Trip Report All Grown Up!!!

Well she did it! She graduated in December with Honors, a semester early from the University of Illinois. DD has missed a few of my mini trips to WDW over the last few years because of college. Late in March, during a particularly nasty winter here in Northern Illinois my DD borrowed a line I've used multiple times, I’m going to WDW are you in or out? And that started our fast passed planning for a trip in under a few weeks. It was Just Us travelling, my DD (22) and me (not as young as I use to be) last minute, escape Illinois trip to WDW.

Since there wasn't a plan or savings nor budgeting for this trip we quickly evaluated how we were going to pull off this trip. With DS on the phone we learned that if we were to take advantage of the CM discount we would have the choice of a discount at either the French Quarter or the Coronado, we had wanted to stay at a moderate, specifically POR. It surprised us since normally FQ for guests is the one that isn't discounted as much and often omitted from Dining perks. So FQ it was. Next surprise during that call was we had to have a King Sized Bed, Doubles not available for CM discount. Requesting and guaranteeing a King Bed is normally an up-charge for guests. We had a few of these surprises along the way. So a King room it was for Mom and DD. We also requested the QS dining plan, booked the Memory Maker and made our reservation for DME. Done, just under a two week vacation for Mom and Daughter, the second time we have done this. Last girls trip was in 2007 when she was in high school and her brother was doing a Disney CP stint. Next was airfare. Yep, no notice, we wound up at an airport over an hour away, SouthWest is far more forgiving for last minute travel, we also booked the priority boarding, done and at a more than fair price.

All that was left after a few hours of planning was to shop for what was needed and to arrange for care for Pup as my DH has been working some long hours. Friends lined up, keys handed out, all we had to do was wait…fortunately the anticipation was short-lived.

This report is going to be a compilation of events, since if I try to organize it as well as others do, it just wont happen.

Up next, We're leaving for WDW.

 

[Gabe1]

As I said, we hadn’t planned for this trip and airfare can be painful for last minute trips. We opted to travel to Midway for a SouthWest departure to MCO, bright and early, first flight out to make the most of the day and more palatable airfare. This meant we were up at 2 am, coffee and tea ingested and poured into travel mugs for the long Taxi ride to Midway. We were not about to ask my DH to be up at 2am to drive us to Midway and then go to work, we are not that cruel. But Ouch! That is an expensive taxi ride.

The Flight is on time, great seats, smooth flight and arrived 20 minutes early. Nice and healthy seatmate next to us on the aisle seat, always a bonus. A pretty quiet flight, no screaming kids or parents.

Still dark outside

DME, tapped the Mickey Band to enter the line twice. It only required one of us to tap, a practice we also saw in the queues in the parks at some of the attractions. We must have just missed a DME, only a few guests before us. Few in most resort queues but the Values were all packed, AoA by far the longest. We must have waited about a ½ an hour. Boarded and off we went, Key West, us at POFQ and POR. Bus about ¾ full. We had yellow tagged our luggage so just backpacks with electronics and an emergency change of clothes. We were off!
!

 

[Gabe1]

As we were nearing WDW I quickly realized the bus had not taken the route we normally did. It took the bypass route avoiding the construction on the highway. As a result no picture or going under the Welcome arch. Figures though because I had a great seat and had already set the camera for the traditional photo op.

But We're here! After a brief stop At Key West.

The bus ride was pretty quick. It felt fantastic to be off the DME, it too was a quiet ride. Low 70's nice.

 

[MouseDreaming]

First off, love the Mickey pedicure! And I keep asking myself why I didn't think to take pictures at the airport heading out?

Can't wait for the rest!

 

[Gabe1]

Well this is where things kinda went array. We walked into the lobby, it had just came out of rehab not that long ago and it was a charming as always. The mural was the only thing that remained the same. Everything was crisp and shiny.

We were shuffled from online check-in, to check-in to the concierge desk where we were greeted by 3 international program CMs that were "earning their ears," all impeccably dressed and groomed, more so than the other CMs keeping an eye on them from a distance but in ear shot.

The good thing is it was about 10am and our room was ready, still a King Sized Bed but who cares, we had a room and that is where things started to go wrong. One of the items on our reservations disappeared. But when we asked them to just add it back in they said they could not because the CMs had already assigned the room and formally checked us in. Now this could not have happened if we didn't give them the green light to do so with online check in. So on one hand our room was ready, it was quick but missing a major feature of our reservation and the regular CM stepped in. No. We are now checked in so nothing like that can be added in as a length of stay feature.

