Trip Report You Can't Beat This Deal...Two Trip Reports for the Price of One! *COMPLETED*

Hi Everyone!

As some of you may know, it's been a very busy, Disney filled, end of the summer for us! After scrambling to find new vacations plans thanks to Hurricane Lane and having just returned from a solo trip to attend the Disney Institute Approach to Quality Service course, I have almost been able to get all of the photos downloaded and I'm nearly ready to report on our adventures.

Both trips we're remarkably different from what our typical Disney trip would look like but both were fantastic experiences and I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you.

I am planning on uploading the last of our pictures from the camera tonight and will start diving into the details very soon!
 
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slipperalwaysfits

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
YAY! You graduated! I echo everyone about Disney's approach to service and how they go above and beyond to satisfy their customers and make people happy! The unfortunate side of this is when guest try to take advantage of the system and "Demand" extra magic because "little" things go wrong. For example, if the omlet money was refunded, for some families, that still wouldn't be enough, even if the omlet was the ONLY issue.
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Upon wrapping everything up at the convention centre and saying goodbye to many great people, I made my way back to the room to take a load off for a little bit. I had reservations for dinner at the Edison at Disney Springs but since it was only shortly after 3 pm, I thought it would be nice to relax for a few hours before heading out.

When I returned to the room and dropped off my backpack with my DI materials, I found this waiting for me.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b6ouhq]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

What a perfect example of the Disney touch we had just spent four days talking about. Yes, I realize this is something that is done in many hotel chains around the world but outside of printed letters from the manager or something to that effect, this was the first time I have encountered a handwritten note from the housekeeping staff.

Not sure if it was a set up since they no doubt had record I was participating in the DI course, but either way, still a very nice touch. I did write back to say thank you for assisting in making my trip so memorable.

With that, I jumped in bed and watched a little TV, likely falling asleep for a short spell before grabbing a shower and getting ready to head to Disney Spring to do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat.

I made my way to the bus stop and waited to hitch a ride to the Springs. It was a nice evening, a little overcast but no sign of rain which was a plus. I likely waited about 10 minutes or so before the bus rolled up and I jumped on. Pretty lonely ride over as there were maybe three or four others making the trip.

After about 15 minutes we arrived and I set off to explore for a little while before checking in for my dinner reservation. I hit up the usual stores that I tend to browse when at DS. Uniqlo wasn’t quite as fruitful as it was the week previous. Many of the items that I had seen during the family trip were either gone or no longer on sale so I left empty-handed.

Sadly that became a trend with most stores I walked through including Under Armour, Oakley and the Running Store that I had never seen before. I tend to be a tad frugal when it comes to buying stuff for me so that was fine by me. I did have a lot of time to simply stroll through DS and check out a bunch of the stores I had yet to visit on previous trips.

I’m still always blown away by the transformation from the old Downtown Disney to the area that it is now. It’s such a great extension to everything else going on around the World.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MpJ7mx]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MsrRKH]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2bafayz]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

Eventually, I made my way back toward the Edison for my first experience at this restaurant.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P2Ep6j]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P5BVZ1]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I checked in and had to wait a couple of minutes before being called up and seated at a two person table overlooking the bottom floor of the restaurant. Upon first impression, it seems like a very cool place to eat and I could see how things could get fired up when the live entertainment started. Just based on appearance alone, I felt like it was a place I would come back to on future trips.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29PYnTc]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b5T8fd]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I had a great server, whose name now escapes me, taking care of me and I was quick to order a beer while I browsed the menu. I was tempted to get the candied bacon, I know Kelly really wanted me to give it a try, but I figured since this meal would be expensed, I’d try to keep things reasonable! I settled on the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with fries and would hold off on trying the bacon until both Kelly and I could enjoy it.

As I waited for my food I called home and talked to girls for a little while. The light at the end of the tunnel was getting brighter and the kids were getting more and more excited to have me home in a few days.

After I said goodbye, my food arrived shortly after and I was definitely ready to eat. The heat from the hot sauce hit me as soon as the plate was put in front of me and I could tell right away this sandwich was gonna have a pretty good kick!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b8XpS5]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

And it certainly did. It was really spicy and really good. Right up my alley. I was actually really impressed with the fries.
I eventually finished up my meal, squared up with my server and thanked her for her great service during my solo meal.
Admittedly I was starting to hit the wall but I wanted to make my way to the Christmas store to buy a few ornaments to take back home with me. That would be my last stop before heading back for some sleep and gearing up for a full day at the parks starting bright and early at MK.

