Trip Report Five Years Flies When You're Having Fun!

WE'RE BACK!
(Did you even know we had left?)​

That's right, M and I just got back from another Disney trip that occurred before I even finished my previous trip report. It's been a busy two months! I didn't even have time to make a PTR!

Who: Me and M (with a quick cameo by my brother, Jay)
What: An extended weekend Disney vacation
Where: WDW Swan
When: October 26-30, 2019
Why: Our five year wedding anniversary

Stay tuned for food, drinks, and lots of FUN!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

We waddled back to the International Gateway to get back to the Swan. On the way we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy, and Goofy was being very...well, Goofy! He was trying to sit in a rental stroller that was clearly child-sized while various CMs chided him.

She waved at me! You can kind of see Goofy in the back to the left of the left blue shirt CM.

After he gave up on the stroller. Mickey can't believe it!

We actually saw lots of characters meeting and greeting near the IG this trip. Not sure if there were more because of the Skyliner crowds, Food and Wine, or what.

We stopped in the store (as always) for some AC and noticed LOTS of Skyliner merch.

By the point it was SUPER hot. It had been pretty pleasant our first day and decent the second day, but today was just YUCK. At one point a joke was made that it was so hot that even this ketchup bottle can't stand it:

This was the first time we noticed that the Swan is being repainted. Some of the formerly lighter green sections of the outside are now this darker teal-ish color. I hope the hotels stay bright and don't get too generic in the age of Marriott!

You'd better believe I tried to follow these footprints as they are.

Okay, remember how earlier I made the request for coffee and soaps? We arrived to the room to find:

Bags full of stuff, plus replenished supplies in the normal places where those things belong.

AND, housekeeping had done a partial cleaning even though we didn't request it.

Can you spot my cat pajamas?

Back in the room we tried ONCE AGAIN to watch the Steven Universe movie.

And at some point we had our leftover poutine.

Up next: Wrapping up the night with more drinks

 

[bee]

Happy Anniversary!!!❤ I hope you guys had a fantastic trip. It looks like you did so far!

Thank you! We did have a fantastic trip!

 

[Nunu]

Day 3, cont.

We waddled back to the International Gateway to get back to the Swan. On the way we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy, and Goofy was being very...well, Goofy! He was trying to sit in a rental stroller that was clearly child-sized while various CMs chided him.

She waved at me! You can kind of see Goofy in the back to the left of the left blue shirt CM.

After he gave up on the stroller. Mickey can't believe it!

We actually saw lots of characters meeting and greeting near the IG this trip. Not sure if there were more because of the Skyliner crowds, Food and Wine, or what.

We stopped in the store (as always) for some AC and noticed LOTS of Skyliner merch.

By the point it was SUPER hot. It had been pretty pleasant our first day and decent the second day, but today was just YUCK. At one point a joke was made that it was so hot that even this ketchup bottle can't stand it:

This was the first time we noticed that the Swan is being repainted. Some of the formerly lighter green sections of the outside are now this darker teal-ish color. I hope the hotels stay bright and don't get too generic in the age of Marriott!

You'd better believe I tried to follow these footprints as they are.

Okay, remember how earlier I made the request for coffee and soaps? We arrived to the room to find:

Bags full of stuff, plus replenished supplies in the normal places where those things belong.

AND, housekeeping had done a partial cleaning even though we didn't request it.

Can you spot my cat pajamas?

Back in the room we tried ONCE AGAIN to watch the Steven Universe movie.

And at some point we had our leftover poutine.

Up next: Wrapping up the night with more drinks

That's great service at Swan! Are both Swan and Dolphin owned by Marriott? We are Bonvoy members, and I'm liking what I see in your report.

Even though I've seen Mickey many times, he always has such an effect on me, I become as excited as a 6yo! Specially when he's dressed in his formal attire!

 

[bee]

That's great service at Swan! Are both Swan and Dolphin owned by Marriott? We are Bonvoy members, and I'm liking what I see in your report.

Even though I've seen Mickey many times, he always has such an effect on me, I become as excited as a 6yo! Specially when he's dressed in his formal attire!

Yes, they are both Marriott properties. I am now a Gold Elite member and I always get great service at both hotels. I have been upgraded multiple times (even before I was gold) and any time I have requested late check out I have been granted my request. I also just started using the Marriott Bold credit card and I get bonus points for everything so we will have enough for at least two free nights soon.