Now we are not amused but we are limited to the fit we can pitch as we are tied to a CM discount and scenes have a way of getting back to the employees supervisors and it often becomes a pee'n match and getting even if the employees guests get ugly.

So we make our way to our room but my DD isn't done with this yet. We were upset, this would change the plans we had made everyday. DD dropped her stuff and picked up the phone. Talked to CM #1, CM #2, CM#3 all saying sorry you are checked in. And then she asked for a manager...and hold...ultimately this manager saw what happened, understood, sent us back to lobby to use his name and re-register. We do just that. Unfortunately we are at the Check In desk and they will not let my DD or I finish our sentence, they just kept saying NO! You are checked in already. No way to fix. Finally, cause we are politely not going away she indigently calls for her manager who is up to speed thanks to Phone Call Manager. Nice as a warm Sunrise. Instructs the No ladies that it is a yes. Swipe the credit card again and we're out of there.

We cross the hall and the refill mugs won't clear free from our bands. Back to Concierge desk. Far nicer this round, they fix that. Get mugs, drinks and head to room.

note the once bedspread now chopped and sewn into a bed skirt. By the way I loved the triple sheeting.


Now this freak'n check-in, Online now took 2 freak'n hours. We are hungry. We change to hot weather clothes from backpack. Leave a note and tip for Bellhop for DME luggage and we are off to Epcot bound and determined to put this behind us. My DS called shortly after we were on the bus to make sure all went well with check-in. We say yes and say only a minor hiccup that was resolved and we were all set! (oy)

By the way, we will never ever ever do online check in again. Lesson learned.

 

[Gabe1]

Well we put all that behind us and never looked back as we lucky our flights and DME all worked out, a room was ready and we were off to Epcot our first stop of the day. We were up 12 hours already and the adrenalin was kicking in as was the coffee.

First stop was SSE, we were going to grab something to eat but the last time DD was at Epcot SSE was down so she never saw this version of the attraction.

Off to Sunshine Seasons for some much needed food. We had bagels at the airport and pretzels on the airplane but by around 230pm and getting up at 2am we are way past do. Our first QS dining credits went to Mongolian Beef and Strawberry Shortcake and my pork chop with a lovely diced tomato BBQ relish and mashed potatoes. So honk’n good.

We were both happy to see that the Jammitors Trash Can Band came back. They had taken a sabbatical from the line-up and were happy to see the new group reform.

We hit Nemo and Crush, DD had never seen Crush and it is a great one timer for adults. Cute.


We did both Soarin and Test Track single rider and the Land and we were done with our FP+ and the park and we headed out to the MK that had extra magical hours. We did so much at the MK that night one would have thought we had been there all day.

We decided to monorail over to the TTC and Ferry over to the Magic Kingdom. My DD (22) had absolutely no recollection of ever riding the ferry. She had when she was young but we either were on monorail resorts or one of the moderates as she aged and we tended to ride buses from the resorts. So the Ferry was a MUST Do. She loved it and the view of the Magic Kingdom along with castle coming to sight.

This is the most crowded we really experienced at the MK, the tail end of Spring Breakers the first few days of our trip. Timed that well we did.

Around midnight we decided that after being up for 22 hours or so that maybe we should head back to our resort and room.

A view of our building from the lovely Frog Pond that is actually very deep. I saw a kid push another kid standing on the ledge of it and he went into the pond back flop. I cringed but the water was a couple of feet deep so he was soggy but fine. Bet the other boy wasn't when his parents saw soggy kid. Surprised they had a pond that deep and it could have actually been filled to what looked like 3 feet.

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Yayayay another fellow Illinoisan TR! Love flying out of Midway on those early flights!
So cute how you and your daughter had a mother/daughter trip! I love doing that with my mom too!
Can't wait to read more!

 

[mickeysshoes]

I think every time now (about 3 times) we have made reservations using DD CM discount we have had issues trying to check in. They always worked out in the end but it was never a smooth process. Our next trip we used DD friends and family CM discount instead of the other one (forget what it is call, the one we used on past trips) so we will see if this will be any different. So far the main (and HUGE for us) difference with F&F we can get the deluxe dinging plan where as before we could only do the quick or regular.

