Trip Report WDW Trip #8 - Insert Snappy Title Here

Well, I've decided I can't keep this under my hat for much longer. So, here we go.

Hello everyone, and welcome aboard this WDW trip report. Join me as I will relay to you the story of my next WDW trip before, during and after. Though this will be my eighth visit to WDW, it will also be my first since joining this forum. Furthermore, I have also posted trip reports from some of my previous trips (and you will find the links to these further down), I have never done a trip report "live" as it were. So, this will be new ground!

During my time here, I've learned of all sorts of things relating to WDW that I never knew about before, and hopefully as I plan my adventure and subsequently embark on it, I will discover further things. You readers out there may even be able to assist me and pass on some of the wonderful advice you've gathered over your visits. Perhaps by reading this report you may even learn something yourself. Or you might find it incredibly boring! At the very least, it is a place for me to gather my thoughts together. If you have any comments, queries, observations or whatever, just chuck them in. I'm always willing to listen to suggestions and answer questions. So, if you are sitting comfortably, por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas! Relax, enjoy and remember to keep your hands and arms inside the thread at all times. And please, no flash pictures.

As this is the main thread of the report, I will attempt to summarise here the salient points of my trip in it's various stages. I shall most likely go into further depth in individual posts.

And now, without further ado, let's get down to business.

The trip begins in   

Current Status

  • 2014-10-21 - Accommodation and park tickets booked and deposit paid.
  • 2014-10-23 - Flights booked.
  • 2015-01-25 - Balance paid.
  • 2015-02-22 - Airport hotel booked for night before departure.
  • 2015-03-11 - ADR booked for San Angel Inn.
(Last updated: March 11, 2015)

Previous Trip Reports

WDW Trip #4 - Retro Disney (1997 Edition)
WDW Trip #5 - Retro Disney II (1998/99 Edition)
WDW Trip #7 - It Never Gets Old (2012 Edition)

The Who

The cast of this trip consists of four people:

  • Me. This will be my eighth WDW trip. Also, I have been on a day trip to DLP.
  • My brother. This will be his sixth WDW trip, and he has been on two DLP day trips.
  • My folks, who will be on their ninth WDW trip. Additionally, my dad has visited DL in California at least once.

The Where

Coincidentally, both groups are planning to stay at Coronado Springs. We made our decisions independently of each other. My brother and I, having stayed at Value Tier resorts for the past few trips, sampling each of the All Star resorts, felt that we should move on up to the next tier. Since the DME bus passed through Coronado Springs on the way back to MCO last time and we liked the look of the place, we settled on that one. My folks on the other hand are seasoned Moderate Tier guests, but having stayed at Port Orleans/Dixie Landings twice now, they felt they wanted a change, so they too picked Coronado Springs.

Now, though we all wish to stay at the same resort, it is still quite likely that my brother and I will book our holiday separately to my folks. Officially, this is so that we can customise our trips and we may not necessarily want the same extras as each other. But, primarily it is for selfish reasons. You see, my brother and I are dual UK/US citizens, and past experiences with travelling to the US have shown that this allows us to get through the immigration procedure super-quick, and as long as our luggage arrives at the baggage reclaim in good time, we can be on the DME and on our way to WDW whilst the last few passengers are still getting their passports stamped. Last time, we clocked a Plane-to-Pirates time (i.e. the time taken from the plane arriving at the gate to boarding POTC) at 2 hours and 37 minutes; a record we want to try and break next time around!

However, due to the room type I preferred not being available at CSR at the time of booking, we've elected for Caribbean Beach instead.

The When

During our last trip, we experienced mostly good weather and low-ish crowd levels, so we are aiming for the same time of year again. Thus, we are planning our trip for September 2015, lasting for ten days. As yet, we haven't decided on dates, but due to things happening at home and elsewhere, it is likely to be towards the start of that month. Early indications suggested a possible departure date of September 07, 2015, which I believe is Labor Day in the US.

The What

Well, obviously the primary reason for the trip is to visit WDW. On top of that, there is talk of perhaps going on a day trip to Sea World, and maybe even further afield.

On the WDW side, I am insisting that each participant has to try an attraction they have never tried before. The new Fantasyland may help with this one!

The Why

You don't really need this one explaining, do you?

The How

It will be the usual transporation method. Fly from LGW to MCO and then get to the resort via the DME bus. The exact method of getting from home to LGW is an entirely separate matter and is probably of little or no interest to you readers.
 
Last edited:

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
August 11, 2015 (27 days to go)

For one reason or another, these past few days/weeks/months have been challenging. Today was no exception. Put simply, I'll be ready for my holiday when it comes.

Though my mood was greatly increased when I saw this waiting for me when I got home. Not long to go now!
 

