark). The next day we began using the Diamond Parking and never had trouble finding the car again.

While Conor and Emma both beat me by a huge amount in the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin I do want to add that I got the second highest score in the game we played in Innnoventions on our first night there and I was playing against several people then. (Conor got the highest score.) My score was probably a fluke but I was still pretty pleased with myself.

The food court in the hotel and the counter service restaurants in the parks are cheaper than the table service restaurants but for meals other than breakfast, I think that the extra expense is worth it if you can afford it. We didn't try every restaurant and I'm sure there are exceptions to this but I appreciated the variety of choices and quality of food in the table service restaurants.

Side note: If anyone knows the recipe for the barbecue sauce they use at the Whispering Canyon Cafe in the Wilderness Lodge, please share it with me. I really liked their pulled pork sandwich.

We did see some rude and cranky people and others that peppered their (loud) cell phone conversations with salty language but considering the huge number of people that were in the parks the rude ones were a very small minority. Maybe it really is the happiest place on earth.

For others that are planning a trip to Disney World (and so I can find them easlity next time) here are some of the resources I used to plan our trip:

Walt Disney World is the official Disney site.
All Ears Net has an excellent list of resort and park restaurant menus along with lots of other information.
WDW Info.com has information on discounts and a discussion board. One forum there is devoted to pictures from the parks.

All of these offer good information about the hotels and parks. The shorter your trip, the more you need to research the rides and attractions to see which ones you really want to do and which ones you won't mind missing. Even if you're staying a week it will be difficult to see and do everything.