Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler: Mardi Gras with the Mouse! Feb 2016 TR **NEW 11/25 *NEW TR LINK

[skier_pete]

You should be fine. There will be some overlap on your last weekend, but since most people from Louisiana seem to drive, they will be arriving in droves late Saturday and into Sunday, most likely. They have off the actual week of Mardi Gras. And if you do happen to see some, they might give you some beads! lol

We have generally avoided travel to Disney this week while our daughter was young enough to take out of school. Now that she is in 8th grade we don't want to take her out of school anymore. (She survived the week in October scholastically but I don't want to repeat.)

Looks like we'll avoid the Mardi Gras group. We actually fly back on Saturday. It's sort of a disappointingly short trip, but we had to drive to Pittsburgh, and need to leave some cushion for the possibility of a snowstorm causing travel delays. Since we usually stretch our trips as much as possible, the idea of going Saturday to Saturday, with both Saturdays entirely travel days seems very short. (Only 6 days of vacation.) But with it being a Universal trip primarily I am not worrying too much about the lack of days. I expect during the week the crowds won't be too bad...

 

[WhoDatDisney]

Loved your trip report, we were there this year for Mardi Gras as well. Wonderful time, nothing like walking down Main Street with constant "Who Dat" and "Go Tigers" calls.

Flights were ridiculous, we actually contemplated flying into Tampa and renting a car but just decided to drive instead.

Heading back next week and are contemplating Mardi Gras next year as well

 

[Dugette]

while DS watched a movie on an old phone we bring just for that purpose.

Good idea! We have two old phones that we need to get charged and loaded with things to do.

This picture cracks me up!

Great family photo!

Anyway, once DH came back with and we surprised DS with, he said he didn’t want it. Which, sadly, left DH and I no choice but to eat it ourselves. I know all you parents can sympathize with the struggle. Butterbeer ice cream is always delicious, but even more so when it’s free!

Aw, bummer, but someone has to eat that ice cream!

Cute selfie!

So I sat in the hall for nearly an hour!

Ugh, that's awful!!

Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has read along and commented along the way! I love doing TRs but it is much more rewarding when you know there are people out there enjoying it!

Thank you for writing it. I always love following along!

 

[ajsary]

Loved reading your trip report and looking at the beautiful pictures! Can't wait to read about your other trips!

 

[khertz]

We have generally avoided travel to Disney this week while our daughter was young enough to take out of school. Now that she is in 8th grade we don't want to take her out of school anymore. (She survived the week in October scholastically but I don't want to repeat.)

Looks like we'll avoid the Mardi Gras group. We actually fly back on Saturday. It's sort of a disappointingly short trip, but we had to drive to Pittsburgh, and need to leave some cushion for the possibility of a snowstorm causing travel delays. Since we usually stretch our trips as much as possible, the idea of going Saturday to Saturday, with both Saturdays entirely travel days seems very short. (Only 6 days of vacation.) But with it being a Universal trip primarily I am not worrying too much about the lack of days. I expect during the week the crowds won't be too bad...

I totally understand. Right now, we have been okay taking DS out of school, but I know we won't always have that as an option. What grade is she in now? Is there a grade you think was the limit for taking your DD out of school?

I know what you mean on this point, too. Before he was in school, we had the luxury of maybe traveling on a Friday, coming back Sunday, and taking Monday to recuperate, so we could get a late flight on Sunday and have some park time in the morning. Now we are locked in to pretty much only having him miss Monday-Friday, so that limits our time in the parks more. If you're spending most of your time at Universal, you should definitely be good. Are you staying at one of their resorts with Express Pass? Sorry if you have mentioned it before and I just forgot!

Loved your trip report, we were there this year for Mardi Gras as well. Wonderful time, nothing like walking down Main Street with constant "Who Dat" and "Go Tigers" calls.

Flights were ridiculous, we actually contemplated flying into Tampa and renting a car but just decided to drive instead.

Heading back next week and are contemplating Mardi Gras next year as well

Thanks so much!! There is definitely something cool and unique about being in Disney and surrounded by so many Saints & LSU fans, wearing their beads and yelling Who Dat!

