Newbie Trip to Walt Disney World

An October 2005 trip to Orlando by anneckhart

After watching all of the Disney shows on the Travel Channel and Food Network, my dad and I began to seriously consider a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida.

  • 23 reviews
Walt Disney World is a well-oil machine - the ease of the onsite transportation (buses, monorail and boats) eliminates the traditional travel concerns of getting from point A to B. We stayed at a deluxe resort, the Beach Club, and received an upgrade to the concierge floor! The resort was amazing, comfortable and full of amenities. We also took advantage of the dining plan, which allowed for sit-down meals, counter-service meals, and snacks every day - we ate at places we never would have due to cost.

Quick Tips:

I did a ton of research for this trip through Frommer’s and Unofficial Guide books and the DIS Boards and AllEars.net, plus I tried to catch as many shows as I could on Travel Channel and The Food Network. Our AAA travel agent arranged the trip for us.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Disney transportation system is amazing! Stay on-site and take advantage of it, as it's included with your stay.

Disney's Beach Club ResortBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Disney's Beach Club"

Upon check-in, we were UPGRADED to concierge - definitely not worth an extra $150 per night, but great free! Rooms were spacious and airy, and beds were SOOOO comfortable. The bathrooms at Disney have a room for the shower and toilet (very small), and deluxe resorts have two double sinks outside the bathroom. There was no door or curtain, so you have to tell others in the room to stay around the corner if you are changing. The concierge floor rooms have balconies, turn-down service, and robes, plus a lounge with continental breakfast and snacks all day. The Stormalong Pool is a 3-acre water park with sand bottom, slide, and lazy river.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Disney's Beach Club Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd. Orlando, Florida
407-W-DISNEY

Wolfgang Puck Cafe: Downtown DisneyBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Wolfgang Puck"

We had 6pm reservations at Wolfgang Puck’s Café the third night of our stay. We were early, but that got us a seat outside, which was perfect, as it had cooled off and there was a nice breeze coming from the water. I had the Caesar salad (yum!), three-cheese ravioli (the best I’ve EVER had!!), and warm dark chocolate soufflé cake (very disappointing – just plain chocolate cake with a scoop of chocolate ice cream). Dad had a hard time here. He tried the Asian-style vegetable spring rolls (too spicy), Adventure’s in the Kitchen meatloaf (he hated it), and Chef Marian’s carrot cake (which he thought was wonderful – fortunately, that filled him up). I had a Coke and Dad had the mango ice tea (which he loved) and they gave us the olive bread, too. I loved my food. Dad just ordered the wrong things for him – he should have gotten a salad and fettuccini alfredo, which I know he would have liked. I would definitely recommend Wolfgang Puck’s Café!!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Wolfgang Puck Cafe: Downtown Disney
1482 E Buena Vista Dr Orlando, Florida 32830
(407) 938-9653

Boma - Flavors of AfricaBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Boma"

We ate at Boma the second night of our trip. It took a while for our server to take our drink order, and even longer to actually get the drinks. I’d heard such great things about Boma and was really excited to try it. While I’m glad we did try it, I would definitely never go again. I wasn’t expecting it to be so LOUD! I’d read all about the little "pod" areas for food--whatever, the "pods" are all in a line so I didn’t see how it was really different from other buffets. Anyhow, I was still looking forward to trying the food…but it just wasn’t appealing to us. I tried a number of different dishes, taking a little of each. Other than the "Potatoes with Afritude" and some of the breads, there wasn’t anything I liked. I forced myself to eat a few bites of the nut-crusted salmon, trying to get just the nuts. We found the food to be spicy – not in the traditional way of American spicy – but so "spiced" that it did bother us. We "tried" enough to fill up, however, then hit the desserts, which were awesome! We each had a famous Zebra Dome, and they were okay, but my favorites were the Chocolate Moose Crunch and the chocolate brownies. I went back for seconds of these – so good!! So, dessert made up for the food, definitely.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Boma - Flavors of Africa
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Orlando, Florida 32830
(407) 939-3463

Cape May CafeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Character Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner"

We had 8am reservations at Cape May Café (located inside the Beach Club Resort) for their breakfast, which also happens to have characters. Dad loves breakfast foods, so I wanted him to have a nice breakfast on the trip. I was dreading the character part but figured I could suck it up for one meal. People in costumes make me… uncomfortable!! There was plenty on the buffet: Mickey waffles, Krispy Kreme donuts, bagels, croissants, two types of eggs, bacon, sausage, fruits, potatoes… plus we each got drinks. The characters were Goofy, Minnie, and Dale (minus Chip for some reason), and we did take a few pics of each other with the characters. I didn’t want to, but the CHARACTERS insisted!!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Cape May Cafe
Disney's Beach Club Resort Orlando, Florida
(407) WDW-DINE

