Trip Report But who's keeping track?

I will make my 43rd (ish) trip to Walt Disney World (still not totally sure how many Florida trips in my youth actually involved WDW)

I will write my 26th Trip Report (re-reading those old ones, what was I thinking?)

We will drive 940 miles, only stopping for quick food and bathrooms (if making good time, maybe a short sleep break)

We will stay in our 21st different WDW resort (depending on how you count DVC vs hotel for some)

We will experience 1 brand new attraction (hopefully more than once)

We will experience 1 favorite attraction that has recently be changed (and are a bit scared by it)

I will experience at least one brand new table service restaurant (and a surprising one, at that)

Our daughter will experience her first true backstage WDW tour (@MeffysMom and I did this one before)

We MAY have our first Genie+ experience (and maybe our last as well??)

But there's really no reason to keep track of all these things. Just join me for a brief pre-trip and then live reporting from WDW.

Couple additional pre-thoughts (that didn't have good Disney pictures to go along)... We will spend far too much money (although we've got quite a bit stored up on Disney Rewards). We will partake in too much food and drink (always claim that I won't, but good luck with that). We will have a heckuva good time despite some obstacles (I think I'm willing to guarantee that, we always do). See you soon!

 

[pkkurz]

Where am I?View attachment 646554

Mission Space or Space 220

 

[brifraz]

Yup. Waiting for bar seating at Space 220.

Got here about 10:40am. There were about 15 people in front of me but most got reservations. I was about 5th in line for bar seating but people bailed out so now I’m first. The girls are hoping to do Frozen before they need to be here at 11:30. Not sure if they will get through that line, but I think they are happy to just be in AC

 

[Disstevefan1]

YaY, looking forward to reading about your trip!

 

[Disstevefan1]

I know what the usual followers of my Trip Report are thinking right now... it's right about 6am, where's the post? For those who aren't usually along - I'm an early morning person. And today, it's extra early time!

As you saw in my last post, it was a fun filled Tuesday and overnight of I95 goodness. Actually, I'm not sure that putting the word 'goodness' that close to I95 is legal on the East Coast. But, actually the drive was quite successful. We got out of our house in northern Maryland right about 2pm and pulled into the parking lot of Coronado Springs at 4:30am.

Most important to some of you out there is the fact that we made two real pit stops for gas along the way and they were both at the Super Wal Mart of gas stations:
View attachment 645725
(Florence, SC and Daytona, FL if you have some strange fascination with Buc-ee's... which I know some people do).

Of course, pulling in to a Disney Resort at 4:30am means that it is pretty empty everywhere, so you can get some nice pictures of things!
View attachment 645727

View attachment 645726

As always, I need to make sure to give credit where credit is due and most of the photo credits in my Trip Report go to @MeffysMom since she has the nice camera on her phone and takes the most pictures! I had intended to bring my nice SLR down this trip, but totally forgot about it... so iPhone pictures it is!

While it certainly doesn't scream 'DISNEY,' the lobby of the tower is very beautiful and certainly quiet during the early morning hours.
View attachment 645723

As the only people at the front desk, we had the full attention of the entire crew of cast members.
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And, as always, their work was exemplary. Yes, that's right... we were in our room at 5am. For real! No kidding! Seventh floor with a view that encompasses Studios, Epcot, and maybe a bit of Magic Kingdom way off to the side. I'll get some pictures when there is daylight and share (and maybe some firework pictures tonight!). The room is quite nice and it did not take long for both my wife and daughter to get themselves to some bonus sleep. As a morning person, I find it tough to get to sleep at this time of day (even though I only got about 4 hours overnight) so here I am posting for you.

In another hour we will head up to the Chronos Club and grab some breakfast goodness while we try to Guardians virtual queue and then head to Epcot for a morning of touring. See you soon!

YaY, Bucees!

 

[RememberWhen]

Yup. Waiting for bar seating at Space 220.

Got here about 10:40am. There were about 15 people in front of me but most got reservations. I was about 5th in line for bar seating but people bailed out so now I’m first. The girls are hoping to do Frozen before they need to be here at 11:30. Not sure if they will get through that line, but I think they are happy to just be in AC

Awesome! Can’t wIt to hear what you think. I’ve got a reservation for August.

 

[brifraz]

Enjoying the view!

 

[brifraz]

I’ve got about an hour to kill right here:

So here’s some recap of this morning. As you already know we enjoyed a lunch with drinks at Space 220 (food and additional drink pictures later). Staff there told us to get the last car for our Guardians ride. So after lunch we did just that. And it was very cool. And this time we got September for music which was our daughters top choice.

After Gusrdians, we were still in lazy mode so we headed over to the DVC lounge in Imagination after a quick meeting with Joy (again, pics later). Just hung out there for a bit and then headed to our new room at Saratoga Springs for a nap. And really just for AC!!

