Trip Report "BOAT!" "Boat?" "BOAT!" A November Trip Report

Hello, my fellow Disney nuts. Welcome to another Bee trip report. If you're here for a pixie-goggled traipse through the Happiest Place on Earth...this ain't that. While there were a lot of things we really enjoyed on this trip, there were also plenty of annoying and disappointing things, and I want to get that out there so that if you only read trip reports where everyone is smiling all the time and nothing goes wrong, you can take the chicken exit right now and there will be no hard feelings. But if you're here for the whole package ranging from DRAMMA to delight to disappointment...stick around!

Who:
Me, M, and my brother Jay
Where: WDW Dolphin
When: November 22-27 in Disney, November 27-30 visiting M's family in north Florida

A little background: This trip was supposed to be November 23-29, with four nights at Disney and two nights with M's parents. But Southwest has ceased all operations to Newark Airport, and we had already booked all our holiday travel to/from Newark, so we had to change ALL of our flights to different airports. This was suuuuuuper annoying, but we made the best of it by extending our vacation an extra day on each end.

We also originally (after we changed our flights) planned to spend the first night at a Disney value resort since we would be arriving so late and to take advantage of DME, but I had a lot of Marriott points so we ended up saving $400+ to just stay all five nights at the Dolphin using points for some of the nights.
 
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Plowboy

Well-Known Member
Following along.

You had me at "Southwest ceased flights out of Newark". In late September we flew Southwest into Newark (from No. California) to spend a couple of days in New York for my wife's birthday then on to WDW. We did the very same trip to Ronkonkoma via LIRR. Southwest had both nonstop flights and the most reasonable fares out of ISP (I was surprised that Southwest didn't have nonstop service out of either EWR or LGA).

P.S. Forgot to mention how much nicer Islip's airport is compared to Newark. I felt like I needed a shower and a tetanus shot after we left EWR.
 
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bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I love drama as much as I love a good traipse.

Such a bummer on the Southwest changes.
Total bummer! They were my favorite domestic airline and I almost never flew with anyone else. But alas...

So excited to read your TR! I love that @Darstarr drove you to the airport. What an awesome start to your trip.
It WAS an awesome start! A @Darstarr ride totally beats riding with a stranger!

I’m in ... just in time to leave to get ready for work 🤣
Hopefully when you return home you will have more to read!

Southwest is notorious here in Atlanta with switching baggage carousels with no announcement....one of the many reasons I’ve grown weary with them.

45 minutes is TOO LONG to wait for a suitcase.....
YIKES! At least we didn't wait 45 minutes!!

I’m here!!:)
Welcome!

Hi bee, it's me! :happy:
Welcome!

I'm in! Can't wait to hear all about it!
Welcome!

Following along. :)
Welcome!

This looks like another good place to lurk.
Lurk away!

Following along.

You had me at "Southwest ceased flights out of Newark". In late, September we flew Southwest into Newark (from No. California) to spend a couple of days in New York for my wife's birthday then on to WDW. We did the very same trip to Ronkonkoma via LIRR. Southwest had both nonstop flights and the most reasonable fares out of ISP (I was surprised that Southwest didn't have nonstop service out of either EWR or LGA).
You would think they would have more nonstops from LGA and EWR. They used to have at least one nonstop from EWR to MCO every day and multiple flights on weekends. Then it became JUST weekends, and now... :cry:

Yey! I don't even know what number I am, but I'm here too! 😀
Welcome! Number is just a number!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 1, cont.

Jay dropped M and me off at the Dolphin and we said good night.

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We entered the main lobby area to see a VERY crowded check in area. It was 10:00pm, and there were at least 10-15 people waiting in the regular line. Luckily for me, there were lines for both Marriott Elite members and mobile check-in, and both applied to me. The mobile line was shorter so I waited while M watched the luggage. I could see a woman at the front of the Elite line glaring at me as I was called up before she was and imagined her saying "something something lazy millennial never stops using her phone and gets to check in before me even though I'm Elite something." I hoped she would say something, so I could whip out my Gold Elite status. But alas, my imaginary confrontation never happened. :hilarious:

Tori checked me in and she was great! She saw my NJ ID and said she's from Jersey also! She told me the town but I didn't know where it was, so it must be in central or south Jersey. I'm much more familiar with north Jersey and haven't lived here my whole life, but I didn't want to disappoint Tori so I smiled and nodded as if I did know her town! 😄 She thanked me for being a Gold Elite member and confirmed the reservation details, AND let me know that I had been upgraded to a resort view room! This is a perk of being Gold Elite but of course it's not guaranteed, and this was my first stay with Gold status, so I was thrilled to hear I'd been upgraded! I took the keys and M and I headed to the east elevators to find our room.