Liberty Tree Tavern EpcotBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Liberty Tree Tavern"

We ate here for lunch, inside the Magic Kingdom. Our server was less than pleasant – not rude, but clearly not enjoying her job. This was by far the worst meal we had! For appetizers, I had the Tavern Fried Cheese (mozzarella cheese sticks with marinara sauce – strangely, half the plate were "sticks" and the other half "nuggets" – these were your typical mozzarella sticks, although a bit too greasy) and dad had the New England clam chowder (he said that it was very good). For entrées, I had "The Sandwich Heard Around the World," grilled turkey panini with Swiss cheese, applewood smoked bacon, and avocado tartar served on multigrain bread with arugula and mache salad. YUCK!!! The avocado tartar was slimy and makes the sandwich soggy, and the bread had more grain than a bird feeder. The "salad" looked more like extra condiments for the sandwich. I barely ate a fourth of this – it was awful. Dad had the "Pilgrims' Feast" - traditional roast turkey with herb bread dressing, mashed potatoes, and a garden vegetable. While he liked the turkey, he said that the dressing was terrible. With the heat, he just wasn’t able to get down a Thanksgiving meal. For dessert, I had the Chocolate Liberation Cake - warm chocolate lava cake with raspberry sauce. The cake was very small but good. Dad had the Caramel Apple Tart, shortbread crust, sugared apples, and vanilla bean ice cream. He said it was just, "okay."
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Liberty Tree Tavern Epcot
Walt Disney World Resort Orlando, Florida 32830
(470) WDW- Dine

Earl of SandwichBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

We ate at this counter-service restaurant twice - it was excellent! Sandwiches are made to order on hot baguettes. The first time my dad had a barbeque beef sandwich, drink, and cookie; I had the Le Frenchy sandwich (ham, brie, and dejonaise), a drink, and a brownie. The second time I had the Earl’s Club (turkey) and Dad had the tuna melt. We also got cookies and drinks. It’s a very busy place – the servers aren't too friendly – but the food is great!!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Earl of Sandwich
Downtown Disney Orlando, Florida

PizzafariBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Pizzafari is a counter-service restaurant located within the Animal Kingdom park at Walt Disney World. Dad had the cheese pizza, apple tart, and drink; I had the hot Italian deli sandwich (came with a bag of Lay’s chips), chocolate cake, and drink. Everything was really good! I was a little worried about the pesto tomatoes on my sandwich, but I was able to pick them off easily enough. The cake was to-die-for!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Pizzafari
Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Orlando, Florida 32830

This is a counter-service bakery located in the France section of Epcot. We ate lunch here and got two ham-and-cheese croissants, the cake of the day (chocolate!!), a strawberry tart, and two drinks. The croissants were amazing – I actually had one and a half, as Dad couldn’t finish his. My chocolate cake was so good, and dad liked his tart.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Boulangerie Patisserie
France World Showcase in Epcot Orlando, Florida

Main Street BakeryBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

A counter-service bakery inside the Magic Kingdom. Low prices and long lines - plus very little seating. We had a blueberry muffin, apple turnover, and chocolate milk. Both pastries were excellent! Chocolate milk was Nesquik – yuck!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Main Street Bakery
Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Orlando, Florida

The counter-service version of the cafe - what you save in money you make up for by having to eat with plastic utensils. I had the Caesar salad, a brownie, and a Coke. I only ate about half the salad and took the brownie with me – I was trying to use up a dining-plan credit. It was too hard to eat the salad with plastic utensils and I ate the brownie later that night, but it was rather bland.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Wolfgang Puck Express
1482 East Buena Vista Drive Orlando, Florida 32830
+1 407 938 9653

Big River Grille and Brewing WorksBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Big River Grille & Brewing Works "

What an overlooked gem! The view, the service and the food were outstanding! I got the classic Caesar salad (really good!) and the Big Brew burger (with added bacon and Swiss cheese) with homemade kettle chips (awesome); Dad got the clam chowder (loved it) and a BBQ (sweet sauce) pork sandwich with the chips (loved it, too). I had a Coke, dad had the lemonade, and we each had the Chocolate Confusion Cake (to-die-for!) for dessert. This was probably the best meal of the trip.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Big River Grille and Brewing Works
Disney's Boardwalk Orlando, Florida 32830
407/560-0253