Flights were terrible. Flying out of Houston wasn't bad for us, but it's only about 3.5-4 hours for us, longer if you're from NOLA, so by the time you drive all the way to Houston you could be halfway to Disney! If we end up taking more Mardo Gras trips later on when the kids get older and we can't pull them out of school, driving will likely be our option too.

Enjoy your upcoming trip!!

Good idea! We have two old phones that we need to get charged and loaded with things to do.

I can't take credit for that one, that was DH's idea! But it has worked out really well for us so far. Thankfully we don't need to use it much, but it's nice to have in those situations where it helps keep DS busy.

This picture cracks me up!

He is quite the performer!! lol

Great family photo!

Thanks!

Aw, bummer, but someone has to eat that ice cream!

Right?! It would be a crime to let free butterbeer ice cream go to waste!!

Cute selfie!

DS can be so silly sometimes, but I smiled when I saw he had taken these.

Ugh, that's awful!!

Oh man, I was PISSED. Not a good way to end an otherwise great trip.

Thank you for writing it. I always love following along!

I appreciate that so much!!

Loved reading your trip report and looking at the beautiful pictures! Can't wait to read about your other trips!

Thank you so much!!

 

[skier_pete]

I totally understand. Right now, we have been okay taking DS out of school, but I know we won't always have that as an option. What grade is she in now? Is there a grade you think was the limit for taking your DD out of school?

I know what you mean on this point, too. Before he was in school, we had the luxury of maybe traveling on a Friday, coming back Sunday, and taking Monday to recuperate, so we could get a late flight on Sunday and have some park time in the morning. Now we are locked in to pretty much only having him miss Monday-Friday, so that limits our time in the parks more. If you're spending most of your time at Universal, you should definitely be good. Are you staying at one of their resorts with Express Pass? Sorry if you have mentioned it before and I just forgot!

We had no problem having her miss a week in elementary school - though we still took work with her. That was through 5th grade. Once she reached 6th grade (middle school) we did not want to take her out of school, and we didn't for 6th or 7th grade. This past trip that my current TR covers we were travelling specifically to meet with friends travelling at the same time - particularly those from New Zealand. Since we were doing this - we had two choices to take her out of school or to leave her home. We went through a rough time with her in 6th grade, but knowing this trip was coming, she kept her grades up high enough in 7th grade so that she earned the trip. So - while she missed a week in 8th grade, and survived the first marking period very well, I do believe this will be it. I just don't see taking her out in High School, with the possible exception of missing one day before or after the start of a break.

So the short answer to your question - I would take most kids out through elementary school, but taking them out past that depends on how they respond to missing school, do they put in the extra effort? High School I would avoid pulling a child out of school for a week if at all possible.

We aren't staying on property at Universal - which is why I am just planning on going during the mid-week. Crowd calendars show weekends at an 8 or 9 - weekdays are only a 7. Hopefully we can deal with the crowds without having the Front of the Line advantage. We just don't have the money to afford staying on-site at $400 a night. We are staying at the Sheraton Vistana villages - which is actually nearer to Disney - but with our (other) timeshare - we are staying here for 7 nights for about $1000 in a 2-bedroom, which beats $400 a night in studio if the only exchange is that we have to wait in lines. As I might have said elsewhere - I am trying not to stress too much about dealing with the crowds/lines. I think by giving us 3 days we will have enough time even with the lines. DD is so excited for Harry Potter, but I am thinking she'll discover she hates many of the rides there. (She hates Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Everest, & Dinosaur at WDW - and I can't get her near ToT or RnRC. The wildest ride she'll do at Disney is Big Thunder Mountain.) I feel like she will ride many of the Universal rides with her eyes closed and then declare she won't ride them again. Who knows maybe she'll surprise me - but i doubt it. I am trying to keep my expectations low so that I am not too upset when I spend $3000 to go to a park with bunch of things no one will ride. However, I'm still planning to get Season Passes, and then when we go in February 2018 we do a night at a Universal Hotel, but the park passes will be paid for with the previous trip. A season pass is only $30 more than a 3 day pass - which seems incredible to me.

Enough taking up your TR...

 

[missangelalexis]

It sounds like a good last day in the parks! I love all the Gringotts and Seuss Landing photos. Those selfies of the kids are too adorable! I'm sorry about the A/C situation in your room, that is so frustrating!! I'm glad you made it home without any problems.