 

[Gabe1]

I think every time now (about 3 times) we have made reservations using DD CM discount we have had issues trying to check in. They always worked out in the end but it was never a smooth process. Our next trip we used DD friends and family CM discount instead of the other one (forget what it is call, the one we used on past trips) so we will see if this will be any different. So far the main (and HUGE for us) difference with F&F we can get the deluxe dinging plan where as before we could only do the quick or regular.

This was the first time we did the friends and family. Other times we used the other one too.

 

[Gabe1]

First off, love the Mickey pedicure! And I keep asking myself why I didn't think to take pictures at the airport heading out?

Can't wait for the rest!

Thanks. My thumb and DD toes. In the photo of the thumb I noticed I hadn't cleaned up the white base off my skin yet. Ooops. Don't know why I didn't take a picture of my Mickey (shorts) toes.

 

[Gabe1]

Yayayay another fellow Illinoisan TR! Love flying out of Midway on those early flights!
So cute how you and your daughter had a mother/daughter trip! I love doing that with my mom too!
Can't wait to read more!

Woot Illinois! I love Midway too but it is so freak'n far for us however we have far more luck with ontime flights and much better airfares, especially last minute. At 2am I wonder why I didn't book at the two closer airports.

My DD and I have always been buds. She was so easy to raise, had a lot of drive and good common sense, way beyond hers years always. We've traveled alot of places together and always have so much fun.

 

[Gabe1]

Another Illinois reader here! Except I fly out of PIA. Love this so far!

Thanks. Now PIA would be lots farther for us than even Midway, though we have in the last few years discovered Champaign Airport, that place has really developed over the years unlike Charleston/Matoon. I haven't been to Peoria since my sister went on a college visit to Bradley and before that when I looked at Western IL.

 

[Gabe1]

On this trip we did quite a few things that might go away and that we don't do on every trip especially short trips. So many projects are imagined but most don't actually get built but we always keep it in the back of our minds that some of these attractions are under utilized and have the possibility of going, others we know will likely be gone within the next 5-10 years or sooner. A couple of trips ago I went on Test Track 1.0 on its last evening. That trip I also road Snow White a few last times.

We visited Tom Sawyer's Island, road the raft. My DD went into the tunnels that are taking on water these days.
We also road the Liberty. These two attractions fit hit and hand if one goes likely the other one will. Since it is a concrete lake someday it could go as it sits on a prime acres.

It really is a charming boat. We had a young family that had brought there own full lunches into the parks. They sat on the deck of the boat upstairs next to us and proceeded to eat their entire lunch on the half hour tour around the lake. It wasn't crowded and didn't get in anyone's way. Seemed like they had done this before and I was like Wow, what a good idea. Shade a little entertainment, a place to sit and they repacked all their stuff back into their little insulated bag and off they were fully nourished when we docked and a rest break to-boot.

On our raft our driver there was a young lady in an evil mood. Way back an older man enjoying his time with the guests. Different perspectives of doing your job.

You can use a map around this island.

My DD climbed up top and played around in the areas of the fort. She was remembering back in the day that she and her brother use to spend a good hour in the fort just having kid fun.

Aunt Polly's is still closed with soda machines in front of the counter. Just not the same.

That is my DD and me standing next to the smoke stack.

Love the bridges they imagineered. Know with ADA requirements these will not likely happen again.

I can see why they are talking about the tunnels and closing them from time to time due to water issues.

 

[Gabe1]

This tree is another attraction we don't always climb. It amazes me though that they build this 40+ years ago and it has survived many bad storms and hurricanes. Good workmanship. It kinda made me sad that the nets are still in Animal Kingdom under their park icon. You can no longer really see most of the carvings while walking the queue.

I keep waiting for the day that the Country Bears disappear too. Few guests in the show, many walked out midway through. I could see the bean counters only opening this attraction during high attendance days. Me, I really miss the Christmas Overlay. Good memories, good times.

I love these guys, humor of day gone bye. We had some good laughs once again.

Plenty of guests seemed to like these three as much as I did.

 

[Gabe1]

The steam engines of the Walt Disney World Railroad have always been a favorite attraction of ours. It started when my son was tiny. He loved trains no matter where we would find them. It started to be a tradition in my kids young life trips to start our adventures in the Magic Kingdom not with a visit to the castle but a trip around the park. It helped also to refresh their memories of the park layout and what was in the Magic Kingdom. As years went on we have used the train every trip more as saving steps. We use it to move from land to land or out of the park during the afternoon parade.