Had "buy-one, get-one-free" coupon. I ordered the warm brownie sundae (plus a bottle of water), and Dad got the Very Berry Sundae; we sat down to wait for them to be brought out. They certainly LOOKED amazing, but after digging in and getting to the ice cream at the bottom of the 5 inches of whipped cream, well, there wasn’t much there. There was hardly any hot fudge in mine, and quite frankly, the whole sundae was rather bland – the brownie was pretty dry and not even warm. Dad said his was "okay", but nothing great. Neither of us bothered finishing – although it would have been easy to, as in the end, there just wasn’t much to them. Definitely not worth the $7 each, even with the coupon!
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Ghirardelli Soda Fountain
Downtown Disney Marketplace Orlando, Florida
(407) 934-8855

Cirque du SoleilBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Cirque Du Soleil, La Nouba,"

While in line on the balcony, I turned to take a picture of the street down the West Side. The ticket taking lady immediately jumped on me and said, "You can’t take pictures inside the show!" Was I taking pictures inside? NO! We were shown to our seats, and as I went to put my camera away, the usher attacks me, "You can’t take pictures in here!" Good grief! I fully understand why they don’t allow pictures, but ease up! This was a half and hour before the show even began, and I wasn’t even taking pictures!

I hopped in line to get a drink – and witnessed another sales campaign as they were selling "souvenir" mugs (more like JUGS). It took forever to get through the line, but I finally got my Coke and headed back to my seat. Initially I thought our seats were awesome – section B, right in front by the railing with the aisle in front. WRONG! This meant that anytime someone got up – and this was often – they walked right in front of us, blocking our view. I came to the conclusion that children should not be allowed to sit in the front sections – parents were up and down the entire show, taking kids to the bathroom!

That aside, the show was AMAZING! I would definitely see it again and will make a point to see other shows in other cities.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Cirque du Soleil
1478 East Buena Vista Drive Orlando, Florida 32830
(407) 939-7600

Walt Disney World's Animal KingdomBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Animal Kingdom"

Crowded and extremely hot!! Good luck seeing any actual animals here - the focus is on the Disney cartoon characters. The "safari" was a joke - lame storyline and very few animals. Kali River Rapids was a nice water-raft ride, but you have to walk a long time just to get through the waiting area. We only saw about half the park before the heat and humidity did us in.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom
Orlando, Florida 32830
(407) 824-4321

Walt Disney World's Magic KingdomBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Disney World - Magic Kingdom- Adventureland"

I quickly found out that Magic Kingdom lacked the signage of the other three parks, and with it being pretty crowded, we struggled to figure out which path to take to get to Adventureland. We were going to do Jungle Cruise, but it didn’t open until 10am, so we got right on the Pirates of the Caribbean. Maybe you have to see the movie for this to make sense, as I just didn’t get it. It was loud and somewhat violent, so I wasn’t impressed.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Interstate 4 at U.S. Highway 192 Orlando, Florida
(407) 824-4321

Walt Disney World's Magic KingdomBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Disney World - Magic Kingdom- Frontierland"

Again, the lack of signs messed us up, and we ended up going through Liberty Square to get there! We got in line for Splash Mountain (sign said 20 minutes, but it was more like 5). The drops on this were much more intense than I was expecting – I screamed my way through every one!! We were in the back, so we only got a little water on us. The interior of the ride, however, is really cute. Next we got in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – sign said 10 minutes but it was less than 5. I LOVED this ride! I can handle the twists and turns – I’ve learned I’m getting too old for the drops…although I screamed throughout much of this ride, too!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Interstate 4 at U.S. Highway 192 Orlando, Florida
(407) 824-4321

Walt Disney World's Magic KingdomBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Disney World - Magic Kingdom- Tommorrowland"

We headed into Tomorrowland and hit the crowd! Yikes, it was PACKED!! We hoped on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority – seats, yea! My poor dad about fell over when he got on the moving platform – despite all the warnings to be careful. We made it into our car and enjoyed the ride – I especially liked seeing the inside of Space Mountain. We then went to the Carousel of Progress, which was mildly entertaining – if not a bit hokey. Again, air-conditioning and seats made it a “must-see” attraction!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Interstate 4 at U.S. Highway 192 Orlando, Florida
(407) 824-4321

Walt Disney World's Magic KingdomBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Magic Kingdom - Liberty Square"

There was only a 10-minute wait for The Haunted Mansion, and after reading about it being a must-do, we got in the line, which ended up being less than a few minutes. Again, maybe you have to see the movie to get this, but I just wasn’t scared or impressed. I also have a habit of not paying attention to the attraction itself, but instead looking around me – and I quickly spotted how some of the effects were run. The ride also stalled twice, which kind of took the momentum out of it. Still, it was interesting to do, I guess, and killed more time before lunch.