Thank you so much for sharing!!

 

[afwdwfan]

What a nice last day... aside from the AC issues. I'd have been really frustrated with them too. That's really unacceptable to have to wait almost an hour for a fan after you've had maintenance in your room twice. You'd think in an effort to make up for it with good customer service it should have almost got to the room before you could make it back.

I'm sorry that you were so close yet so far away from getting to meet Bumblebee. At least he did let you ride Mummy instead of another ride on Transformers!

 

[khertz]

We had no problem having her miss a week in elementary school - though we still took work with her. That was through 5th grade. Once she reached 6th grade (middle school) we did not want to take her out of school, and we didn't for 6th or 7th grade. This past trip that my current TR covers we were travelling specifically to meet with friends travelling at the same time - particularly those from New Zealand. Since we were doing this - we had two choices to take her out of school or to leave her home. We went through a rough time with her in 6th grade, but knowing this trip was coming, she kept her grades up high enough in 7th grade so that she earned the trip. So - while she missed a week in 8th grade, and survived the first marking period very well, I do believe this will be it. I just don't see taking her out in High School, with the possible exception of missing one day before or after the start of a break.

So the short answer to your question - I would take most kids out through elementary school, but taking them out past that depends on how they respond to missing school, do they put in the extra effort? High School I would avoid pulling a child out of school for a week if at all possible.

We aren't staying on property at Universal - which is why I am just planning on going during the mid-week. Crowd calendars show weekends at an 8 or 9 - weekdays are only a 7. Hopefully we can deal with the crowds without having the Front of the Line advantage. We just don't have the money to afford staying on-site at $400 a night. We are staying at the Sheraton Vistana villages - which is actually nearer to Disney - but with our (other) timeshare - we are staying here for 7 nights for about $1000 in a 2-bedroom, which beats $400 a night in studio if the only exchange is that we have to wait in lines. As I might have said elsewhere - I am trying not to stress too much about dealing with the crowds/lines. I think by giving us 3 days we will have enough time even with the lines. DD is so excited for Harry Potter, but I am thinking she'll discover she hates many of the rides there. (She hates Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Everest, & Dinosaur at WDW - and I can't get her near ToT or RnRC. The wildest ride she'll do at Disney is Big Thunder Mountain.) I feel like she will ride many of the Universal rides with her eyes closed and then declare she won't ride them again. Who knows maybe she'll surprise me - but i doubt it. I am trying to keep my expectations low so that I am not too upset when I spend $3000 to go to a park with bunch of things no one will ride. However, I'm still planning to get Season Passes, and then when we go in February 2018 we do a night at a Universal Hotel, but the park passes will be paid for with the previous trip. A season pass is only $30 more than a 3 day pass - which seems incredible to me.

Enough taking up your TR...

Thanks for the insight! DS is only in Kindergarten, but he's pretty ahead when it comes to academics. If he keeps that up, it may be ok letting him miss some school for the next few years. But we'll also have to factor in how DD is in school once she gets to that point. We are lucky that we always have Mardi Gras break to fall back on. While it's not a quiet time anymore, at least it's a week in a nice time of the year weather wise and he won't have to miss school. That is, if I can convince DH it's ok to miss Mardi Gras for Disney World! lol

The leap from tickets to APs for Universal is amazing. We got such good use out of those over the past year and it was way cheaper than buying 2 day tickets for each of the times we visited. Check for AP rates occasionally too once you get them. They can sometimes be hard to come by, but we scored Portofino Bay in October for only $100 more (total!) than we would have paid for Royal Pacific with an AP rate. I think if you have a few days there and you stick with during the week like you're planning, you'll be ok. Also, don't forget that there are a lot more options for single rider lines there than in Disney, if that's something y'all are ok with. If DD is into Harry Potter, there is plenty to do in each area aside from the main attractions. I feel like I could spend forever in Diagon Alley just walking around, shopping, snacking, watching the shows, etc. We are really hoping we can fit in a Universal only trip next fall, leaving DD home for some quality time with the grandparents and finally getting to ride some of the rides both DH and I with DS instead of having to take turns on everything. I'm anxious for his school to release their calendar for next year because I really want to start planning but we can't even pick dates until I know when he'll have off for teacher inservice days. We want to time it with one of those where we can take a long weekend maybe Thurs-Mon and he will only miss one or two days of school. They usually have one at the end of October, so that would be perfect!

