Confession: I hate crowds. I hate waiting. I go out of my way to have few crowds and as little waiting as possible. Which in many ways, may be why Magic Kingdom is my least favorite park. In most people's mind it is what comprises Disney World and everything else is unknown or ignored. It's the most attended park of the four. So I feverishly pore over the Extra Magic Hour schedule trying to figure out which day will have the least attendance for Magic Kingdom. I used to go clock-wise around the park, starting with Adventureland and the practically empty Pirates of the Caribbean. Thanks to Johnny, this is no longer to be.
Which is why I love Columbia Harbor House so much. Oh, isn't this the place with no changing table in the restroom? Yes, yes it is. But, compared to Pecos Bill, my formerly beloved but now besieged El Pirata y El Perico in Adventureland or Cosmic Ray's; Columbia Harbor House is a relative oasis of calm.
There isn't much room for a long line at the counters here, but so far, I haven't experienced a terribly long one. Of course, as with everything else in the pursuit of aloneness, I don't do lunch at noon, but either a bit earlier or later. The Harbour House is two stories and I've always easily found seating up the upper level. I've had good luck getting a window which allows for one of those little moments not mentioned in a guidebook: getting to see the street from above. I also feel inspired when leaving to make a nautically themed room in my house. Although, that may be because I want people to think I'm actually saying "naughty" room instead of "nautical" room so they can wonder about me.
There are no hamburgers to be had here, which is usually the number one complaint in online reviews. You can get hamburgers everywhere else though, so that's not really a loss. Here, you can get fish and chips, chicken nuggets or salads. They have a delicious Anchors Aweigh Sandwich which is tuna. I enjoyed the BLT salad as did my toddler. There is also vegetarian chili and clam chowder to be had. If you are tired of beef, this is the place to go.
If you are tired of crowds, this is the place to go....or Epcot. Epcot's big enough to never be insanely crowded. We like Epcot, we do...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
A Quick Trip
It’s nice to visit Disney World for a leisurely 5 to 7 days but you can get a lot in on a quick 3 day trip as well. My family and I (two daughters, one son-in-law, two grandkids, ages 2 and 5) took a short trip to DW from May 5 - 8. The first week in May seems to be a good time to go. The ‘spring break crowds’ are done and the ‘schools out for the summer’ rush hasn’t yet begun, so not too crowded. The Lawn and Garden Show is on and it’s beautiful. Amazing topiaries and flower arrangements all around but especially at Epcot. The weather was perfect! Mid-80’s with no humidity and no rain the whole time we were there.
We got in late on Monday night, so no parks that day. We were not leaving until late on Thursday night so still had 3 full days at the parks. The first day was Hollywood Studios where we enjoyed a delightful character breakfast at Play N Dine at Hollywood and Vine. The Little Einsteins and Jojo and Goliath thrilled the kids and there was much dancing in the aisles. We loved it! We got in a quick ride on the Tower of Terror and my 5 yr. old grandson was very proud of himself for going on it this time. We hit all the usual rides, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Rock N Rollercoaster etc. The family enjoyed the Playhouse Disney Show and met several characters by the ‘hat’. Chip or Dale tried to walk away with our 2 year old. It was fun.
The second day we hit Epcot. Beautiful as mentioned before and again all our favorites were seen. We went on the Nemo ride at The Seas and saw Turtle Talk with Crush, rode Soarin, Figment, Test Track, and the Three Caballeros at Mexico and went through a lot of countries. Some had fish n chips for lunch, others had sushi. We walked over to the Boardwalk and ate dinner at the ESPN Club. Another full and fun day.
Our last day was supposed to be part Animal Kingdom and part Magic Kingdom. We ended up going to just Magic Kingdom. This was the park that was the most crowded and most difficult to get through. We waited on-line for about 30 minutes for Pirates of the Caribbean. All the rides had 50 or 60 minute waits. We split up and my daughter and her husband waited in line for the Haunted Mansion, while my other daughter and I took the kids over to Tomorrow Land and she and my grandson went on Buzz Light Year. My grandson had to go on the Tomorrow Land Transit twice and then his favorite ride, the Monorail. We took that to the Polynesian Resort and caught a bus to Downtown Disney where last minute souvenirs were purchased. Then it was back to the resort to gather our luggage and head for the airport.
As for the stroller dilemma, I purchased a wonderful Maclaren Volo which looks just like an umbrella stroller folded up but folds out to a perfect fit for a 43 lb. 5 yr. old. It’s very lightweight and even has a strap to sling it over your shoulder. The 2 yr. old used her small fold-up stroller and all worked out fine.
We got in late on Monday night, so no parks that day. We were not leaving until late on Thursday night so still had 3 full days at the parks. The first day was Hollywood Studios where we enjoyed a delightful character breakfast at Play N Dine at Hollywood and Vine. The Little Einsteins and Jojo and Goliath thrilled the kids and there was much dancing in the aisles. We loved it! We got in a quick ride on the Tower of Terror and my 5 yr. old grandson was very proud of himself for going on it this time. We hit all the usual rides, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Rock N Rollercoaster etc. The family enjoyed the Playhouse Disney Show and met several characters by the ‘hat’. Chip or Dale tried to walk away with our 2 year old. It was fun.
The second day we hit Epcot. Beautiful as mentioned before and again all our favorites were seen. We went on the Nemo ride at The Seas and saw Turtle Talk with Crush, rode Soarin, Figment, Test Track, and the Three Caballeros at Mexico and went through a lot of countries. Some had fish n chips for lunch, others had sushi. We walked over to the Boardwalk and ate dinner at the ESPN Club. Another full and fun day.
Our last day was supposed to be part Animal Kingdom and part Magic Kingdom. We ended up going to just Magic Kingdom. This was the park that was the most crowded and most difficult to get through. We waited on-line for about 30 minutes for Pirates of the Caribbean. All the rides had 50 or 60 minute waits. We split up and my daughter and her husband waited in line for the Haunted Mansion, while my other daughter and I took the kids over to Tomorrow Land and she and my grandson went on Buzz Light Year. My grandson had to go on the Tomorrow Land Transit twice and then his favorite ride, the Monorail. We took that to the Polynesian Resort and caught a bus to Downtown Disney where last minute souvenirs were purchased. Then it was back to the resort to gather our luggage and head for the airport.
As for the stroller dilemma, I purchased a wonderful Maclaren Volo which looks just like an umbrella stroller folded up but folds out to a perfect fit for a 43 lb. 5 yr. old. It’s very lightweight and even has a strap to sling it over your shoulder. The 2 yr. old used her small fold-up stroller and all worked out fine.
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