Trip Report Completed-A February Drinking Around the World, Resort-Hopping Disneymoon!

Pre-Trip Report here! You can read the Who/What/When/etc. there so I will jump right in, with the disclaimer that the only cameras we had were from our smartphones. Also, the trip report is completely written so I'll be posting regularly until it's all up! Here we go!

Day 1: Travel and Resort Hopping

At about 5:30am, we got in the Uber to Newark Liberty International Airport. Our driver was quite professional and courteous and we had an uneventful ride. Once we arrived we checked our bag (yay for Southwest's no baggage fees!) and proceeded through the security line. It seemed like it took longer than usual but we still had plenty of time to get breakfast and coffee. We shared a large mocha and two different breakfast items at Boar's Head: an egg and cheddar sandwich and a spinach, egg, and feta wrap. Both were quite delicious and I couldn't decide which I liked better because they were both so good!

Airport breakfast

We boarded right on time and took off a little early. This flight was only about half full so we got a row to ourselves. I had a nice view of New York and Jersey City from my window seat (which didn't translate so well to a photo but you get the idea). On the plane we watched reality cooking and travel shows on my iPad with the free wifi and onboard entertainment. Soon we were exiting the plane at the New Orleans airport.

New York and Jersey City

To keep costs down and save money for exciting things in WDW we packed a simple lunch of cheese, pretzels, and fruit. As we waited at the gate it became very evident that this was a flight to Orlando because of all the families decked in their Disney gear. We once again boarded on time and enjoyed a smooth flight.

We landed early at MCO and headed toward the shuttles. We made our way to the B side level 1, scanned my band for Disney's Magical Express, and boarded at gate B44! You should know something about me: I am a little (maybe a lot) superstitious and at times obsessive about numbers. I love multiples of 22 (I was born on the 22nd of the month in '88 AND DW and I celebrate our relationship anniversary on the 22nd of a different month) and also multiples of 3 and especially multiples of 9. At the theatre/opera/symphony if I have a choice of seat number I will always pick a multiple of 3 and/or 22. Plus my name starts with B, so I took this as an amazing sign.

Between landing early and the efficiency of DME we were actually leaving the airport before our scheduled landing time of 2:30. On the bus I got the text that we were in room 9440 and it was ready! Yes, building 9, room 440! Our driver was funny and the ride went by quickly. Pop Century was the first stop and DW and I were the only passengers to exit there. We went to the check-in desk out of habit and to be honest the CMs seemed a little confused as to why we were there since check-in is done online and most people get the room text and can go straight there with their Magic Bands. I did need to make sure the right credit card was linked to the room and ask a question about tickets and they were very helpful. I'm sure they are still working out the kinks of the system but I imagine lots of guests are confused as to why they don't need to check in or even have any human contact of any kind. Oh, and I should mention that a new CM was "earning her ears" on her very first day of training. She seemed very nervous but never stopped smiling and of course the established CM was there to help.

Nothing like the first view of the WDW sign!

 

[bee]

Day 4, cont.

After lunch we had a FP+ for Test Track. This was our first time riding Test Track since the refurb besides single rider and therefore our first time doing the whole design lab. We decided to make the silliest car possible which was a lot of fun. What was NOT fun was the stampede to the next part of the queue after the design lab doors opened. They really need to streamline that, whether that means setting up physical barriers/line holders or having a CM direct traffic so it goes more smoothly. Anyway, our silly design actually won a few of the tests on the ride somehow.

Test Track design

Next was a FP+ for Spaceship Earth. This time our photos did appear in our future! We then had a FastPass for The Seas with Nemo and Friends which was fun and silly as always. It was time for a light snack so we shared a Mickey Pretzel.

Mickey!

More F&G preparation

Then we walked over to World Showcase and the UK to see The British Revolution. Last time we saw a band in the UK they were still just "The British" and only played Beatles music. Now they play British rock from various artists. Even though I missed the all-Beatles sets from before the show was a lot of fun. At one point we noticed about six elementary school-aged boys dancing and headbanging on one of the pillar things near the stage. Even though I don't like kids I thought it was very cute, although the substitute teacher in me was quite nervous for their safety!

The British Revolution. The boys on the right were the ones headbanging during some of the songs.

We had scored a fourth FP+ for the Vegetable Boat Ride but had about an hour and a half before the time window began. So we continued our resort hopping via the International Gateway and visited the Yacht and Beach Clubs. We enjoyed the theming and would certainly consider staying at one of the two for a deluxe stay, especially the Yacht Club. We walked around the lake to the Boardwalk and had a slice of mushroom and spinach pizza. After enjoying the pizza and the view we walked back to Epcot and headed toward The Land. Here we shared a fruit and cheese box and then it was time for our Vegetable Boat Ride FastPass. It never gets old!