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@Tuvalu @MinnieM123 etc.

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What's that? A VIEW???

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Blurry nighttime photo of the view...but tomorrow there will be clear daytime photos!

It was late and it had been a very long day, so we quickly showered and got ready for bed.

Up next: Day 2! Last day of Food and Wine! Weird Florida things! The reason for the title of this TR!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2: Saturday, November 23

We awoke and finally saw our beautiful view in the daytime.

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While M made coffee in the room, I went downstairs to Fuel to pick up some breakfast sandwiches.

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Elevator light

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Elevator ad? That's weird.

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Back to the room!

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Inside the "Popeye" sandwich: egg whites, spinach, and feta. It was okay but I wouldn't necessarily rush back to get another one.

Sadly, the in-room coffee only had powdered creamer and not the cute little liquid bags like at the Swan. Spoiler alert: there will be a lot of comparing the Swan and Dolphin this trip, and the Swan wins on just about everything.

After we ate and got dressed we went downstairs to begin the walk to Epcot.

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Construction

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That's better!

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Up next: International Gateway woes
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, cont.

As we approached the International Gateway, we could see that it was VERY. CROWDED. All of the security lines were backed up and it took us a very long time to get through security. The good news was that the AP entrance line at the IG moved quickly throughout the trip, unlike some previous visits.

Once inside the park the area leading to the France bridge was also extremely crowded. The word "riffraff" may have been thrown around a la @wdisney9000. I don't mean to be a snob; I stay at the Swolphin and not the "TRUE" Disney Deluxes so maybe I'm riffraff too. But ever since the Skyliner opened the International Gateway has lost much of its appeal for us. It used to be a fun little secret, and now it's absurdly crowded and there are never enough security CMs working the bag check lines. We also noticed that the area just inside the IG entrance was ALWAYS crowded. It really took away from the whole experience for us, and this was just one of many little disappointments we experienced on the trip.

My brother was on his way, but he forgot sunscreen so he had to take a detour to buy some and he was late meeting us. That calls for a drink! It's 5:00 somewhere!

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Citron slushie from France

We found a table by the water and enjoyed watching the boat make its way back and forth across the lagoon.

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M noticed a faint rainbow around the base of the cup. 🌈

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And a BEE decided to join us! 🐝

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While we were waiting for Jay, we overhead a very "special" conversation at the table next to us. There were four young adult woman, I assume just barely 21 because they all had cocktails, and they were all from Florida. They were talking about getting married and having kids, and one said that the ideal age to have children is 16-20. SIXTEEN. And the others agreed with her! Now I'm not here to judge anybody for getting married young or having children when they see fit and I understand there are pros and cons to any age for childbirth and parenting...but SIXTEEN??? M has a coworker who is fascinated by all the weird Florida things we tell her about and she always tells M to send her pictures and stories. That definitely made it into a text!

Finally my brother made it into the park. I spotted him before he spotted me and we started a weird game of taking photos of the other while they weren't looking, with bonus points if the one being photographed was taking a photo of something else or on their phone in general. :hilarious:

Up next: Food and Wine time!
 

RememberWhen

Well-Known Member
Late, but here. I’m sad to hear about IG problems. My mom is DVC with home base at Boardwalk and it was always a lovely perk being able to just waltz on in. We’ll see for ourselves in July.
Also, 16?! Seems a tad young to me, though maybe you have more energy when you’re young? I’m 36 with two kids and fairly exhausted...
Can’t wait to hear more!
 
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bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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I kinda stole from @Rista1313 but the sentiment is sincere. :inlove: I'm game for all of the above craziness and more.
Welcome!

At first I thought your popeye sandwich was some sort of weird looking knish!
Ha! It was more of a wrap than a sandwich.

Loved that a bee joined you for drinks!
Me tooo!

