Trip Report Whose WDW Is It Anyway?

Welcome to Whose WDW Is It Anyway? Where the rules don't matter and the wait times are made up!

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WHO: The usual crew. Me (Bryan), my mom, and my friend A
WHEN: May 5th-8th
WHERE: Orbit One Vacation Villas on 192
WHY: I had two vacation days to burn before 5/20 and A couldn't wait until October to take another trip

I wasn't sure this trip was actually going to happen. We were stalking airfare waiting for something reasonable to come up and were having no luck finding airfare that didn't cost more than my AP. Finally, one morning a Spirit flight down early Thursday morning dropped significantly and we jumped on it. The flight home we booked on Frontier because they had the best time/price to maximize our park time.

I set my alarm for 3am (ugh) and summoned our Uber (my dad) and arrived at PHL a little after 4:30am for our 6:20am flight. Plenty of time, right?

Wrong!

Spirit bag drop was a $@#*-show to say the least. You had to cut through the ridiculously long to get to the kiosks to print out a luggage tag. Then, you had to get back through the line and find the end to wait to drop off your bag at the counter. There were at least three flights leaving around the same time and they only had two people working the counter. Two?!? If only there were some kind of system where they could know in advance when flights were scheduled and how many people bought tickets for those flights...

Fantasizing Pop Tv GIF by One Day At A Time


The flight to MCO was the next one to leave so they pulled everyone for Orlando over to the side to drop bags in front of the other flights. Naturally, this caused mass confusion and some people (not us, thankfully) ended up further back in line than they started. There was one woman, I assume her name was Karen (no offense to any actual Karens out there), who started to lose her mind. I was shocked that I didn't hear...


Linda Karen GIF


Eventually, we made it through the Spirit check in process and went over to join the TSA line. A has TSA Precheck and wasn't checking a bag so he had already gone to the gate. The line for security was absolutely crazy! It stretched all the way back near baggage claim and nearly to the airport hotel that was across the street. The line was surprisingly fast moving and we only waited about 15-20 minutes to get through. I was prepared to removed my electronics and my shoes but the TSA agent said everything can stay in your bag and your shoes could stay on. I feel like every time I fly the rules are different and different at every airport, which is just one aspect of this trip that inspired the title.

We did not have time to sit down and eat before boarding, so we just grabbed bagels at the little convenience stand and took them on the plane with us. At some point, they must have changed our gate because there was a woman who got on our plane and was surprised to find someone sitting in her seat. Turns out, she was supposed to be on a flight to ATL that was now at another gate. I don't know how she was able to get past the gate agent and on to the wrong flight...

hmmm GIF


Our flight itself was uneventful, I watched the last episode of Moon Knight and then took a little nap and were arrived in MCO ahead of schedule. We had to wait for our ground crew to arrive for a bit. We must have snuck up on them because it is impossible to track an airplane and know exactly when it will arrive...

Baggage claim was equally as nightmare-ish. We waited close to an hour for our bags to come out on a different carousel than what we were told and what the signs said. We are always the party that gets stopped right at the CM almost every time. So it was no surprise that when the bags got jammed up in the carousel, that our bag was literally the next bag to come out after the log jam delay. Finally, with bag in hand, we trekked down about 5 escalators and up about 6 to get over to the rental car where A was waiting.

NEXT: Arriving at HS
 

ShookieJones

We need time for things to happen.
Welcome to Whose WDW Is It Anyway? Where the rules don't matter and the wait times are made up!

View attachment 638275

WHO: The usual crew. Me (Bryan), my mom, and my friend A
WHEN: May 5th-8th
WHERE: Orbit One Vacation Villas on 192
WHY: I had two vacation days to burn before 5/20 and A couldn't wait until October to take another trip

I wasn't sure this trip was actually going to happen. We were stalking airfare waiting for something reasonable to come up and were having no luck finding airfare that didn't cost more than my AP. Finally, one morning a Spirit flight down early Thursday morning dropped significantly and we jumped on it. The flight home we booked on Frontier because they had the best time/price to maximize our park time.

I set my alarm for 3am (ugh) and summoned our Uber (my dad) and arrived at PHL a little after 4:30am for our 6:20am flight. Plenty of time, right?

Wrong!

Spirit bag drop was a $@#*-show to say the least. You had to cut through the ridiculously long to get to the kiosks to print out a luggage tag. Then, you had to get back through the line and find the end to wait to drop off your bag at the counter. There were at least three flights leaving around the same time and they only had two people working the counter. Two?!? If only there were some kind of system where they could know in advance when flights were scheduled and how many people bought tickets for those flights...

Fantasizing Pop Tv GIF by One Day At A Time


The flight to MCO was the next one to leave so they pulled everyone for Orlando over to the side to drop bags in front of the other flights. Naturally, this caused mass confusion and some people (not us, thankfully) ended up further back in line than they started. There was one woman, I assume her name was Karen (no offense to any actual Karens out there), who started to lose her mind. I was shocked that I didn't hear...