Boardwalk pizza

Fruit and cheese box

Mickey!

Florida snowman

After the Vegetable Boat Ride we had some time to kill but not enough to wait in line for Soarin'. I had never seen the Circle of Life show so we watched it. Like many parts of Epcot it is certainly showing its age in both the facilities and the show itself. Afterwards it was finally close to check in time for the Dessert Party! I already wrote an updated review so I won't bore you all with a reiteration but just know that we had a lot of fun and loved the party!

Waiting for The Circle of Life

Cava! Read my review for more pics!

Resorts visited: POP WL CR Poly GF AKL OKW CSR AoA YC BC BW

Resorts remaining: SSR POFQ POR CBR ASMu ASSp ASMo

Next up: What post-party shenanigans will occur??

 

[bee]

Day 4, cont.

The party sadly ended, BUT it was time for evening Extra Magic Hours! We rode Soarin', the standby queue of which is a lot more bearable when a) only EMH guests are in line and the wait is only twenty minutes and b) one has had multiple glasses of sparkling wine! After Soarin' we had time for one more ride so we rode Test Track again. This time our car was even sillier. It appeared as though the group next to us was also attempting to make a silly car but when they saw ours they seemed to agree that ours was better (worse?)! The ride was so much fun and we were among the last three cars to ride for the night.

Awesome Test Track design!!!

After Test Track my buzz was wearing off and I started getting super sad that we were leaving The World in the morning. I stalled as long as possible to "say goodbye" to my favorite park. Soon we were on the bus and back at Pop to pack and get ready for the next day's travel.

Goodbye, Spaceship Earth ):

Resorts visited: POP WL CR Poly GF AKL OKW CSR AoA YC BC BW

Resorts remaining: SSR POFQ POR CBR ASMu ASSp ASMo

Next up: A day of travel

 

[CheersBigEars]

Really fun trip report! Congrats on getting married and having a Disneymoon. I understand the last day blues, I always get them.

 

[bee]

Really fun trip report! Congrats on getting married and having a Disneymoon. I understand the last day blues, I always get them.

Thank you! We are coming up on six months married and just celebrated eight years together. We're already dreaming about an October first anniversary trip...

 

[mrdrift]

It can't be, the end of the trip already . We were really enjoying this trip report. Following along.

 

[bee]

It can't be, the end of the trip already . We were really enjoying this trip report. Following along.

Thanks for following! Our last day tradition is coming up...

 

[bee]

Day 5: Travel

Our departure flight wasn't scheduled until after 4:00pm so we had time for a late morning and late breakfast at The Wave. It has become a tradition to go to The Wave on our last day of WDW vacation and luckily we got a table without a reservation.

The Wave breakfast!

After breakfast we walked to MK to take our final bus back to Pop. We got one final iced coffee from Everything Pop and boarded the Tragical Express.

Last iced coffee ):

Disney's Tragical Express ): ): ):

Next up: The airport

 

[Courtney6682]

Sounds like you guys had an awesome time!!! Great pics and report...thanks for sharing

 

[bee]

Day 5, cont.

We checked our bag and went through security. While we were waiting for boarding to begin the gate agent announced that travelers going on to LaGuardia after the first leg of the flight needed to see her. We figured this couldn't be a good sign and we were right. Our flight had been canceled due to the impending storm.

The gate agent was very helpful in rebooking us for the next morning (she even put us on a flight to Newark instead of LaGuardia which is closer and more convenient for us!) and told us to visit Southwest customer service to get vouchers for discount hotels for the night. Unfortunately all the hotels for which SWA had vouchers were completely booked due to Valentine's Day, President's Day weekend, and all the other flights that had been canceled because of the storm. We tried the Hyatt in the airport but it was overbooked. Disney didn't have any rooms available either and it took about half an hour of searching Priceline, Kayak, Hotwire, Expedia, etc., to find a Holiday Inn for an outrageous price. We decided to rent a car since the hotel was in Kissimmee and it would be cheaper than cab rides.

At least it was the first time we got to drive a Beetle!

It was 195 degrees.

We were definitely not the only ones having trouble finding a room for the night. While we were checking in a woman came in and asked if the hotel had any available rooms but they didn't. Our room was evidently one of the last to be booked because it was a family room with a queen bed and bunk beds. We were grateful to at least have a bed for the night and not be stuck in the airport, and we were also glad to have purchased travel insurance before our trip!