Late, but here. I’m sad to hear about IG problems. My mom is DVC with home base at Boardwalk and it was always a lovely perk being able to just waltz on in. We’ll see for ourselves in July.
Also, 16?! Seems a tad young to me, though maybe you have more energy when you’re young? I’m 36 with two kids and fairly exhausted...
Can’t wait to hear more!
I can only hope that Disney figures out how to make security and park entry smoother at the IG...but I can't say I have high hopes.
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, cont.

Now that we were all in the park it was time to try the last few Food and Wine items we'd missed. Jay hadn't had a waffle from Belgium yet so we stopped there first before finding a table in Morocco. We also got some drinks, of course.

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Chilled Coffee featuring Godiva Chocolate Liqueur – $11.00

M and I shared a drink and my brother got his own. I also forgot to get a pic of my brother's waffle, but clearly he enjoyed it (and the drink!):

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Golden Malted® Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream (V) (KA) – $4.25

Next stop: Africa!

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Spicy Kenyan Vegan Githeri with White Beans, Pigeon Peas, Curry Rice Pilaf and Kachumbari Slaw (V) – $4.50

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PLUS: Wine flight – $6.50
Cederberg Chenin Blanc, South Africa
Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz, Western Cape
Groot Constantia Pinotage, Constantia

The food was really quite good! It was very flavorful and had a bit of spice to it, more than I would usually expect from Disney. It also had really nice texture since it had the crunch of the fresh vegetables contrasting with the softer rice and beans. If the festival hadn't ended after this day I would have gone back for more. As far as the wines, I enjoyed the Pinotage and both M and Jay preferred the Chenin Blanc. None of us were crazy about the Shiraz.

On our way to India we witnessed a tragedy:

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😿

At India we agreed to share both two curries and one naan. I said I would buy the two curries and Jay could buy the one naan and we got on line. I went first and came back with:

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Madras Red Curry with Roasted Cauliflower, Baby Carrots, Chickpeas and Uncle Ben’s® Basmati Rice (V) (GF) – $5.00 (times two)

Jay came back with...a beer.

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Godfather Lager – $4.50

"What happened to the naan?"
"I thought you were getting the naan."
"No, I was getting the curries. YOU were supposed to get the naan."
:facepalm: :hilarious:

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Warm Indian Bread with Pickled Garlic, Mango Salsa and Coriander Pesto Dips (V) (KA) – $4.75

So eventually we got everything we were supposed to get. The "curry" was pretty bland. Would it really be sooooo hard for them to make an actual chana masala or similar instead of this sad pile of chickpeas? I don't claim to be an expert on Indian food but I do enjoy it and have eaten at plenty of Indian restaurants and this looks like nothing I have ever been served. Not that Disney has ever been known for authenticity when it comes to international cuisines. :rolleyes:

Up next: In transit to the next park
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, cont.

We were done with Food and Wine and decided we all wanted frozen margaritas. But then we saw the line:

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So we continued on to check out what was in the Odyssey/whatever they're calling it these days.

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Water!

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Cider flight. I don't remember what the brands were but one was orange, one was strawberry, and one was cinnamon.

We all shared this. M and Jay both liked the orange cider but to me it tasted like orange-flavored kids' medicine. :hungover: I liked the strawberry and cinnamon, however.

We continued toward the front of the park.

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We made a quick stop in Mouse Gear.

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It's the Gay Agenda! Disney every day!

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Get it? Blonde and blonde?

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Good ol' tick-infested Spanish moss

We found the bus line for Animal Kingdom:

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Luckily we didn't have to wait long, but we were among the last people on the bus and there was only one seat left. They let me sit in it and soon enough we were arriving here:

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M and I both got stuck in the security lines with THE. SLOWEST. MOST. THOROUGH. CMS. EVER. Not to mention the person in front of me didn't understand that the two lines alternated and kept letting people from the other side go ahead of him. :banghead:

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As we waited to scan our MagicBands we noticed these birds circling in the sky. Uhhh...

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Up next: Finally in the park
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, cont.

We FIIIIIINALLY entered the park and checked out some of the animals near the front.

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As we arrived at the Tree of Life we had a decision to make. I'd made us some (not too exciting) FPs, but the main reason we were here was to go to Nomad Lounge. My brother's birthday was a week prior and we were going to treat him to drinks at Nomad, which is his favorite Disney lounge. In the end none of us really cared enough to ride our FP rides so I cancelled them and we went right to Nomad.

