Our First Live Trip Report

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I think BB is so relaxing - so glad you enjoyed your (alternative) day!

Here's to a good day tomorrow - we stayed to the end too - it really is a lovely day We did have an afternoon swim - but as it was December it didn't really matter.

 

[DCLMan]

Cost for Premium Space is $250+ tax, details here. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/blizzard/blizzard.htm

Shame you got the wrong day but can I recommend you arrive earlier than 9:20am tomorrow, the best way we found was opening time or just before, arriving late usually means a mid afternoon swim time when the sun is at its hottest, arrive just before opening and you have time to enjoy the included breakfast then a morning dolphin swim, you then have rest of day to enjoy doing everything else in the cove. We stay from opening to closing, great relaxing day with lots of food & drink.

I agree, arrive early and enjoy a full day at DC.

Our dolphin swim was at 8.45am and then we had breakfast. We then had the rest of the day to snorkel and relax.

 

[kitton]

Our verdict on Discovery Cove

It's a tricky one - but I think overall we enjoyed it. I think my expectations were quite high purely because of the way it is marketed - a tropical paradise. I thought because of the limited numbers that the day would feel very different to a 'theme park experience' but in some ways it was quite similar. The park is clearly smaller that I thought because it felt quite crowded even though the numbers are limited. I was expecting there to be lots of shady areas, palm trees, umbrellas etc and although there were some, in my view there needed to be more. The food was good but I wasn't expecting to queue for it - we queued at both breakfast and lunch for about 20+ mins. I think I was expecting a nice buffet which would have been a nicer experience. The reef, aviary and lazy river were great fun. We arrived at a similar time to the day before (about 9.15am) and you are right, this did get us an afternoon (4pm) swim, but we didn't mind that as you can still do everything else beforehand and finish with the Dolphin Swim. The girls in particular enjoyed the Dolphin Swim and it was a lot of fun for them.

I think if they could sort out the sunbed/shade and food experience then it would be a much nicer day. Am I right in thinking that they are expanding the cove, if so and the intake remains the same, then this could be the answer. This, of course, is only my opinion, everyone has different expectations and perhaps I was expecting too much. We liked it on the whole but we are left wondering if it represents value for money but then again where else do you get dolphin interaction like that? So perhaps it is worth it.......maybe??

Back to Disney tomorrow for my birthday - Epcot. I am hoping to get to the Character Spot for 9am to meet all the characters. Dinner at Jiko, AK. Looking forward to tomorrow but that also means that Friday is drawing closer which means departure day :-(

 

[wayneg]

Maybe expectations are set too high for these experiences, I don't know. We have loved both days we have spent there.
As for value for money it depends what you paid, although we love the park I don't think its worth full price, our 1st visit cost us $99 each with AP discount but it was a few years back before it went all inclusive. Ths year we could have gone for $169 (or $69 non swim which I prefer) again with AP, this is about the max I would pay, not a chance I would pay the $299 they ask.
I don't remember shade being an issue and certainly no line for food, last time we would have eaten breakfast just after opening and lunch around 12 noon, maybe we ate before it got busy.
Great pics
Happy Birthday for tomorrow/today, enjoy Epcot

 

[kevin harrison]

Our verdict on Discovery Cove


I think if they could sort out the sunbed/shade and food experience then it would be a much nicer day.

Very strange - when we have been there has been ample shady areas and could have had as many sunbeds as required to put our stuff on.

Food wise - the food is excellent, very high standard and have never queued 20 mins for anything there.

My company paid for us to go last time and even if I had paid, would still think it was a worthwhile day

Wondering if there was a staff shortage?

 

[disneyholic family]

our experience was a bit different...
we went the first year it opened when they booked your dolphin swim time in advance...
so we already knew we had a very early swim...

we came before opening....had our swim right away...
then did the sting rays and lazy river...
we stayed for lunch (since it was included) but then we left....

we never stay in any waterpark more than half a day, so that's normal for us..

so for what we did it was fine...we loved the dolphin part and the lazy river...

the rays were interesting since DD was bitten by one...
you should have seen the reaction of the staff when she was bitten....wow....
immediate and in massive force..

but anyway, we only stayed there a half day and really only did it for the dolphin swim, so it met our expectations...

happy birthday!!!!