Our view upon entering the room

We were relieved to see there was a real bed in the back!

Lovely view of...the parking lot /:

Sadly the room turned out to be kind of awful. The air conditioner made a howling noise and we couldn't fall asleep. Two different maintenance employees came to our room to try and repair it but apparently the problem was wind coming in from the outside and they couldn't do anything about it. We called both the front desk and the third-party site through which we had booked to see about getting a partial refund or some kind of coupon or credit but no one would give us anything. Eventually we did fall asleep and got about two hours of sleep before we had to head to the airport. Again, thank goodness for travel insurance because at least we're being reimbursed for that awful night!

Next: Back to the airport for unplanned Day 6!

 

[betty rose]

Enjoying your trip report! Sorry for the last day mess.

 

[bee]

Enjoying your trip report! Sorry for the last day mess.

Glad you are enjoying it, and thanks! By coincidence today was the day our insurance claim was approved and we'll be receiving a payment within the next two weeks!

 

[betty rose]

Glad you are enjoying it, and thanks! By coincidence today was the day our insurance claim was approved and we'll be receiving a payment within the next two weeks!

Good to hear that, we always buy trip insurance too. The weather can spoil our plans, we live in Denver...never know what to expect!

 

[bee]

Day 6: Travel, AGAIN

We woke up at 4:00am to drive back to the airport and catch our 7:00am flight. We returned the rental car and went to check our bags but our flight was once again canceled! The check in agent rebooked us but the soonest we could fly out was two days later, which was now three days later than our original return date. At least we didn't have to wait to find out until we'd already gone through security to find out about the cancellation! The airport Hyatt did have rooms available but we decided to check Disney just in case, and we found a reasonably priced room for two nights at All Star Music. We were going back to The World!!!

Since we had just made the room reservation we obviously didn't have a DME reservation but the DME agents were super helpful in getting us on the bus! We told them a short version of the whole cancelation story and they asked why we didn't just come back to Disney in the first place. We told them our first instinct was to try that but everything was booked. They were very sympathetic and welcoming and soon we were boarding the DME once more. The driver was kind enough to turn off the DME video since we had already seen it a few days ago. We ended up riding with a retired couple from Boston who were also stuck in Orlando for a few days and decided to stay at All Star Sports. They asked us what we did for a living and wished us each luck in our respective fields. When it came up that we used to live in Florida the husband asked why we would ever leave; his wife said something to the effect of , "They're a writer and a singer, of course they need be near New York!"

After half an hour we were finally back "home!" It was about 6:30 by this point and we proceeded to check in, where a very enthusiastic trainee (and a very patient veteran CM) helped us. As we expected our room was not ready and we didn't feel like leaving our luggage with bell services so we just went to the food court. The true star of this trip really had a chance to shine for the several hours we were stuck there: the resort mug! Thank goodness we paid for "length of stay" which really means two weeks. We charged our phones and people watched and enjoyed way too many cups of coffee and soda! We shared a vegetarian omelet and breakfast potatoes sometime during the morning and later shared a plate of nachos (sorry, no photos as we were totally exhausted and brainless at this point!). We each took a walk around the grounds while the other watched the luggage. Finally, around 2:00 I got the text that our room was ready!

Liiiiiiiizard

ASMu grounds

Calypso! Taken by DW

Maraca, taken by DW

Fountain, taken by DW

Resorts visited: POP WL CR Poly GF AKL OKW CSR AoA YC BC BW ASMu

Resorts remaining: SSR POFQ POR CBR ASSp ASMo

Next up: More resort hopping!

 

[betty rose]

Day 6: Travel, AGAIN

We woke up at 4:00am to drive back to the airport and catch our 7:00am flight. We returned the rental car and went to check our bags but our flight was once again canceled! The check in agent rebooked us but the soonest we could fly out was two days later, which was now three days later than our original return date. At least we didn't have to wait to find out until we'd already gone through security to find out about the cancellation! The hotel Hyatt did have rooms available but we decided to check Disney just in case, and we found a reasonably priced room for two nights at All Star Music. We were going back to The World!!!

Since we had just made the room reservation we obviously didn't have a DME reservation but the DME agents were super helpful in getting us on the bus! We told them a short version of the whole cancelation story and they asked why we didn't just come back to Disney in the first place. We told them our first instinct was to try that but everything was booked. They were very sympathetic and welcoming and soon we were boarding the DME once more. The driver was kind enough to turn off the DME video since we had already seen it a few days ago. We ended up riding with a retired couple from Boston who were also stuck in Orlando for a few days and decided to stay at All Star Sports. They asked us what we did for a living and wished us each luck in our respective fields. When it came up that we used to live in Florida the husband asked why we would ever leave; his wife said something to the effect of , "They're a writer and a singer, of course they need be near New York!"