Fill her up!
We knew how, way back when how NOT to dependent on oil!

I took more pictures of the train this trip as we all heard the rumors that the steam engines might be replaced. I'm hoping that does not ever happen however just in case we were documenting their existence and rode the train many times during our trip. I miss the old sepal though. It woke my toddler DD up once when the final segment of the sepal was And No Sleeping On The Train. Some cuts in dialog I just don't understand.

 

[Gabe1]

My DD and I also started noting these old relics. Fewer and fewer turnstiles around the parks. Have a feeling that someday in the future, when I have grandchildren someone is going to have to explain what a turnstile was.

 

[Gabe1]

Another chunk of land that keeps getting smaller and smaller is the Speedway. The vehicle cars are hardly a look at Tomorrow, wish the cars would be upgraded . The smell of that load/unload area is tummy turnings. Bet none of them would pass an emissions test in Illinois.

But these cars of the Speedway hold good memories for our family. From riding on Daddy's lap and helping steer the cars to the rite of passage, driving a car with Daddy next to you, then the ultimate-driving your very own car solo, with Daddy behind you so nobody dares crash into your bumper. Good Times.

The straight away, opening her up! lol

We took a couple of laps around the 'ole track, once again learning how not to hit the metal bar. My DD took off in the group before me the first round, I quickly caught up since she only got a few feet and the car stalled. The CM got a little snarky with her she says, like a stalled out engine could be the fault of a guest. Oy. But good times were had both times. Me, mostly reliving the fond memories in my head.

Wonder how long it will take before this break in theming is covered by landscaping. It has been just over 2 years since the soft opening of Circus.

And the traditional rat race, traffic congestion and obligatory fender-bender.

 

[Gabe1]

We had fun back in the day at Club Cool. It was Cooler back in the day, it really has dropped a few notches.
I remember the cooling enterance you had to climb through with iced walls and floors that cooled you off before entering the taste testing.

Beverly should have been on the far left.

Once again the Beverly slot was empty. The floor was sticky and wet. The machines were sticky and drippy. We did have some fun tasting the beverages of the world though. We too think the days could be numbered here, as they are not even trying to keep the place clean and the park was only a 4 crowd indicator that day.

 

[Gabe1]

Now this is something I really wonder will be one of the final follies of Iger's rein? The rapid refill mugs and chip the paper cup. This one is in the FQ but pretty much what we saw at other resorts. We had a QS meal plan (I'll get to that) and we ate at many resorts and they were all set up pretty much the same.

But what bothered me was there was a young couple, both in their own wheelchairs. They could not access the pop machines. They were reliant on other guests to fill their beverages for them. Did Disney not think this one through?

I'm just waiting for an ADA suit to be filed. They upgraded and didn't address the accessibility.

One evening we doubled back to grab some drinks after returning from the parks and a little girl about 10 was filling her mug as I was filling mine. She let out this big honk'n sneeze, mucus flying all over the pop machine. Me, run. Wash mug forever since there isn't soap???? And move to the other side to refill the refill mug. Ewe Ewe Ewe.

We got our money's worth out of the refill mugs that were actually part of our dining plan. We had coffee and tea in the morning to get dressed by, again with breakfast when we ate at the resort (which wasn't often) and coffee and tea'd it to go. I had brought paper travel cups with hot tops with us. So we filled our plastic mugs and transferred the hot beverage to our paper ones for the bus ride in the morning. By then I usually had 3 cups of Joe and didn't need to purchase any in the parks.

Note: in the QS restaurants and resort QS, they have removed the tea bags to little baskets by the cashiers. They are also no longer (at least at Port Orleans) putting tea as an offering in the room only coffee. We fixed that by taking a couple each morning for the next morning for their in room machine.

Note: I miss the offering of milk or half and half for coffee. Rooms had powdered creamer and QS only had fake creamer pods.

 

[Gabe1]

Several resorts and a few of the parks QS restaurants have received an upgrade to their menu signs. The screen keeps changing to show you everything that is offered for that particular meal in the restaurant. In one way it works nicely because places like the resorts and parks offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. Appropriate menu appears.

Downside they change very quickly and you have to wait until that particular screen comes back. Also in places like POR, Cosmic Rays it becomes confusing. Restaurants that have many counters with different specific offerings per counter, Management opts to program the menus above the various counters to flash screens of offerings for all the counters. Saw too many times the CM vs Guest debate of That Counter, But it is on your sign type of exchange.