 

[kitton]

As for value for money it depends what you paid, although we love the park I don't think its worth full price, our 1st visit cost us $99 each with AP discount but it was a few years back before it went all inclusive. Ths year we could have gone for $169 (or $69 non swim which I prefer) again with AP, this is about the max I would pay, not a chance I would pay the $299 they ask.

From memory I think we paid about £150 for the Dolphin Swim and £65 for non swim. I looked for discounts but couldn't find any - we don't have APs. I think it was a time of year thing - I'm sure it would be more enjoyable at a quieter time.

Monday 6th June - my birthday

We started the day at Epcot. We arrived for rope drop with the objective of going straight to the Character Spot for the greets. DD7 (and me ) really wanted to do this. This is something we wouldn't do ordinarily but because we were there early we were 3rd family in line . It was great fun. We also had the advantage of being just behind the rope for the count down so got lots of Hi-Fives from the characters. Great fun! The problem with doing the characters first is that you can't get Fastpasses for Soarin - DH tried and found the line all the way up the stairs and out of The Land - never seen it like that before! We got fastpasses for TT instead. We then spent the rest of the time slowly - it was very humid today - walking towards WSC and went straight to Italy on the boat (DH is half Italian) and had a lovely authentic pizza in Via Napoli - great service too. 4 male servers sang Happy Birthday, or Tanti Aguri as they say in Italy, to me before presenting me with a complimentary dessert - nice touch .
We left not long after lunch and had a relaxing afternoon by the pool before heading out for our dinner reservation at Jiko - AKL. I have never been to AKL before and the theming blew me away. I had a glass of fizz before having a lovely meal with africian inspired food - which made a nice change. Once again I was presented with a complimentary dessert and a 'Happy Birthday' phone call from Goofy! another nice touch. You certainly notice the difference in cost when dining at Disney but I really enjoyed the environment which is how I justified the extra money spent. The girls loved looking around the lodge and now would love to stay there! So I have a note to investigate staying on-site with Disney Dining Plan (we always stay offsite) for our next visit, although we don't visit every year more like every 3-4. So I will be looking on the boards and asking questions about Disney Dining and I'm sure you'll be really helpful - thank you

We then made a quick visit to Magic Kingdom in time for Spectro and Wishes together with a couple of extra rides. The girls loved BTM in the dark!

A great birthday - what better place to celebrate!

A few pictures from the day.

Complimentary Dessert at Via Napoli

Starters at Jiko - Beef Pancakes

Flatbread with Spicy Sausage and Rocket

DH - Piri Piri Chicken

Me - Seared Loin of Lamb

DD11 - Barbary Duck - she ate the lot and loved it!

DD7 had Pan Fried Salmon (from kids menu) - no picture sorry - she ate it all though!

Complimentary Creme Brulee

At Jiko with my girls

I can't resist the Liberty Belle especially at night!

Thanks for reading. x

 

[disneyholic family]

and more great pictures!!!! thanks for taking the time to report and post the pictures!!
it's such fun travelling along

 

[dixonsontour]

sounds like a wonderful birthday - thanks for posting all the photos

 

[disneyholic family]

just looking at your pictures again and noticed you said there was salmon on the kids menu....wow....that sounds like a really good kids menu!!

and those birthday desserts look scumptious too!!

 

[wayneg]

just looking at your pictures again and noticed you said there was salmon on the kids menu....wow....that sounds like a really good kids menu!!

and those birthday desserts look scumptious too!!

http://allears.net/menu/menu_jikokids.htm

Seared Salmon with Mac & cheese, veggies & fruit.

Does Salmon go with mac & cheese? I can eat just about anything but mac & cheese does nothing at all for me.
Why can't Disney just do exactly the same menu as adults but smaller portions?

 

[disneyholic family]

http://allears.net/menu/menu_jikokids.htm

Seared Salmon with Mac & cheese, veggies & fruit.

Does Salmon go with mac & cheese? I can eat just about anything but mac & cheese does nothing at all for me.
Why can't Disney just do exactly the same menu as adults but smaller portions?

that is weird sounding to me...
but then again, my kids love mac & cheese....not me though...i'm not a mac/cheese fan at all (never have been)...though i used to make it a lot for the kids when they were very little...

but mac & cheese with salmon just sounds wrong...and they don't seem to have any sort of replacement....they show it with every selection..
i wonder if a kid can pick a side dish from the adult menu...