Linda Karen GIF


Eventually, we made it through the Spirit check in process and went over to join the TSA line. A has TSA Precheck and wasn't checking a bag so he had already gone to the gate. The line for security was absolutely crazy! It stretched all the way back near baggage claim and nearly to the airport hotel that was across the street. The line was surprisingly fast moving and we only waited about 15-20 minutes to get through. I was prepared to removed my electronics and my shoes but the TSA agent said everything can stay in your bag and your shoes could stay on. I feel like every time I fly the rules are different and different at every airport, which is just one aspect of this trip that inspired the title.

We did not have time to sit down and eat before boarding, so we just grabbed bagels at the little convenience stand and took them on the plane with us. At some point, they must have changed our gate because there was a woman who got on our plane and was surprised to find someone sitting in her seat. Turns out, she was supposed to be on a flight to ATL that was now at another gate. I don't know how she was able to get past the gate agent and on to the wrong flight...

hmmm GIF


Our flight itself was uneventful, I watched the last episode of Moon Knight and then took a little nap and were arrived in MCO ahead of schedule. We had to wait for our ground crew to arrive for a bit. We must have snuck up on them because it is impossible to track an airplane and know exactly when it will arrive...

Baggage claim was equally as nightmare-ish. We waited close to an hour for our bags to come out on a different carousel than what we were told and what the signs said. We are always the party that gets stopped right at the CM almost every time. So it was no surprise that when the bags got jammed up in the carousel, that our bag was literally the next bag to come out after the log jam delay. Finally, with bag in hand, we trekked down about 5 escalators and up about 6 to get over to the rental car where A was waiting.

NEXT: Arriving at HS
My gut got in a knot just reading about that Spirit flight. I TRIED taking Spirit for a short jaunt from Ft Lauderdale to MCO a few years back.....never boarded that plane for reasons to effed up to get into on your TR. All I can say is NEVER AGAIN. Here's hoping the rest of your trip was so awesome none of that nonsense made difference. Following along. :)
 

erstwo

Well-Known Member
The last time I was in NYC, I took one of my daughter's friends with us and she didn't have TSA Pre-Check (my daughter and I both have it) but I wasn't about to let a young girl that hasn't flown much go through security alone. So we all went through the regular line.

The TSA lady at LGA pulled out a refillable conditioner bottle that I've had since before my children were born - so probably about 20 years I've had this bottle. I've taken that same conditioner bottle (in my carry on!) to Europe, the Middle East, and countless domestic flights - no problem. But this TSA lady looked me dead in the eye and said "You can't have this." and I wanted to argue, but I know better, so I just said "Okay" and watched her throw it away. UGH. And then she threw away my tiny toothpaste - I guess for good measure.

Don't even get me started on the gate agents and my 'great roll on laptop bag debacle of 2016" 😂 or the gate agent who I saw make a (somewhere between 16-18 year old boy) cry as we were boarding - she loudly berated him for thinking he could bring both a backpack AND his (obviously valuable and much loved) skateboard on the plane - "ONE CARRY ON ITEM ONLY. CAN'T YOU HEAR?". My mom instincts almost took over that time - if I had done what I wanted to do, y'all might have seen me on the news! 😂

Airports are lawless places no doubt.
 

BwlrBry212

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
That’s quite the eventful travel morning.

How did that lady get on the wrong flight?!?
For whatever reason the gate agent wasn’t scanning boarding passes, she was just keying something into the computer. It’s a little scary to see how easy it was to get on a plane you don’t have a ticket for though.
My gut got in a knot just reading about that Spirit flight. I TRIED taking Spirit for a short jaunt from Ft Lauderdale to MCO a few years back.....never boarded that plane for reasons to effed up to get into on your TR. All I can say is NEVER AGAIN. Here's hoping the rest of your trip was so awesome none of that nonsense made difference. Following along. :)
I had a very bad experience with Spirit in the past as well but when the price dropped to $43 for the flight down it was hard to pass up. It went up $200 the next day.
The last time I was in NYC, I took one of my daughter's friends with us and she didn't have TSA Pre-Check (my daughter and I both have it) but I wasn't about to let a young girl that hasn't flown much go through security alone. So we all went through the regular line.

The TSA lady at LGA pulled out a refillable conditioner bottle that I've had since before my children were born - so probably about 20 years I've had this bottle. I've taken that same conditioner bottle (in my carry on!) to Europe, the Middle East, and countless domestic flights - no problem. But this TSA lady looked me dead in the eye and said "You can't have this." and I wanted to argue, but I know better, so I just said "Okay" and watched her throw it away. UGH. And then she threw away my tiny toothpaste - I guess for good measure.

Don't even get me started on the gate agents and my 'great roll on laptop bag debacle of 2016" 😂 or the gate agent who I saw make a (somewhere between 16-18 year old boy) cry as we were boarding - she loudly berated him for thinking he could bring both a backpack AND his (obviously valuable and much loved) skateboard on the plane - "ONE CARRY ON ITEM ONLY. CAN'T YOU HEAR?". My mom instincts almost took over that time - if I had done what I wanted to do, y'all might have seen me on the news! 😂

Airports are lawless places no doubt.
TSA once threw out a snow globe that my mom bought for my aunt IN THE AIRPORT because it was over the limit for liquids.
Here for your quick return

giphy.gif
It seems quick because my TRs were very delayed after those trips.
Great title!

whose line is it anyway have fun GIF


Sorry I never made it to MK on Saturday. Next time!
I’ll be back sometime in October.
 