After half an hour we were finally back "home!" It was about 6:30 by this point and we proceeded to check in, where a very enthusiastic trainee (and a very patient veteran CM) helped us. As we expected our room was not ready and we didn't feel like leaving our luggage with bell services so we just went to the food court. The true star of this trip really had a chance to shine for the several hours we were stuck there: the resort mug! Thank goodness we paid for "length of stay" which really means two weeks. We charged our phones and people watched and enjoyed way too many cups of coffee and soda! We shared a vegetarian omelet and breakfast potatoes sometime during the morning and later shared a plate of nachos (sorry, no photos as we were totally exhausted and brainless at this point!). We each took a walk around the grounds while the other watched the luggage. Finally, around 2:00 I got the text that our room was ready!

Liiiiiiiizard

ASMu grounds

Calypso! Taken by DW

Maraca, taken by DW

Fountain, taken by DW

Resorts visited: POP WL CR Poly GF AKL OKW CSR AoA YC BC BW ASMu

Resorts remaining: SSR POFQ POR CBR ASSp ASMo

Next up: More resort hopping!

 

[betty rose]

Glad you got an extra couple days at Disney , you deserve it, after all you went through! I'm being selfish here, but now we get to follow along a couple more days too!

 

[bee]

Day 6, cont.

We freshened up in the room and decided to continue resort hopping.

Our room at All Star Music

Our first stop was Caribbean Beach. While some parts of the resort were pretty and interesting we decided we wouldn't want to stay here. It is really huge and the theming wasn't all that appealing to us. The food court did, however, have a pretty awesome veggie burger! It was a black bean patty topped with half an avocado and was quite delicious!

Avocado!!!

Inside the burger

Our next resort stop was Port Orleans French Quarter, via boat from DTD. I loved the theming and of course the beignets were delicious! From POFQ we walked over to Riverside. I stayed there with my parents and brother during middle school, circa 2003, but didn't really remember anything about it. The grounds are pretty and the amenities are nice but it certainly is huge! After visiting the four moderate resorts my top pick for a future visit would be POFQ, with CSR at a close second.

Les beignets!

We decided to get off the bus at All Star Sports just to explore a bit. Then we walked back to Music and called it a night, but not before snagging a reservation for the next night for California Grill! I've wanted to try CG for a few years but it's never worked out until now. We figured our vacation was extended whether we wanted it or not so we might as well go for it!

Resorts visited: POP WL CR Poly GF AKL OKW CSR AoA YC BC BW ASMu CBR POFQ POR ASSp

Resorts remaining: SSR ASMo

Next up: Will we see all the resorts?? And first time at California Grill!

 

[betty rose]

Day 6, cont.

We freshened up in the room and decided to continue resort hopping.

Our room at All Star Music

Our first stop was Caribbean Beach. While some parts of the resort were pretty and interesting we decided we wouldn't want to stay here. It is really huge and the theming wasn't all that appealing to us. The food court did, however, have a pretty awesome veggie burger! It was a black bean patty topped with half an avocado and was quite delicious!

Avocado!!!

Inside the burger

Our next resort stop was Port Orleans French Quarter, via boat from DTD. I loved the theming and of course the beignets were delicious! From POFQ we walked over to Riverside. I stayed there with my parents and brother during middle school, circa 2003, but didn't really remember anything about it. The grounds are pretty and the amenities are nice but it certainly is huge! After visiting the four moderate resorts my top pick for a future visit would be POFQ, with CSR at a close second.

Les beignets!

We decided to get off the bus at All Star Sports just to explore a bit. Then we walked back to Music and called it a night, but not before snagging a reservation for the next night for California Grill! I've wanted to try CG for a few years but it's never worked out until now. We figured our vacation was extended whether we wanted it or not so we might as well go for it!

Resorts visited: POP WL CR Poly GF AKL OKW CSR AoA YC BC BW ASMu CBR POFQ POR ASSp

Resorts remaining: SSR ASMo

Next up: Will we see all the resorts?? And first time at California Grill!

 

[betty rose]

It looks like you are making most of your extra, whoop whoop.

 

[CheersBigEars]

That's how you turn a negative into a positive! Can't wait to read how it ends.

 

[smk]

Does trip insurance cover all the extra things you needed? I have only traveled with insurance once to Europe, and did not need to use it. However, my DREAM would be to be stuck in WDW, unable to travel back home for a few extra days, just not sure my budget would like it!