Back awake and alert, we caught the 4:30 boat to Disney Springs for our Raglan Road dinner. Alway delicious and, you guessed it, pictures later. And after a bus and a monorail ride, I find myself here.

The girls are visiting with Ariel while I hold down our turf for Enchantment.

 

[brifraz]

Same view an hour later.

Luckily at 6 feet tall my view is a bit better.

 

[brifraz]

Good morning, WDWMagic! I'm trying to channel my inner Robin Williams this morning, so make sure to imaging that sounded like Good Morning, Vietnam. Yup, it's THAT day. We are going to try Genie Plus. But, it's already after 7am, you say... why haven't you already booked something, you say... We've got Keys to the Kingdom from 9:30am-2:30pm, so we don't want to have a Lightning Lane until 2pm, and Jungle Cruise is part of the tour, so we are waiting to get Pan and then the stacking will begin. Basically from 9am until 1pm, it'll just be stacking three rides for later in the day/evening. Then we will start to strategize a little more with booking something for immediate use/stacking. Crossing fingers that it goes well!

I'm going to have a bunch of night pictures from last night, including some from the Dessert Party and some from a late night ride on the PeopleMover, but right now it's about time for us to head to Magic Kingdom with the hope that we can get onto Seven Dwarves before we need to report to our tour.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

I’m catching up on your latest TR! I’m so glad you were able to find time to get down to WDW as a family—-and find rooms!! The Club Level seems amazing!
Looks like a great trip so far and I’m glad you liked Brown Derby. Your SPACE 220 drinks look DELICIOUS!!

 

[lindawdw]

It sounds like even with a late start to your road trip, your ride was smooth sailing!

We drove down to WDW from NJ twice and stopped in NC for an overnight each time but did do a straight drive through home which we said we'd never be able to do again! I enjoyed seeing all your pictures from the Club Level at Gran Destino! You've certainly accomplished a lot on this trip so far. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on HBD for dinner.

 

[brifraz]

Oh my gosh, I have so much catching up to do! It's Saturday night... we bought a bottle of wine and are relaxing in the room after a very long day of Kingdom Keys and Plussed Genies. But, I'm going back to a couple nights ago first. And our Moonlight Magic.

We started with our dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby. It was my first time there and I definitely enjoyed the food. Not sure it is quite worth the price, though. If you get into one of the smaller rooms, maybe... but the big room was just a big room with lots of marginally recognizable charicatures. The drinks were certainly good!!

We shared a couple main courses between the three of us - the shrimp and scallop newburg and the short rib. Both very good, but again... not really what I personally would consider signature. I know the cobb salad is what everyone writes home about so maybe we will visit again and go with that.

Next up, though, was the BEST ATTRACTION IN WALT DISNEY WORLD, MuppetVision 3D. And there was a big problem. It certainly wasn't the fact that we intentionally delayed walking in so that we would get the whole pre-show - that was awesome (up chuck, the three Ds, what kind of foolishness would you like?). But this:

Actually, the fact that the steam effects for Waldo were working well and all the fireworks on the ceiling happened were both big positives. But, what's up with the curtains not working? Messing up the very first gag in the show!!

Next up was snack time at ABC Commissary - which we had to hit before 9pm as it was closing. Just got some sweets to enjoy - the pride cupcake and strawberry lemonade.

I already mentioned earlier what we 'accomplished' the rest of the night and I don't really have any additional pictures to share from that evening. Sorry! We definitely could have done one or two more attractions during the evening, but to have completed 6 attractions in about 4 hours with a fairly long snack break and also some other down time - it was a good evening.

 

[brifraz]

Now, let's get back to yesterday... where we slept in a bit and then headed right to Epcot.

We decided on entry that I was going to try to get us some seats at Space 220 and the girls were going to hit Frozen. While I was successful, they were not quite - the Lightning Laners just kept making that standby last too long. They bailed out and joined me to get into Space right at opening at 11:30am. I already share the view and the first round of drinks, but I've also got some food pictures and the second round of drinks to share!

But first we have to get there. Quite a ways up.

Here's the food. Pretty much all shared. The calamari, the chicken and waffle, and the coffee rubbed flat iron steak. All very good - in fact, all excellent.

And, we got a second round of drinks. The Irish breakfast that I got was particularly interesting and enjoyable.

After our lunch, it was time for our second Guardian adventure. Definitely a really excellent ride. And getting the last two rows was awesome in the first portion of the ride.

After our ride, we didn't have a room yet at Saratoga and definitely were in need of some R&R. So, over to the DVC Lounge we went. But first a quick minute with a very positive friend!

And then up to the lounge.