We finished lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern just in time to catch the next showing in the Hall of Presidents. We both loved this, and I was glad no one booed Bush – in fact, several people clapped! I was expecting more presidents, however, and less movie. I loved how the presidents twitched – Regan’s foot moved several times!

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Interstate 4 at U.S. Highway 192 Orlando, Florida
(407) 824-4321

Walt Disney World's Hollywood StudiosBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Disney's MGM Studios"

There were only three attractions I wanted to see at MGM, and we did them all in about 2 hours. Neither my Dad nor I are movie watchers, so I was unfamiliar with most of what was in the park. First we did The Great Movie Ride – an okay attraction made GREAT by the air-conditioning and sitting down!! The little skit, however, was so lame, although the cast members were genuinely trying. The only movie I’d seen in the attraction was The Wizard of Oz. Next was the Muppet Vision 3-D, which I LOVED!! Afterwards we stopped in the gift shop and I bought a Kermit and a couple of magnets. I love my Muppets! Then it was off to the Backlot Tour. The little pre-show was okay, and the earthquake part was interesting, but that was about it. There really wasn’t anything to see or anything particularly memorable about it. We used two Snack Credits for ice cream (Mickey Sandwich and Nestle Crunch Bar). Being in MGM was interesting, though; in all my research, I had in my “mind” what restaurants and attractions would look like – but was pleasantly surprised at how EVERYTHING (from ice-cream carts to signage) was movie-themed.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios
Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida 32830
(407) 824-4321

Walt Disney World's EpcotBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Epcot - Future World"

We took a boat to Epcot and entered through the International Gateway. We rushed to The Land Pavilion and got in line for Soarin', which makes you feel like you are flying over California (complete with smell and wind). The ride was amazing, although too short! Living with the Land was a waste of 30 minutes - a boat ride through the evolution of farming, including a steaming greenhouse... boring!! The Spaceship Earth ride was a walk-on and kind-of interesting. We then hiked over to Test Track, my other must-do. The sign said that there was a 40-minute wait, but I dismissed that since we hadn’t had to wait anywhere near what signs had said on other rides. Big mistake! The line stalled twice, and we definitely waited longer than 40 minutes. The waiting area is so LOUD – all the music and car noises – and it’s a repetitive beat. Not pleasant at all. Then just when you think you are boarding… you’re in another waiting area. FINALLY, we boarded (front row) and held on for dear life! It was rough and fast, but really fun!!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Epcot
Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida

Walt Disney World's EpcotBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Epcot - World Showcase - Part I"

By the time we finished with the front of Epcot, we were hot and exhausted - I knew there was no way we’d make it around World Showcase, but I thought we’d at least try to get lunch in France. We ate at the Boulangerie Patisserie - so good!!

After lunch, I felt better and we decided to at least try to make it to America. We just walked past the countries in between, although the character bus was out so I stopped to take some pictures of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto. We finally made it to America for the American Adventure – what a great show!! Plus, with air- conditioning and chairs, what’s not to like?!

After the show, however, we were DONE with Epcot! We made our way back to England to exit through the World Showcase (stopping at the World Traveler shop for a magnet and postcards).

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Walt Disney World's Epcot
Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida

We went to World of Disney first. Good grief, who came up with all of the Disney merchandise! The store was HUGE! We had a 10% coupon from AAA Travel, and we used it to buy a few magnets, postcards (as I was sending postcards to some friend’s kids back home), stuffed Mickey’s, Mickey Ears, and a photo album. We quickly realized that we wouldn’t be getting anyone souvenirs, as the prices were insane! If we bought one person something, we’d have to buy for all – and it was out of the budget.

We stopped in to Goofy’s Candy Company (I wasn’t impressed with this – a lot of candy you can get at home but with "Disney" packaging – and the prices were insane), Mickey’s Mart (I didn’t see any bargains here – just the stuff from the regular stores that was under $10), and Disney Tails (pet gifts), where I bought my pug Max a pack of Mickey pants and squeaky hand toys. There was a lot of great merchandise in Disney Tails – outfits, toys, treats, beds – for both dogs and cats. There was also a scrap-booking store and kitchen stores - but everything from the smaller stores was in World of Disney.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by anneckhart on October 11, 2005

Downtown Disney Marketplace
Walt Disney World Resort Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32821
+1 407 828 3056

About the Writer

anneckhart
anneckhart
Waterloo, Iowa

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