It sounds like a good last day in the parks! I love all the Gringotts and Seuss Landing photos. Those selfies of the kids are too adorable! I'm sorry about the A/C situation in your room, that is so frustrating!! I'm glad you made it home without any problems.

Thank you so much for sharing!!

It was a great way to finish up the trip! The a/c situation was totally annoying, and not at all how I wanted to spend the night before we had to get up early to travel home.

Thanks for following!

What a nice last day... aside from the AC issues. I'd have been really frustrated with them too. That's really unacceptable to have to wait almost an hour for a fan after you've had maintenance in your room twice. You'd think in an effort to make up for it with good customer service it should have almost got to the room before you could make it back.

I'm sorry that you were so close yet so far away from getting to meet Bumblebee. At least he did let you ride Mummy instead of another ride on Transformers!

I thought the same thing! I was really disappointed in how the situation was handled. It was only after I went to the desk a second time that anything was done. We had a similar issue with Portofino (also involving housekeeping, actually...) and I noticed they really only do something when you call the second time and make more of a stink about it, which is a real shame. I was even more disappointed that when my DH complained about it at check out, he got a "Sorry that happened" and that was it.

Getting a photo with Bumblebee has become my white whale! Maybe one of these days.

 

[khertz]

February Wrap Up​

CROWDS: Well, holy moly, was it crowded!! But at least I was totally expecting the crowds, so I was mentally prepared. I sure felt sorry for people coming from other parts of the country (or world) who were thinking they had picked a nice, slow week in February to visit only to be bombarded with Louisiana refugees escaping Mardi Gras! Everywhere you turned you saw people in LSU, Saints, or Mardi Gras outfits, and I ran into SO many people I know from back home. Not to mention the people I knew were going to be there but never ran into! Lines were long all over, but we made pretty good use of FP+ and had a decent touring plan to where we did pretty much everything we wanted to do without having to wait long for anything.

Ending on Universal over the weekend overlapping with the arrival of President’s Week crowds was probably a good idea, since we had unlimited Express Pass with our RPH stay. However, even there the crowds were noticeably higher and even the EP lines took longer than usual compared to our usual October trips.

WEATHER: It was COLD. No two ways about it! I think it may not have been so terrible had it not been for the wind slapping you in the face. I was mostly worried about the kids because I just felt no matter how many layers I put them in, they weren’t warm enough. With limited room to pack, I hadn’t been able to bring DS’s heavier jacket, and now that he is in school and wears uniforms, we didn’t really replenish his winter wardrobe, so he didn’t have much in the way of long sleeves. The day we arrived and the last two days, the temperatures were a lot more pleasant. And luckily we had only one day of rain to contend with. I had been worried about it cutting short our AK time, but we did well making up for that later in the week.

RESORTS: Animal Kingdom Lodge is simply breathtaking! I’m so happy we had the opportunity to stay here and experience such a beautiful resort. It was nice having the DVC accommodations, as it gave us plenty of space, and the unit itself was gorgeous as well. Although we didn’t have a savannah view room, that was okay. We still had plenty of opportunities to see the animals as we walked around the resort. We ended up eating at The Mara more often than I would have expected, and it was perfectly adequate for a resort quick service.

Royal Pacific was, unfortunately, a whole different story. I was already a little disappointed that HRH had been so much more expensive because we had really enjoyed the size of the rooms and location of the hotel in October. I was worried about being crammed into such a tiny room, but that was actually the least of our worries in the end. It was very disappointing to have so many issues with our a/c and to not even be offered to move rooms. I don’t blame them too much because the repair men who came both times always did seem to get it blowing and thought they had resolved the problem. But just the fact that we had to have them come a second time, they probably should have offered to move us, or maybe we should have asked. At least that’s what I was telling myself as I sat up in the hall in the middle of the night waiting for them to bring a fan! Other than that, the room was perfectly fine for a couple of nights size wise. Sure a larger room would have been better, but it wasn’t unlivable. Although the décor in the renovated rooms left something to be desired, the bathroom was a nice upgrade.