Time to get some sleep, so I'll catch you later with the evening at Magic Kingdom with the after fireworks dessert party and then today's adventures with Keys and Genies. Please note... we definitely got what I would consider our money's worth with Genie Plus and only really used it for about 5 hours. But those details will come later - most likely a couple days from now as tomorrow will involved the start of 14 hours in the car.

 

[Swissmiss]

Have a safe drive home!

 

[RememberWhen]

Sounds like an awesome trip! You got so much in!

 

[brifraz]

Last morning and heading to Frozen, then Remy, and got group 42 for Guardians.

 

[brifraz]

Well, it has been almost exactly 24 hours since my last post, from Epcot rope drop... and, sadly, I'm sitting on my couch at home with my morning glass of water wondering why I woke up before 7am when we only got home and into bed at 3:30am. Painful as it might be, I am who I am and that means early mornings no matter what has happened the night before.

But, let's get back to the fun of the past couple days! (like anybody wants to hear about me unpacking the car and starting some laundry and cleaning up some cat gifts). I believe that we were halfway through Friday's adventures. We had just left Epcot after some relaxation time and were heading to Saratoga Springs to get checked in. Arrived at the resort right about 3:30pm and still had no room showing up in MDE. As fate would have it, though, right as I walked into reception, the room showed up in the app so I quickly made a u-turn so as to avoid a fairly long line that appeared to perhaps have just arrived from a NON-Magical Express bus.

After a quick nap and cleaning up, we hopped on a boat to Disney Springs (always a favorite attraction) for our dinner at Raglan Road. We got one of the very best tables in the house and enjoyed music by a new group, just in the US for the summer. They did a nice job although their crowd banter sounded a bit awkward still.

And that table is, of course prime for the soloist dancers.

Tragically, I didn't get any pictures of our food - but you can simply go into any of my prior trip reports and find those same dishes. Fish and chips, Shepherd's Pie, and Chicken Pie. @MeffysMom did manage to get a picture of our delicious appetizer, though!

Full of good food, we caught a bus to the Contemporary and then grabbed a monorail over to Magic Kingdom. Yes, the walk is very short but it has just been too obnoxiously hot to do any extra walking! Once in the MK it was close a bit after 7:30pm which meant we could get checked in for the after fireworks dessert party and grab our seats in the little firework party section. While you do still need to get there at least an hour early to get a good spot (unless you choose to be jerks like some people who showed up at the last minute and then planted themselves directly in front of a family who really had no space in front of them) it is a lot more relaxing than waiting for a couple hours standing in the middle of Main Street or the Hub with everyone jostling you. I even got a few minutes to lie down and relax there while the girls ran off to visit with a few old friends.

Okay, maybe those aren't quite old friends - but as anyone with kids knows, you might see the most amazing things on the Safari or in an attraction, but the excitement over a family of ducks in the Magic Kingdom in unmatched! They also visited with this friend. And actually had to wait in about a 20 minute line - unheard of!

We tried something new for this time watching Enchanted. No pictures. Sorry for those who like some good firework pictures. I know that @MeffysMom gets some of the very best ones around, but this time we all just watched and enjoyed. At least you can see what the view looked like for us!

After the show, it was time for some dessert party goodness. I know that it is way too pricey for what you get, but we did get a few drinks each, lots of snacks and goodies, and the comfort of knowing that we had a place for the fireworks without having to fight through the masses. It's a heckuva convenience fee, but sometimes it is worth it. Here's some of our haul of goodies!

While that may not look like a whole lot, there were certainly a couple of return trips to the buffet and the bar as well. Toward the end of the event, they had a CM doing some decorating with the crumble from the crepes and @MeffysMom scored a great picture of their work!

After getting more than our fill, we decided to do one last attraction before park closing. Our daughter dashed off to Space Mountain (about a 20 minute wait) and we enjoyed the mighty, majestic TTA!

 

[brifraz]

And for your Monday morning moment of Zen... pictures from the TTA and around Magic Kingdom at park closing time this past Friday.

I know that the crowd reading along is anxiously awaiting the Keys to the Kingdom and Genie Plus post, but it's going to have to wait a bit as there's lots of unpacking to do... and then repacking to get someone off to Spain at the end of the week!

 

[macefamily]

Well, it has been almost exactly 24 hours since my last post, from Epcot rope drop... and, sadly, I'm sitting on my couch at home with my morning glass of water wondering why I woke up before 7am when we only got home and into bed at 3:30am. Painful as it might be, I am who I am and that means early mornings no matter what has happened the night before.

But, let's get back to the fun of the past couple days! (like anybody wants to hear about me unpacking the car and starting some laundry and cleaning up some cat gifts). I believe that we were halfway through Friday's adventures. We had just left Epcot after some relaxation time and were heading to Saratoga Springs to get checked in. Arrived at the resort right about 3:30pm and still had no room showing up in MDE. As fate would have it, though, right as I walked into reception, the room showed up in the app so I quickly made a u-turn so as to avoid a fairly long line that appeared to perhaps have just arrived from a NON-Magical Express bus.