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Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
Almost there! We have about a 3 1/2 hour drive up from South Florida, also on the 7th of September. Hoping there isn't much of a Labor Day crowd. We are also staying at Caribbean beach and you can often find us at the banana cabana pool bar LOL. Only staying two nights, three days, however. But will be back again in late October or early November and also in mid January for similarly short trips. It's just less disruptive work – wise to do it that way. Also I feel incredibly guilty leaving the dog for a whole week!
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Almost there! We have about a 3 1/2 hour drive up from South Florida, also on the 7th of September. Hoping there isn't much of a Labor Day crowd. We are also staying at Caribbean beach and you can often find us at the banana cabana pool bar LOL. Only staying two nights, three days, however. But will be back again in late October or early November and also in mid January for similarly short trips. It's just less disruptive work – wise to do it that way. Also I feel incredibly guilty leaving the dog for a whole week!

Well if you see a bunch of chilled out Brits by the pool bar at CBR, enjoying a nice refreshing drink after a 9 hour flight (and goodness knows how much travelling time before and after the flight), that'll be us!
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
August 25, 2015 (13 days to go)

I've managed to book myself on to the Undiscovered Future World Tour. Originally, I wanted to go on the Saturday of my trip, but alas there was no availability. So, I've managed to get on the tour on another date.

I want to be there now!
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
Well if you see a bunch of chilled out Brits by the pool bar at CBR, enjoying a nice refreshing drink after a 9 hour flight (and goodness knows how much travelling time before and after the flight), that'll be us!

Will keep an ear out!

I've always been curious about this - being from there, do you ever hang out at the UK pavilion at Epcot? Any reason to ever eat there? Would you consider the food authentic, Americanized, stereotyped, etc.?
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Will keep an ear out!

I've always been curious about this - being from there, do you ever hang out at the UK pavilion at Epcot? Any reason to ever eat there? Would you consider the food authentic, Americanized, stereotyped, etc.?

Never actually sampled the food or drink at the UK pavilion, to be honest. Though, living in Cambridge, I find it amusing that I can buy University of Cambridge clothing at the shop!
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
September 03, 2015 (4 days to go)

So, I got an email this morning telling me Magic Band is ready for pick up at my resort hotel. It's getting real!!!!

Just one more work day to go...
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
September 05, 2015 (2 days to go)

Packing has begun! Most of it will be done tomorrow since I need something to occupy my mind otherwise it'll just drag.

Also, this is one of those rare situations where I'm thinking "I can't wait until Monday morning!" :D
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
September 07, 2015 - Day 1

Good morning from a hotel just outside of LGW! Once we're all up and about, we'll head off to the airport itself, go through the fun and games there and then grab some breakfast. Good news is that according to my travel app, we may get to MCO some 45 mins earlier than scheduled!
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just got back from EPCOT via the CBR food court. Went on SSE, Gran Fiesta Tour and Soarin'. Soarin' was only a 15 minute wait, so we couldn't pass it up!

Anyway, for those wondering, time from plane landing to getting on the first attraction was 3 hours 32 minutes; about an hour longer than the previous record.

Right, I've been awake for nearly 21 hours. Time for sleep. Tune in tomorrow to hear more adventures!
 

The Mighty Tim

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So, we started off at MK this morning. MK seemed a lot busier than I was expecting. Nonetheless, we went on the Jungle Cruise, then the Haunted Mansion. We then checked out New Fantasyland, and then rode TTA, Buzz Lightyear and Carousel of Progress. By this time, we were getting a bit hot, so we checked out Splash Mountain, but the stand by line was 40 minutes, so we decided to ride the monorail to EPCOT instead.

As the monorail went around EPCOT, we noticed that Test Track had a short wait, so we made a beeline for that ride. We went on the single rider queue which actually ended up being a walk on, and we ended up in the same ride vehicle anyway. After that, my brother figured we could catch the England game at the ESPN Club, so we went there, grabbing a croissant doughnut from the World Showcase on the way. At ESPN Club, we watched the first half of the England game with a couple of beers, then we walked to Hollywood Studios and caught the bus back to CBR.

Tonight, we might go to DTD and see what's happening there.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
So, we started off at MK this morning. MK seemed a lot busier than I was expecting. Nonetheless, we went on the Jungle Cruise, then the Haunted Mansion. We then checked out New Fantasyland, and then rode TTA, Buzz Lightyear and Carousel of Progress. By this time, we were getting a bit hot, so we checked out Splash Mountain, but the stand by line was 40 minutes, so we decided to ride the monorail to EPCOT instead.

As the monorail went around EPCOT, we noticed that Test Track had a short wait, so we made a beeline for that ride. We went on the single rider queue which actually ended up being a walk on, and we ended up in the same ride vehicle anyway. After that, my brother figured we could catch the England game at the ESPN Club, so we went there, grabbing a croissant doughnut from the World Showcase on the way. At ESPN Club, we watched the first half of the England game with a couple of beers, then we walked to Hollywood Studios and caught the bus back to CBR.

Tonight, we might go to DTD and see what's happening there.

We did TT just before noon today and then lunch in England lol. Back at CBR now - Aruba - heading back to Epcot for dinner in about an hour and then I think MK for EMH.
 

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