Disney/Universal in February 2006

The highlights of our trip were trying some new rides/attractions at Disney (Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, Lights Motors Action Stunt Show at MGM, Turtle Talk with Crush, and Soarin' at Epcot), revisiting our old favorites (Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror at MGM , and the "mountains" at Magic Kingdom). Expedition Everest is currently in "soft opening". The official opening isn't scheduled to occur until mid-April. If you are visiting prior to mid-April, call the Disney information number 407-WDW-Info before going to Animal Kingdom to get an idea if the ride will be running. They can't guarantee the information, but will give you a guideline on whether to attempt riding.

This was also our first trip where the kids were big enough to try Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The highlights at Universal/IOA were SpiderMan, The Hulk Coaster, and Revenge of the Mummy.

Quick Tips:

With the addition of Soarin' and Turtle Talk with Crush in the same area of Epcot, it is imperative to try these attractions early.Universal Studios has a great promotion right now where you buy a 2 day ticket with 3 bonus days for , and get one free. It states on the Universal website that the free ticket is a child ticket, but when we received the tickets, they do not have adult/child specific tickets. The other restriction that isn't enforced is the expiration of the ticket. The website states they expire December 2006, but the tickets don't have an expiration date. When I called Universal, they confirmed that the tickets don't expire. The tickets are for 5 consecutive days, therefore, once they are used they will expire 4 days after first use.Universal has different policies regarding carrying bags on to certain attractions than Disney. Two attractions in particular, Revenge of the Mummy and Men In Black, do not allow any carry-on items, including small camera bags. They do offer free (up to 2 hours) lockers near the attractions to store the bags. They use fingerprint scanning for locker assignment, which I thought was pretty cool.

Best Way To Get Around:

If staying on Disney property, the bus/monorail system is a great alternative to renting a car. During peak times, however, wait times for transportation can be frustrating. If staying off property, a rental car is a must. I prefer a car, even when on property since we enjoy having more control over when we come and go, and the ability to go off-site for restaurants and shopping.

Best Things Nearby:
Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Downtown Disney

Best Things About the Resort:
It is brand new. Nice pool, lazy river. Location is great for Disney vacation.

Resort Experience:
Fairfield Bonnet Creek resort is Fairfield's newest Orlando Resort. It is still in the construction phase, with only one building finished at the time of this writing, but the second building should be ready this summer with work underway on other buildings. The clubhouse has many nice amenities, such as a workout room, small arcade, recreation room with free Internet connections, pool table, and large screen TV, and a small bar/snack shop. Outside is a very nice outdoor pool, lazy river, and large in-ground hot tub. Our two bedroom unit was great, with a king bed in the master bedroom, master bath with jacuzzi tub and separate bathroom off of the master bedroom, a second bedroom with two double beds and it's own TV, in-unit washer/dryer, and balcony overlooking the lake in the center of the resort. The unit was well stocked with the appropriate kitchen appliances and utensils. The only negatives that I had was the thin walls between units, and the lack of DVD player. We could hear the neighbors very easily during the night. The DVD issue is very minor, but since this is a new resort, I would have thought they would have included a DVD player instead of the VCR that was offered. Depending on your assigned unit, you can easily watch the Epcot fireworks from the balcony. The location of the resort can't be beat if you are visiting Disney. It is located right next to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and is just a couple of minutes from Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, and Downtown Disney.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Earl of Sandwich, in Downtown Disney Marketplace, has a great variety of large, delicious sandwiches at a great price (by Disney standards). They make the sandwiches to order, and you are given a number that will be called when your order is ready. Based on the crowds we encountered off season, it looks like the secret is out and it is very popular. The demand for seating far outstripped the supply in the restaurant. If possible, try to go before or after peak lunch/dinner times. Here is a link to their menu courtesy of Allearsnet.com: http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_eofs.htm.

This was our first opportunity to try the Winter Summerland Miniature Golf, located next to Blizzard Beach. Since it was the middle of the day midweek in February, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. Like all Disney attractions, this miniature golf course has a story behind it. I found the following story regarding the creation of the courses: "Late one moonlit Christmas Eve, as Santa was flying over Florida on his way back to the North Pole, he glanced down and could not believe what he saw. Santa found snow in a place that is usually hot. After surveying the strange location, he decided to build a vacation destination for his off-duty elves--a Winter Summerland. The only thing Winter Summerland lacked was a golf course. So the elves divided into two camps, one that enjoyed the warm Florida sun and another that preferred the snow and cold of the North Pole. In this Winter Summerland, the elves built two distinctly different 18-hole golf experiences--a sand course and a snow course. Both courses at Winter Summerland are loaded with interactive elements that will entertain and engage golfers of all ages. On the snow course, Squirty the Snowman sprays water on unsuspecting guests when their golf balls pass beneath him. On the sand course, guests putt over a slumbering Santa buried underneath a tremendous sand mound." We only played the summer course, but if you can't decide, they offer a 50% discount on your second round if played the same day. It is expensive, but if you enjoy a well-themed miniature golf course, I highly recommend it.

The event that made our trip magical was being the Grand Marshals of the Magic Kingdom Parade. It was our son's birthday, and last day of our vacation. We all agreed that this special day would have to be spent at the Magic Kingdom. We had visited Magic Kingdom earlier in the week, so we didn't have specific plans other than to have fun and revisit our favorite rides/attractions.

Typically, we are at a park at rope drop, but this day, we were taking it easy and didn't arrive until 9:30am. We stopped into City Hall to pick up a birthday button for my son. As we exited, Pluto was there signing autographs and offering pictures. Coincidentally, our kids had their Pluto hats on from the previous day, so it was only fitting to get a picture of the three dogs together. After visiting with Pluto, we proceeded down the middle of Main Street looking like typical Disney fanatics; the kids with their Pluto hats, all four of us with our pin lanyards, smiling ear to ear with the thoughts of the day's possibilities.

That is when we met Dean. He was standing off to the side of the street when we spotted him. At first, I was just interested in looking at his pins for a possible trade, but he started asking us about our trip, and whether we planned on being in the park the rest of the day. When we said yes, he offered us the opportunity to be Grand Marshals! Prior to our trip, my wife wondered aloud how they pick the families to be in parades, and that she would love to be picked for the Magic Kingdom parade.

The pixie dust must have blown her way. Dean gave us the time and place to meet later that afternoon to get ready for the parade. We were on cloud nine the rest of the day. The time finally arrived and we met Dean to be prepped for the parade, and another family from Canada had also been picked. We were all surprised by Dean with a gift. He had personalized Mickey ears for everyone!

We were instructed to wave and smile, which is harder than it looks when you have to do it for such a long stretch of time. They announced our family name and hometown as we started out on the parade route. It was really fun to see how the kids reacted to being the center of attention. My daughter ate it up. She was talking back and forth with the crowd and complimenting other kid's costumes/hats/shirts that were Disney related. My son, on the other hand, is the type that doesn't want to be noticed. He did a great job waving and smiling, and enjoyed riding in the car, but wasn't going to do anything to draw any more attention to himself. Before we knew it, we were at the end of the parade route near City Hall. We were given a Grand Marshal's certificate and took a couple of more pictures. Our Disney vacation was now complete with another great Disney experience.