This was the only store I didn’t leave empty-handed and ended up buying two new ornaments for our Disney tree back at home. Stupidly, I didn’t take any photos of the new additions while the tree was up for over a month this holiday season so I’ll likely have to rummage through the decorations later today to dig them out!

With my new decorations in hand, I spent a few final moments enjoying the sights around the Spring before heading back to the bus stop to head home.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P2yWSh]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2baKmfB]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b9CkUg]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

One the bus ride back to the Grand, I ended up riding back with a woman who was part of my DI group and her family. She was part of the company that works out of Texas A & M so we talked football and Disney pretty much the whole ride back. Turns out her husband is a big Packers fan, and a shareholder, but she is NOT a Packer backer at all! Must be some interesting dynamics on Sundays I would assume.
After a delightful ride home, I said goodbye to my DI colleague and made my way back to the room. I did some light packing so that I didn’t have to do it all the next day and readied myself for another early wake-up call. I wanted to be at MK for park open so I could get as much accomplished as possible before heading over to DHS for my final park stop of the trip.

I was thankful to have been part of the DI program and I hope I provided at least some useful insight into what is delivered during the sessions. Of course, much of the information and topics covered were not necessarily detailed in this report but as I said a few times throughout my recollection, this is a course I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in taking it. I am already trying to figure out an angle to attend other DI sessions in the future but figure I have to wait at least another year before I put in my request. Fingers crossed!
 
arielrose

arielrose

Member
Matt and Kelly said:
Disney Institute Trip – Travel Day

First off, I want to thank all of you who have been reading along and posting comments or liking posts as I’ve detailed our trip. It’s very cool to share our experiences with you and we love that people seem to enjoy following along. So once again, a big thank you from us!

With us returning from the family trip on the Labour day weekend, we had a few days to relax and catch our breath before the kids went back for a new school year and we went back to work. It was a short week for me to turn things around, get packed up again and get ready to fly back to Orlando for the DI course.
Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr
Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

It seemed like I barely had enough time to do some laundry and coordinate some “business casual” outfits for the sessions and finalize some of my plans for the downtime I’d have when we were not in class. Thanks to some suggestions from our WDWers on my pre-trip report, I had a few ideas of different things to do that I had yet to experience while in the World. I was looking forward to checking out WDW in a different light and was certainly excited about the course having heard so many good things leading up to it.

After six days at home, September 8th had quickly rolled around and I was ready to head back on another overnight flight connecting through Toronto.

Before heading to the airport, the day was full of time with the family. Kelly had been researching the annual Basset Hound races held just outside of Edmonton which happened to take place on the 8th. It was a bit of a gloomy day but we loaded up the family, and Marty of course, to head an hour out of town so he could compete in his first race.

We arrived in this big grass field to find dozens, upon dozens of Basset Hounds howling and ready to compete in different race categories. At his age, Marty was registered in the senior shuffle, a race we thought he would dominate! We walked around the grounds, met a bunch of other dogs and their owners, and enjoyed some of the festivities including loudest howl and longest tail.
Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr
Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

It was a soggy day which made for a pretty ornery Lennon, but we toughed it out until it was time for Marty’s big race debut. Sadly it didn’t end in a well-earned victory but it was fun to watch him and the other Bassets having some fun. As you will see in this video, Winston’s mom was pretty fired up about the whole thing. According to Kelly I was not vocal enough which cost Marty the race.


After a few hours on the grounds, we called it a day and went back home. We arrived back at the house in time for me to pack up a few things and head to Commonwealth Stadium to help out my dad and watch the first half of the annual Labour Day rematch game between the Edmonton Eskimos and our arch rivals the Calgary Stampeders. Calgary had kicked a last-second field goal to beat us on Labour Day Monday so I was hoping for a better result this go around.

I left the game at halftime to head back home and watch the rest with Kelly and the kids before I had to go to the airport. We were up 31-21 at the half and ended up hanging on for a 48-42 victory after we knocked down a last-second Hail Mary in our endzone at the end of the game. This made me very happy heading to the airport as any loss to Calgary is always a drag.

Sidenote- as we fast forward to current times, Calgary and Ottawa won their respective division final match ups yesterday and will now meet in Edmonton for the 106th Grey Cup game this coming Sunday. These pics were not from that game but from a game in 2017 in which my dad was honoured for working his 1,000th game with the Eskimos.
Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr
Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

That concludes your Canadian Football League lesson for the time being.

I helped put the kids to bed and said a tearful goodbye to Kelly before packing up and heading the airport. I had the same flight out as we took a few weeks earlier but little did I realize how little time it would take for me to clear security and customs and all that good stuff on my own without having the kids and all the fun accessories that come accompany traveling with children.