After a quick nap and cleaning up, we hopped on a boat to Disney Springs (always a favorite attraction) for our dinner at Raglan Road. We got one of the very best tables in the house and enjoyed music by a new group, just in the US for the summer. They did a nice job although their crowd banter sounded a bit awkward still.
View attachment 647282

And that table is, of course prime for the soloist dancers.
View attachment 647284

Tragically, I didn't get any pictures of our food - but you can simply go into any of my prior trip reports and find those same dishes. Fish and chips, Shepherd's Pie, and Chicken Pie. @MeffysMom did manage to get a picture of our delicious appetizer, though!
View attachment 647283

Full of good food, we caught a bus to the Contemporary and then grabbed a monorail over to Magic Kingdom. Yes, the walk is very short but it has just been too obnoxiously hot to do any extra walking! Once in the MK it was close a bit after 7:30pm which meant we could get checked in for the after fireworks dessert party and grab our seats in the little firework party section. While you do still need to get there at least an hour early to get a good spot (unless you choose to be jerks like some people who showed up at the last minute and then planted themselves directly in front of a family who really had no space in front of them) it is a lot more relaxing than waiting for a couple hours standing in the middle of Main Street or the Hub with everyone jostling you. I even got a few minutes to lie down and relax there while the girls ran off to visit with a few old friends.
View attachment 647285

Okay, maybe those aren't quite old friends - but as anyone with kids knows, you might see the most amazing things on the Safari or in an attraction, but the excitement over a family of ducks in the Magic Kingdom in unmatched! They also visited with this friend. And actually had to wait in about a 20 minute line - unheard of!
View attachment 647286

We tried something new for this time watching Enchanted. No pictures. Sorry for those who like some good firework pictures. I know that @MeffysMom gets some of the very best ones around, but this time we all just watched and enjoyed. At least you can see what the view looked like for us!
View attachment 647288

After the show, it was time for some dessert party goodness. I know that it is way too pricey for what you get, but we did get a few drinks each, lots of snacks and goodies, and the comfort of knowing that we had a place for the fireworks without having to fight through the masses. It's a heckuva convenience fee, but sometimes it is worth it. Here's some of our haul of goodies!
View attachment 647289View attachment 647290View attachment 647291

While that may not look like a whole lot, there were certainly a couple of return trips to the buffet and the bar as well. Toward the end of the event, they had a CM doing some decorating with the crumble from the crepes and @MeffysMom scored a great picture of their work!
View attachment 647293

After getting more than our fill, we decided to do one last attraction before park closing. Our daughter dashed off to Space Mountain (about a 20 minute wait) and we enjoyed the mighty, majestic TTA!

We nabbed a Dessert Party reservation a few years ago and I was very frustrated. I'm not a big dessert person so I wasn't very impressed with the selections. Moreso, I was extremely disgusted with our "exclusive" seating for the fireworks. We were seated on the lawn in front of the castle where two CM's were tasked with the admission to the location. They were too busy talking to each other to police who was getting into the location. I witnessed at least three families hopping over the rope while the CMs were busy talking. So we paid $50 per person while these people just jumped over a rope for preferred seating. My wife had to convince me to not say anything. I tend to run a bit hot.

 

[brifraz]

We nabbed a Dessert Party reservation a few years ago and I was very frustrated. I'm not a big dessert person so I wasn't very impressed with the selections. Moreso, I was extremely disgusted with our "exclusive" seating for the fireworks. We were seated on the lawn in front of the castle where two CM's were tasked with the admission to the location. They were too busy talking to each other to police who was getting into the location. I witnessed at least three families hopping over the rope while the CMs were busy talking. So we paid $50 per person while these people just jumped over a rope for preferred seating. My wife had to convince me to not say anything. I tend to run a bit hot.

Wow! Sorry to hear that. We've always had very diligent CMs when we have done the dessert parties at Magic Kingdom (3 times now, I think) and also when we've done them in Epcot and Studios. I've definitely seen people try to get into the area and there is always a CM who jumps into action in our experience.

I also am not a big dessert person - I tend to have a plate of the crackers/bread and cheese and a couple plates of fruit and then maybe one or two desserts. Both my wife and daughter are big dessert people so it is far more worth it for them. I do tend to make up for shortfalls in my dining choices by getting a few drinks. We particularly like the 'after' fireworks party that they do now since you have a bit more time to relax and enjoy (and the CMs are good enough to walk around and let you know when last call is for the adult beverages).

Must've been quite a few years ago that you went to only have paid $50! Definitely before they had alcohol at them.