Our spectacular travel agent once again, comes to our rescue and manages to get us rooms in Animal Kingdom Lodge! But, even better then that, she found a "Concierge" service called "Orlando Park Tours" that makes Disney EASY -- even on the busiest weekend of this year. (stats just came out and this weekend was busier than Christmas week). But, that did not deter our private guide!! She knows the location of every bathroom in every park (key if you are traveling with two three year olds!) She knew just where to take us and when -- none of us had to think or pour over Disney maps to figure out the fastest route to the next ride. She was always in contact with other guides so we'd know if a ride was "down" and wouldn't waste time trying to go there! The best part was "NO WAITING" - or almost no waiting. She has a fast pass that allows up to six people to bypass the long lines and go in the express lane. This was also key with two little ones! The longest we ever waited was 15 minutes. Some of the posted wait times for rides we got into were 2 hours long!!! While the service is not inexpensive, it could be the best money I've spent -this famous guide was named Elly. She was worth every dime!!!! I highly recommend this company. They are super flexible, attentive to your needs and desires, patient -- and have access to getting dining reservations -- even at the last minute. While they are not miracle workers, they come darn close!
The first night they managed to get us booked into Hoop De Doo Review. When my oldest son heard he was going to Hoop De Doo, he groaned... He went 25 years ago and had a not so delicious breakfast and didn't like the review back in those days. (I think he was a little too old for it at the time). However, he was a good sport and agreed to no complaints for his daughter who, it turned out, LOVED the Review!!! We had an amazing table and Disney has upgraded both the food and the entertainment. All ages enjoyed the evening..
The next morning was dedicated to our amazing guide, Elly, and Magic Kingdom... She got us on all the new rides and some of the old ones. We had photo opportunities with Backstage Mickey and Minnie and with the Princesses!! Both little girls were a little timid, but still enjoyed the experience. Gaby gave Mickey a hug and a hi five, but would have nothing to do with Minnie. The other child really liked the characters, but was fearful of "tunnel" rides.... Not to worry, Elly made sure everyone had a good time.
Sunday morning we did Animal Kingdom Safari -- enjoyed by all ages. We did get to see almost all of the animals. The only thing we missed were the gorillas because it was too cold in Orlando to have them out for viewing.. Sunday afteroon, Bill, Grant and I headed back to Boca for a friend's birhtday party, but the rest of the gang stayed until late on Monday. They did more at Disney's Hollywood (used to be called MGM) and Downtown Disney. There were giant lollipops for the girls and face painting! Can't say enough nice things about this spur of the moment trip. The success of this weekend was in large part, due to our travel agent, Arlene Feen, who found this wonderful service for us and made the "magic" of Disney come through once again!
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