Trip Report Part 1

Hey, y'all!  It's been a week since we returned home from Walt Disney World and I thought that it was time to start my trip report. So here goes......

We arrived around 3:30 PM on Friday, November 23rd, to the Port Orleans Riverside. We did online check in, which I highly recommend since I only had to wait about two minutes for someone to assist me, while the regular check in line was very long. I had faxed in our room recommendations a few days before arrival, something else I recommend, and we were happy to learn that they met every request. Considering the fact that we checked in during a very busy time, that was a shock.

We made it to our room, which was a Royal Room. I have a son and daughter, who are 9 1/2 years apart, I am very happy to report that they both loved the room. It wasn't overly girly so the boy liked it and it had enough princess touches to please the girl.  The beds were really comfortable and the room was spacious. I loved the bathroom which not only had a curved shower rod, but also a little seat so there was a ton of room. The room was quiet and we never heard anyone else around us or above us. That was a wonderful surprise. Here are a few pictures of the room:

Whole room shot

Shot of one of the queen beds

Another shot of the beds and room

Dressing area

Outside of Oak Manor

Our first night we decided to take the ferry over to Downtown Disney. While it was a beautiful ride, it was cold!  We didn't realize that it would be so cold, but the kids still loved it.  I can't begin to describe how crowded Downtown Disney was that night. It was EXTREMELY crowded!  It made it very difficult to get around. It also didn't help that we had a dinner reservation at the House of Blues and we docked on the opposite side of Downtown Disney. Plus we were running late so we had to rush.

We made it in time for our reservation and were seated right away.  The food was really good. We had the dining plan so hubby and I both ordered steaks while the boy got a burger and the girl had chicken fingers. Service was a little slow, but it wasn't horrible.  My steak was really good as was hubby's. The little one didn't finish her meal, which is not unusual. The boy wolfed down his burger and fries. No lie. In the time it took me to eat about half of my food, he had a clean plate. He even ate one of his sister's chicken strips. Growing boys!

I love a good bread pudding and the bread pudding at the House of Blues did not disappoint. It was amazing! It was so good that I only shared one bite and ate the rest.  Hubby got the triple chocolate cheesecake which he enjoyed and the kids both got ice cream. 

After we ate, we did a little shopping. We loved the Lego sculptures, but not the Lego store. I think that if you are a huge Lego fan, you'd like it. None of us are so it was lost on us. We really liked the World of Disney store. Unfortunately, it was really crowded so we had a hard time seeing it all. We did stop and get the kids Mickey ears with their names on them. We went into a few stores, but really didn't see as much as I had planned.  I wish that I could say that we had a wonderful time at Downtown Disney, but it was too crowded to really enjoy it. I do hope to spend more time there one day, but it didn't work out this trip. 

Due to the cold ride on the way down, we rode the bus back to our resort. We picked up our mugs, something we had not done before, and did a little shopping at Fulton's.  We walked back to our room to try to get things organized (something we never quite accomplished) and got ready for bed since we had to get up for our 8 AM breakfast at the Tusker House at Animal Kingdom.

I learned a big lesson that night. Excited three year olds do not understand the concept of getting a good night's rest. I think it was around 1 AM when she finally crashed and our alarm was going off at 5:45 AM. Not the best start to our first full day, but it worked out in the end. 

Next time, I'll report on our first day and Animal Kingdom.  Until then........

See y'all real soon!

Wyndie