Within 15 minutes of arriving at the airport, I was through security and had quite a bit of time to kill before boarding the first plane. Luckily out airport has an Eskimo themed sports bar so what better place to grab a beer, celebrate a win and wait for my plane.
WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

After what seemed far longer than I had anticipated, our midnight flight to Toronto was ready to take off. I arrive in the early morning, again breezed through customs and found myself killing time before the connecting flight to Orlando. As the boarding time approached, numerous families wearing Disney geared filled the waiting area. Having just been in the shoes of so many with multiple children, bags and the giant strollers, I was beyond relieved to simply have my backpack and that’s it!

The flight from TO to Orlando was super smooth and we touched down right around 10 am. I was the third row on this flight so the time it took me to deplane, grab the monorail to the other terminal and make my way to the check in for the Magical Express seemed like a blink of an eye compared to two weeks prior.

I already had my new MagicBand on and scanned it as I got to the DME check-in. They pointed me to the proper line and I was immediately scanned again and sent right on to the bus to take me to the resort. After a short wait to allow some other guests to board the bus, we pulled out of the stop and I was on my way back to WDW!

Everything looked so familiar on the way back but I think this was the first time I’ve ever been able to snap a quick pic of the entrance gates!
WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr

I was back!
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My husband and I are from Illinois but actually watch the CFL whenever it's on here in the states. That's really cool that your Dad works for the Eskimos.
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
arielrose said:
My husband and I are from Illinois but actually watch the CFL whenever it's on here in the states. That's really cool that your Dad works for the Eskimos.
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Very cool! Thanks for sharing that.

The league announced a new contract with ESPN on Monday so it looks as if you'll be able to watch a little more Canadian Football this coming season!
 
Tiggertoo56

Tiggertoo56

Well-Known Member
What a wonderful experience at the DI. So glad you have been able to let us have an insight in you what you were doing.
We've had hand written notes a few times on our visits and it really adds to the experience. Last one was in November when a group of us were at POFQ in 3 rooms. We got to know our housekeeper (earning her ears) and on the way we left all 3 rooms had notes and all were different.
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Tiggertoo56 said:
What a wonderful experience at the DI. So glad you have been able to let us have an insight in you what you were doing.
We've had hand written notes a few times on our visits and it really adds to the experience. Last one was in November when a group of us were at POFQ in 3 rooms. We got to know our housekeeper (earning her ears) and on the way we left all 3 rooms had notes and all were different.
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It does add a little more magic, doesn't it? Even the way the Mousekeeper went out of her way on more than one occasion to arrange the kids' toys in new scenarios during our family trip. It made us look forward to our return to the room to see what she had thought of next.
 
slipperalwaysfits

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
The sunset in Disney Springs looked magical! We are eager to try the Edison, too! We almost ate there this year but another table service called to us more. My husband would love the spicy chicken sandwich!
 
Darstarr

Darstarr

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
amjt660 said:
I have in the past agreed with you that the Disney recovery has always been a strong point
Something that I instill on all of my team at work - mistakes happen but how you recover from them is the important thing

My recent experience at Disney was not a good recovery
But I will leave that one for my TR....

Love the ears and the pics with Mickey!!

Max
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Ditto and ditto
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Gurt said:
I have thoroughly enjoyed your report a great insight into the DI program
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Thanks very much. It was a very cool way to experience a different side of Disney. Both trips we so much fun even if they served very different purposes. Can't wait to get back both as a guest and to a future DI program!
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Longers said:
Congratulations on graduating and thanks for sharing some of the bits of your DI programme. It really sounded interesting.
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Thank you! It was fun to have another grad ceremony again HAHA

I hope I was able to convey at least some of the program. I would have loved to spill all the beans and inner workings but I fear I'd end up on the Disney blacklist or something!
 
Matt and Kelly

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
First off, before I dive into my final full day in Disney, let’s start this off right…
tom-brady-f-bomb-cbs_0.jpg


Ok, now that that is on the table, here goes…

Day Six – Magic Kingdom / Disney’s Hollywood Studios
(also, fair warning of a pretty heavy dose of selfies)

With the DI program now completed, I was looking forward to using the final day of my two-day park pass that was included in the program fees. It was great to have had the chance to still experience the parks throughout the program, albeit in a very different manner than I’m used to, but I was certainly excited to get back to “normal” and really enjoy the parks before heading home.