It was pretty busy inside and we could have sat outside but it was still just a liiiiiiittle too hot for that. We ended up on the end of the long table in the middle near the bar.

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Our server was Jonathan and he was great. He took our drink orders and soon we were enjoying these:

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Tempting Tigress for me, Hightower Rocks for M, Dalang's Delight for Jay

Jonathan warned Jay that some people don't like the Daland's Delight, but he decided to try it anyway and liked it. In fact we all enjoyed these. I always like the Tempting Tigress for its balance of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.

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We were also hungry and I noticed the Impossible sliders on the menu. I asked Jay how many there were since he'd had them before, and he said there were three. Perfect!

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Oh, wait.

Jay SWORE up and down that there had been three last time. He even looked through his photos from the last time he went to Nomad...and found that there were only two then as well. :banghead: :hilarious: That's okay, we didn't mind sharing. The sliders were great and the yucca fries were a big hit!

We ordered more drinks. I stayed with the Tigress but this time M had the Mustang Coffee and Jay had the Leaping Lizard.

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We also shared some regular fries:

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Once again Nomad Lounge was a winner! The drinks, food, and service were all great. If we had one small complaint it's that we would have preferred to sit on one of the couches instead of at the giant table, but they can't help being busy when they're that good.

While we were eating and drinking I found us a FP for the Safari. After a quick stop in the bathroom we headed that way.

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Up next: It's Florida! But with blacklights!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, cont.

We took the bridge into Pandora on our way to Africa.

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A rare Pandoran rodent

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M and I always get snarky about Pandora because to us it just looks like Florida with a few fake plants and blacklights at night. I know lots of people looooooove Pandora but it's just never lived up to the hype for me. 🤷‍♀️

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Finally we arrived in Africa!

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The timing was perfect as our FP window had just begun. We fought the crowds to get back to the Safari entrance.

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Soon our truck pulled up and Christina introduced herself as our driver.

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Up next: A LOT of animals!
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
Day 2, cont.

As we approached the International Gateway, we could see that it was VERY. CROWDED. All of the security lines were backed up and it took us a very long time to get through security. The good news was that the AP entrance line at the IG moved quickly throughout the trip, unlike some previous visits.

Once inside the park the area leading to the France bridge was also extremely crowded. The word "riffraff" may have been thrown around a la @wdisney9000. I don't mean to be a snob; I stay at the Swolphin and not the "TRUE" Disney Deluxes so maybe I'm riffraff too. But ever since the Skyliner opened the International Gateway has lost much of its appeal for us. It used to be a fun little secret, and now it's absurdly crowded and there are never enough security CMs working the bag check lines. We also noticed that the area just inside the IG entrance was ALWAYS crowded. It really took away from the whole experience for us, and this was just one of many little disappointments we experienced on the trip.

My brother was on his way, but he forgot sunscreen so he had to take a detour to buy some and he was late meeting us. That calls for a drink! It's 5:00 somewhere!

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Citron slushie from France

We found a table by the water and enjoyed watching the boat make its way back and forth across the lagoon.

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M noticed a faint rainbow around the base of the cup. 🌈

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And a BEE decided to join us! 🐝

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While we were waiting for Jay, we overhead a very "special" conversation at the table next to us. There were four young adult woman, I assume just barely 21 because they all had cocktails, and they were all from Florida. They were talking about getting married and having kids, and one said that the ideal age to have children is 16-20. SIXTEEN. And the others agreed with her! Now I'm not here to judge anybody for getting married young or having children when they see fit and I understand there are pros and cons to any age for childbirth and parenting...but SIXTEEN??? M has a coworker who is fascinated by all the weird Florida things we tell her about and she always tells M to send her pictures and stories. That definitely made it into a text!

I totally hate the Boardwalk and IG area is getting crowded. It was perfection, because it was an empty spot to hang out. :(

On kids that young- Most people, think I was so young. 21 when I had my oldest. B and had been together really young, 16 and 18, married at 19 & 21. I became a grandmother at 43. Here I am staring 47 in the face... 😑 In one way, I was not prepared to be here but on the other, I will only be 61 when my grandson graduates high school. I do kinda like that part of it. ;) 16, though- I was nowhere near ready, I think I still had a bedroom with all my Barbies on the shelves. lol
 

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