Despite the hiccups, we still very much enjoyed our trip! We loved traveling with family, even if we didn’t see them as much as we had hoped to. And although it was painfully cold some days, it was a nice change from our October trip that was hotter and more humid than we are used to. I know DH was disappointed to miss out on the Mardi Gras festivities back home, but the reality is that as DS gets older and further along in school, this may be the time of year we are forced to go pretty soon just because we will get to a point where he can’t afford to miss a week for us to go.

Thanks so much for following along with our trip and to those of you who took the time to comment, I totally appreciate each and every one!

If you're not already following, please check out my current May TR! You Can Learn a Lot of Things From the Flowers. Now that this one is wrapped up, I can start posting on the trip DH and I took in July just the two of us for the DIS Unplugged Mega Meet, so be on the lookout for that link to pop up soon as well!

 

[missangelalexis]

The way you describe Mardi Gras week and seeing everyone was Louisiana is totally the way I felt last week going during Jersey Week and seeing every from NJ!

It's good you were prepared for the crowds and had a good plan in place! It sounds like it was a good trip overall!

I look forward to you starting the July TR

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I can start posting on the trip DH and I took in July just the two of us for the DIS Unplugged Mega Meet, so be on the lookout for that link to pop up soon as well!

Looking forward to hearing about the Mega Meet!

 

[rdkeim]

As always, I really enjoyed your TR! I like your writing style and your DH's pictures are fabulous. It's also fun to see your family grow - I've been reading your TR's since your son was small. I was waiting for you to say Royal Pacific comped your room for the night - how disappointing all you got was a generic apology. I'll be watching for your next TR link!

 

[khertz]

The way you describe Mardi Gras week and seeing everyone was Louisiana is totally the way I felt last week going during Jersey Week and seeing every from NJ!

It's good you were prepared for the crowds and had a good plan in place! It sounds like it was a good trip overall!

I look forward to you starting the July TR

Isn't it so fun! It's like transporting your home city to Disney World! I just love it.

While more crowded than what we are generally used to, it was still a ton of fun. I loved spending the time with my family while there.

I'm posting the link at the bottom of this post!

Looking forward to hearing about the Mega Meet!

Coming right up! Thanks for following!

As always, I really enjoyed your TR! I like your writing style and your DH's pictures are fabulous. It's also fun to see your family grow - I've been reading your TR's since your son was small. I was waiting for you to say Royal Pacific comped your room for the night - how disappointing all you got was a generic apology. I'll be watching for your next TR link!

Thanks so much! We do make a pretty good TR writing team, as he would never tackle the writing part and I couldn't hope to take photos as good as his.

Oh, that would have been great...I was pretty darn disappointed in the hotel's response.

Coming your way!


Thanks again to everyone following along with this TR! In addition to our long weekend in May to see the Flower & Garden festival for the first time, I'm starting the TR from the trip DH & I took in July to experience the DIS Mega Meet!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/come-on-drink-the-fart-dis-mega-meet-july-2016-tr.3562527/
Come On, Drink the Fart! DIS Mega Meet July 2016 TR​

 

[tlimbergsmith]

Ok Mardi Gras vets, my sister is making a big deal about being at MK on MG day (2/28) because she said someone told her that the parade is different on that day. Can any of you confirm that? Honestly it has been my plan all along now to see FoF that day but now with the RoL schedule dropping today, it looks like that is going to be the best day for us to do the dining package. With our dates we can do Tues, Thurs or Sat for RoL. Tuesday we don't have anything special planned at that time, but Thursday we have FF FPs & Saturday we have BOG dinner & I really don't want to give either of those up.

 

[khertz]

Ok Mardi Gras vets, my sister is making a big deal about being at MK on MG day (2/28) because she said someone told her that the parade is different on that day. Can any of you confirm that? Honestly it has been my plan all along now to see FoF that day but now with the RoL schedule dropping today, it looks like that is going to be the best day for us to do the dining package. With our dates we can do Tues, Thurs or Sat for RoL. Tuesday we don't have anything special planned at that time, but Thursday we have FF FPs & Saturday we have BOG dinner & I really don't want to give either of those up.

The parade is not different on Mardi Gras day.

 

[tlimbergsmith]

The parade is not different on Mardi Gras day.

Thanks. Hopefully she won't give me a hard time about this.