With all that we had done over the week, it would have been easy to sleep in a bit but I was up bright and early to get myself to MK for park opening. After a quick breakfast of coffee and a LaraBar, I made my way out of the room and over to the monorail stop. It was already pretty busy with other Grand guests heading over to the park.

When we arrived at MK I was completely taken back by how quickly I was able to get through security and head into the park to wait for the ropes to drop. Not having to lug a big stroller through security or have any bags checked made that process a breeze!

I ended up arriving about 15 minutes before the park would open and was able to get myself pretty close to the tunnel. Gave me some time to snap a few pics while things were pretty quiet around me.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P33ZyU]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2bdouer]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

My plan was to head directly to Fantasyland to ride the Mine Train right off the bat. I knew there would likely be a solid sea of people doing the same thing but being on my own and able to walk relatively quickly I thought I could get there fast and be one of the first few trains out of the gate. Once the main gate ropes dropped people made their way down Main Street to wait for the final rope drop to open the entire park.

I found myself pretty close to the rope and still had a great view of the castle to admire for the couple minutes we waited.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29MkWPt]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

Once the park officially opened there was a mad dash to the Mine Train. I definitely had no intention of running like some folks did, and were yelled at by CMS to slow down, but when I did arrive I walked through the standby queue and quickly made my way to the loading area. First time I’ve ever been through the standby queue…it was pretty cool to see the detail that’s included throughout.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MsrMmc]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

Within five minutes I was loaded into the train and off I went to start my day with a mild thrill. I knew Lennon would be super jealous that I was starting my day on one of her favourite rides but I enjoyed myself nonetheless!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MpkVAt]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MCPbqM]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

After the Mine Train, it was over to Peter Pan. Another standby line that I cannot recall the last time using. This was not as quick moving as the Mine Train but it was really cool to see all the scenes and interactive displays throughout the queue. I really enjoyed wandering through and the ride itself was ok too I guess!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29PYnMF]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P2z231]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

After Pan I quickly strolled to Tomorrowland. I was hoping the line for Space wouldn’t be too long and when I arrived I was happy to find that there was only a 20-minute standby wait. I was looking forward to another trip through Space before trying something I had never done on any other visit to MK.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a7N4U3]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

The line moved quickly and I was able to move up to the loading zone a little quicker thanks to my single status. I filled out one of the rockets and away we went! I was pretty pumped to know that my first three rides consisted of Mine Train, Pan and Space. I was off to a good start!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b9DB8F]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MCNVLr]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

Once of Space, I made my way over to the Carousel of Progress. A ride I had yet to experience at WDW. I was ripping around from ride to ride so quickly that I wasn’t even enjoying the fact that it was another glorious day weather-wise, instead I was trying to get into queues as quickly as possible!

I had to wait a few minutes before entering the carousel and was able to find a seat smack dab in the middle. There may have been another five or six people who entered the theatre with me before the doors closed and we started moving.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28pNQsm]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I kind of knew what to expect from the ride but at the same time, I had no real clue. As we moved from scene to scene I was definitely enjoying it and wondered what took me so long to experience a great big beautiful tomorrow. Sure it’s pretty outdated but really cool to finally get a chance to experience something that Walt had his hands all over. Hopefully Kelly and the girls will want to check it out next time we visit.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P1Y7MY]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P34vgQ]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b8ZbAw]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MpJqgF]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

With CoP finally checked off my list. I was willing to take my time as I walked over to Liberty Square towards the Haunted Mansion to continue my tour of MK.
 
joshsprincess921

joshsprincess921

Well-Known Member
Matt and Kelly said:
As I gear up for the Pats first playoff game this weekend, I was watching a clip on Twitter highlighting every Tom Brady playoff touchdown and was reminded of a story told during the DI program after hearing Al Michaels call more than a few of the TDs.

During one of the sessions, I can't recall which, Jim Babcock was talking about something Walt related and it ended up moving into a side story about how Disney was able to regain the rights to Walt's first creation, Oswald the Rabbit. I think many people know that Oswald became the property of now NBC Universal and was held there for quite some time.

When NBC won the rights to Sunday Night Football, they wanted Al Michaels to serve as their play-by-play man but he was under contract at ABC. As the two sides started discussions, the deal essentially became the rights to Oswald for the rights to Al.

Both sides agreed and now we see tons of Oswald merchandise around the parks, including the socks I'm wearing to work today! I thought that was a pretty cool story, one I wasn't aware of.

All that is to say, GO PATS!
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My Saints were robbed! :mad: My husband and I are still depressed! So heartbreaking! :cry:
Would have been great to see a Brees vs. Brady match!
 

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