BwlrBry212

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DAY 1 -- MAY 5TH

After an eventful travel morning (not quite up to @Darstarr levels of travel woes), we finally arrived at HS just before 10:30am and we were greeted by Donald.

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Am I the only one that thinks it is slightly creepy to have a character stationed about the bathrooms???

We headed straight ahead towards MMRR which was only showing a 40 minute wait but the line was almost entirely under cover so we decided to give it a go. While we were in line we tried to join the wait list for Brown Derby Lounge right after it opened at 11am but there was only availability for a party of 2 not 3. We ended up being on and off the ride in only 30 minutes (made up wait time #1).

We were all getting hungry so we went to the (formerly) best kept secret in HS...Baseline Taphouse. We were all shocked to see multiple open tables and no wait to order drinks and food. The last few times we skipped Baseline because it was way too crowded. We grabbed some beers and my favorite pretzel on property.

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After fueling up, A and I went over to Star Tours. The wait was listed at 10 or 15 minutes. We didn't stop walking until we got assigned to our row (made up wait time #2). We lucked out and got a pair of original trilogy scenes.

After we met back up with my mom, it was time for our ADR at Oga's for some drinks. We were squeezed into a tiny spot along the bar. I love being right at the bar and interacting with the bartenders because they are very entertaining. At one point, they got into an "argument" over which neighborhood in Batuu was the best. The one bartender actually ended up spraying foam on the other one's shoes. When he yelled at her for that, she sprayed water on his shoes. He got his revenge by drying his shoes off on her pants. It was really funny.

We settled our tab and A and I took advantage of the single rider line at Smuggler's Run to avoid a 65 minute wait. I ended up being a runner with two pilots that were not the best drivers. It was still a fun trip.

We left Batuu and went into Toy Story Land and got in line for TSMM. This wait time was actually pretty accurate. I was disappointed in my score. I was trying to shoot for some different targets to see if I could get a better score than usual. I failed.

We went over to visit the Muppets next and to take advantage of the A/C because it was getting toasty out.

We headed towards the front of the park to hop over to Epcot but not before stopping to watch the two best chipmunks enjoying a lovely picnic lunch.

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Next: Cinco de Mayo fun in Epcot
 

BwlrBry212

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DAY 1 CONTINUED-- MAY 5TH

After we left HS, we made the very off brand for us decision of going to the hotel to check in. A had stayed at Orbit One Vacation Villas before and had trouble checking in after the parks had closed and wanted to avoid that. The place was your standard timeshare-y type place with a living room, dining area/kitchen and two bedrooms and two bathrooms. A took the King room and my mom and I shared the other room. The only downside was that it had two Twin beds. I had to be very aware when I rolled over at night so I didn't fall off the bed. We took a quick break to suck up some A/C before heading back to Epcot.

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We had a little bit of time to kill before our ADR at La Hacienda so we stopped by Club Cool for a soda tasting. I was sure to avoid the horrible BBQ sauce soda and stuck to the ones that I like the most like the offerings from Madagascar and Dominican Republic.

After our brief pit stop, we headed over to La Hacienda to check in for our dinner. It was Cinco de Mayo so naturally, we needed to star our meal with a margarita.

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It was a bit heavy on the salt but it hit the spot! My mom and I were not super hungry and didn't want to fill up on too much so we could get some things from the booths later on so we split an appetizer and an order of shrimp tacos.

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We got the Chicken Flautas to start. These were really good but I wish there were more of them in an order. The salsa it came with was tangy but not too spicy and the chicken inside was nicely seasoned and moist.

I did not take a picture of the shrimp tacos but they were very disappointing. There were about 3, maybe 4, popcorn shrimp in the tortilla with about a pound of cabbage on top. The sauces on top were nice but the shrimp to cabbage ratio was awful. Also, they were ridiculously overpriced. $31 for three tacos?!?

We continued around WS after our meal enjoying the slightly cooler temperatures as the sun started to set. Despite the fact that I didn't eat a lot for dinner I did not have much of an appetite as we walked around. I think it was a combination of the heat and lack of sleep. I did snap some topiary pics along the way and entertained myself people watching.

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Look Ma, no barges!!!

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I didn't remember him from past festivals. Is he new?

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This was almost a perfect monorail shot if that lady didn't push her stroller into my picture at the last minute.

We checked out the Butterfly House after this. Almost all of the butterflies were all up at the top of the netting trying to get out so it was difficult to get any pictures. Here is the best I was able to manage.

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We stopped by The Land and had an almost private front row ride on LWTL and then we practically walked on Soarin' and got dead center, top row with zero distortion!

We finished out our night on Nemo. This ride has the level of A/C that needs to be inside every building in WDW especially when it is so hot out. My mom and I watched the lone dolphin that was out swim around for a while and we decided to call it a night and get some sleep.

Next: A wild time at AK
 

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