 

[Nunu]

Yes, they are both Marriott properties. I am now a Gold Elite member and I always get great service at both hotels. I have been upgraded multiple times (even before I was gold) and any time I have requested late check out I have been granted my request. I also just started using the Marriott Bold credit card and I get bonus points for everything so we will have enough for at least two free nights soon.

Good to know, we've been members for quite a while. I'll ask Frank about our status and perks, he's "in charge" of our loyalty programs, and I'm the designated Disney planner, hahaha! Thanks!

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

That's great service at Swan! Are both Swan and Dolphin owned by Marriott? We are Bonvoy members, and I'm liking what I see in your report.

Even though I've seen Mickey many times, he always has such an effect on me, I become as excited as a 6yo! Specially when he's dressed in his formal attire!

We were married at the Swan, and had Mickey in his tux and top hat there afterward. I legit acted like a 6 year old the entire time

 

[Nunu]

We were married at the Swan, and had Mickey in his tux and top hat there afterward. I legit acted like a 6 year old the entire time

I remember, from your TR. Loved your wedding pictures!

 

[Darstarr]

Thank you @bee , @Nunu and @PeoplemoverTTA ! I am a Marriott stock holder and belong to their profit sharing. So keep the stays and compliments coming

 

[Nunu]

Thank you @bee , @Nunu and @PeoplemoverTTA ! I am a Marriott stock holder and belong to their profit sharing. So keep the stays and compliments coming

Anything for my friend!
I'm a Disney shareholder, so I thank you all!

 

[Darstarr]

Anything for my friend!
I'm a Disney shareholder, so I thank you all!

Ditto

 

[MickeyCB]

Anything for my friend!
I'm a Disney shareholder, so I thank you all!

We're also Disney share holders, and any time I get elbowed in the Emporium while someone is trying to get to the checkout register, I step aside and say, "go ahead sir and make that purchase"!

 

[SarahBella82]

Giant LOL: #notababy

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

We wanted a light dinner and didn't want to go far to get it, so we went downstairs to Java to actually buy something.

We picked grab-and-go items that we could take upstairs to our room. On the way up we also stopped for beverages at Chill. This time the bartender was Gretchen and she was awesome!

Mudslide and Strawberry Daiquiri

Oh look, it me

Vegan bahn mi

Vegan protein bowl

We watched a Halloween dessert competition show on Food Network.

This is SUPPOSED to be Wednesday Addams.

We needed to go visit Gretchen again downstairs...

We had an earlier bedtime tonight because we had lots planned for the next day.

Up next: Our last full day

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

What a sad little Wednesday Addams I never would have guessed if you hadn’t said what it was supposed to be

 

[bee]

Day 4: Tuesday, October 29 *HAPPY ANNIVERSARY*

We slept in (surprise) and had coffee in the room (surprise).

This was an ad in the elevator. What is a run concierge? Does this mean a CM will come run with me?

A boat was arriving, but not the boat we needed.

It was QUITE hot and sticky already so we stopped in the Boardwalk General Store for a few minutes of AC.

Arendelle Aqua

Looks like we'll share an anniversary with someone!

Inside the International Gateway, the man himself was meeting and greeting once again.

Our destination: Les Halles!

Quiche florentine

So, for fun, I decided to try to speak French with the CM who took my order. I ordered entirely in French and we must have understood each other because I ended up with the correct items! But after the actual ordering she switched to English and we still had a fun conversation but I really wanted to practice my French. But she was very interested in Galaxy's Edge and hadn't been yet, so I told her about going for a preview and then opening day.

After breakfast we went back the way we came with the goal of getting to Hollywood Studios.

PRINCESS TIANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Up next: NOPE

 

[bee]

Day 4, cont.

After exiting Epcot we tried something I was sure I would never do.

Why was I so sure I would never ride the Skyliner? Some of you may remember from previous TRs that last year I survived a fire at the studio where I teach. The short version is: I was teaching, our building caught fire, another teacher and I had to get ourselves plus seven kids under age 14 out of the studio, the stairs were on fire, and we had to jump from a second story balcony to escape. I was hospitalized for two days and spent months recovering from a severe abdominal wound that caused intense daily pain and greatly affected my mobility for about half of 2018. SO, when the news that the Skyliner had had an accident and that some people were stuck dangling for HOURS, I was pretty sure I would never ride it because I have had enough emergency evacuations for several lifetimes and even if there's only a small chance anything would happen I was NOT willing to risk it. But M convinced me we would be okay, so I trusted her and we decided to suck it up and ride it once.