 

[irenep]

Great update

I am glad you enjoyed Via Napoli as its on my list for this next trip and have heard lots of good reports so really looking forward to trying it for the first time.

Agree with PPs about the Mac & cheese - seems to be on every kids menu. DS loves it at home but wont go near the dreadful version they serve up at WDW

 

[kitton]

Does Salmon go with mac & cheese? I can eat just about anything but mac & cheese does nothing at all for me.
Why can't Disney just do exactly the same menu as adults but smaller portions?

I agree - probably not! This Mac & Cheese was the not the same as the normal processed stuff that you get in the parks, so it was OK. Also agree - why can't Disney do smaller portion of adult meals. We have bought our children up to eat exactly the same food that we do (including curry!) rather than having to eat the dumbed down choice of Hot Dog or Mac and Cheese etc. Thats why we like off-site restaurants as last night at Longhorn they could choose steak, ribs etc - all on the kids menu and up to 12 years of age too. DD11 will only eat steak cooked rare and they will cook it that way too.

i wonder if a kid can pick a side dish from the adult menu...

Good idea - and oddly I never thought of asking.

Tuesday 7th June

We returned to Hollywood Studios today with the aim of doing all the stuff we missed last time. We didn't arrive really early as we accepted that we didn't need to ride TSM this time. DH & I wanted to ride TofT so we obtained fastpasses for that. DD7 and I also obtained a fastpass for Star Tours (DD11 has now been put off simulator rides for life after Harry Potter!). As you are no doubt aware the new Star Tours ride has different ride combinations, this time we simulated a 'pod race' (sorry if you are not Star Wars fans, I'm not either but I am aware of the 'pod race' scene in one of the films. DH was very jealous, he is a Star Wars fan!) anyway it was really good . We did a few other shows, Indiana and Little Mermaid, and then just wondered around. DH & I rode TofT - still our favourite Disney ride, ("Hollywood 1939.....") - it scares the life out of me everytime and I've rode it so often! The crowds were noticeably lighter than the Star Wars weekend so we had a wonderful day.

We came back to the house for a little relaxation. A few cold beers and a swim in the pool

We went to Longhorn on W192 and had great fun during the meal. Great steaks and finished with a yummy Brownie Sundae.

Just one picture this evening - some dessert porn from Longhorn!!!!

At the moment we are relaxing by the pool after a wonderful MK day today. I will try to post another update later. x

 

[disneyholic family]

ToT does that to me too....i love that ride and ride it many times each visit, but every single time i nearly have a heart attack as it pulls into the drop shaft....
i can't help but scream and scream and scream...even before the drop sequence begins!!
i must be insane!!!!

if memory serves, at olive garden kids can also order smaller portions of regular adult food....

yummy looking dessert!!!!

 

[kitton]

We are going to Olive Garden tonight so this is just in time information - thank you. I'll let you know how we get on. x

 

[kitton]

ToT does that to me too....i love that ride and ride it many times each visit, but every single time i nearly have a heart attack as it pulls into the drop shaft....
i can't help but scream and scream and scream...even before the drop sequence begins!!
i must be insane!!!!

No you're not insane - just a big kid at heart which is always a good thing in my book.

 

[disneyholic family]

We are going to Olive Garden tonight so this is just in time information - thank you. I'll let you know how we get on. x

i hope my memory is correct
i usually enjoy the food there...
they sometimes have a bottomless offer....
the salad is always bottomless, but sometimes they offer a pasta dish that's also bottomless....
i had it last time i was at an olive garden in houston (last october)...

i forgot what they called it, but it was eat as much as you want of whatever it was i ordered...(some kind of spaghetti? i don't remember)

 

[dixonsontour]

Heard good reports of longhorn - will have to give it a try - glad to hear your girls enjoyed the food there.

Enjoy your last couple of days

 

[wayneg]

They sent me an email this week, lunch special $6.95 for bottomless Salad, soup & breadsticks.

http://p.p0.com/YesConnect/HtmlMessagePreview?a=nClGe-sUjUqwOYGmbjqTkI&msgVersion=web