We got off at Caribbean Beach and transferred.

Um, yeah, I hated it. Never again. I am normally not afraid of heights or anything like that but I constantly felt like I was going to fall and by the end I was in tears. I'm sure if the big F-word had never happened to me I would have been fine, but here we are. Also, anyone who says it's "not that hot" is LYING. The ride from Epcot to CB was a decent temperature but the ride from CB to DHS was miserably hot. I can't imagine riding one of these things in the summer. So, if you love the Skyliner, good for you, but you couldn't pay me enough to ride again and go through that again.

After THAT ordeal, an adult beverage was in order. We'd never tried the Tune-In Lounge and it was on the way to our next destination so we stopped for a beer.

Two Sam Adams Octoberfests

Lots of people here rave about the lounge, so maybe they were having an off day. The bar was very crowded and there was a long line to order beverages. Originally we wanted to sit and drink, but by the time seats actually opened up we just wanted to get our drinks and get out of there. Also, I'm not judging people who drink on vacation (DUH) but it was before noon and everyone else seemed to already be plastered. Not exactly the place I want to be.

Since it was too crowded in TIL and too hot outside we stopped in Backlot Express to finish our beers before going on our first ride.

Sorry for the downer of a post! It gets better from here!

Up next: Staaaaaaaaaaaar Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaars

 

[bee]

Day 4, cont.

Star Tours had a short wait and we practically walked on.

I think we went to Hoth and Naboo. Sadly, I was not the Rebel spy.

Next we traveled to Batuu to work for Hando. We decided to try the single rider this time as the standby posted wait was 45 minutes.

A VENT!!! FINALLY, enough air conditioning for me to stop melting!!!

We still waited over 30 minutes as single riders, so we will probably not try that again.

Up next: We visit Andy

 

[bee]

Day 4, cont.

After MFSR we had a FP for A*S*S so we headed to Toy Story Land.

As we were entering TSL a man around my age stopped me and asked where I got my shirt. It was from Target!

After our spin on A*S*S, we were #DONE with this very hot land and the park as a whole. Many remarks about Californians were made.

Up next: Back to the Swan

 

[bee]

Day 4, cont.

As we exited DHS a Friendship was just leaving. Most of the line is in the sun through most of the day. So we whipped out our umbrellas for a bit of relief from the sun as we waited.

These guys were fishing and some of the people on line in front of us were providing comical commentary.

Stiiiiiiill waiting...

Although the wait felt long because it was so hot, we actually only waited about ten minutes for the next boat, and soon we were getting off at the Swolphin dock. After a quick stop in the room we went back downstairs to grab some lunch from Java.

This time we shared a sandwich, salad, and Phins and Feathers pale ale, which is a beer specially made for the Swolphin. As we placed our order a CM asked us if we were going to Chill for drinks tonight. We looked in her direction and it was Gretchen from the night before and she recognized us! We learned that the various food CMs for the Swan rotate roles at Chill, Java, etc.

The salad was fresh and had a good variety of veggies, and the sandwich was very tasty.

The beer was...fine. I'm glad we shared one because neither of us loved it and we won't get it again.

Up next: Dinner plans and a Lyft adventure

 

[MinnieM123]

Um, yeah, I hated it. Never again. I am normally not afraid of heights or anything like that but I constantly felt like I was going to fall and by the end I was in tears. I'm sure if the big F-word had never happened to me I would have been fine, but here we are. Also, anyone who says it's "not that hot" is LYING. The ride from Epcot to CB was a decent temperature but the ride from CB to DHS was miserably hot. I can't imagine riding one of these things in the summer. So, if you love the Skyliner, good for you, but you couldn't pay me enough to ride again and go through that again.

Sorry to hear you didn't like your ride on the Skyliner. (I've never tried it -- haven't been to WDW in about a year and a half.) I've heard a few others comment that maybe it's the direction of the wind, whether the gondolas are comfortable or not. Anyway, I despise the heat, so if I try them, it would probably be after sundown, when it's cooler, just in case.

On another topic, I loved your Slinky coaster photos -- really fun!